This Joke From One of Kurt Cobain’s Friends and Contemporaries Changed Rock History in 1991

When Kurt Cobain wrote “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, he was trying to write a Pixies song. The Nirvana hit features quiet verses and loud choruses, a hallmark of Pixies’ songwriter, Black Francis—later echoed by countless bands, including Radiohead on their breakthrough song, “Creep”.

But he wasn’t trying to change the world. Cobain was an indie songwriter in a relatively unknown band, emulating one of his musical heroes. Occasionally, a work of genius arrives accidentally. Or in this case, because of a friend’s joke.

“Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit”

The title of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana originated with Kurt Cobain’s friend and riot grrrl Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill. After a night out, they ended up in Cobain’s apartment, where Hanna scribbled, among other things, “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit” in Sharpie on his bedroom wall.

Load up on guns, bring your friends,
It’s fun to lose and to pretend.
She’s over-bored and self-assured,
Oh no, I know a dirty word.

The joke references the deodorant brand, which was marketed to teenage girls in the early 1990s. In a single phrase, Hanna distilled the irony and cynicism that partly defined Generation X. Months later, Cobain asked Hanna if he could use what she’d written on his wall for a song title. She said yes, and then her joke from a fuzzy night out in Olympia, Washington, unwittingly led to one of the most transformative songs in rock history.

With the lights out, it’s less dangerous,
Here we are now, entertain us.
I feel stupid and contagious,
Here we are now, entertain us.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” remains one of the great slacker anthems. It helped shift pop culture, and all it took was four chords, a Sharpie, a corny marketing slogan, and Hanna’s bedroom graffiti.

‘Nevermind’

In 1991, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and its accompanying music video created a ripple. Soon, fellow Seattle bands Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice In Chains climbed the charts as grunge became ubiquitous on MTV and radio.

The music was often dark and gloomy, and its themes of alienation and despair struck a chord with listeners. It was a revolt against the bloat of the previous decade as well as the glitzy rock bands it replaced.

And it may be the only revolution that started with an in-joke between friends.

Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns/Getty Images