Blog 11 "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
This week I listened to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by
Nirvana. This song starts off with a catchy riff solo on the electric guitar
then a heavy drum and bass beat coming in before calming down and the vocals
joining. The lead singer Kurt Cobain has a throaty and gritty voice that really
adds to the rock aspect of the song. There is a lot of full out yelling into
the microphone and the repetitive “Hello, hello, hello…” that is sung three times
though out the song. After this repetitive more mellow “Hello” section it is followed
by a heavy “When the lights out…” where the bass becomes more prevalent. At
this point the song becomes what I would consider a head banger. The song is also
driven in its four beats per measure time signature through the drums which play
two quarter notes followed by a half note in the Hello section followed by four
quarter notes in the chorus. Throughout the song the electric guitar and bass
are heard and during the heavy chorus the electric guitar sounds like it has
sliding and quick, repetitive chord progressions. During the verse, the guitar
also plays a distinct two notes, one after the other. The lyrics of the song do
not make a whole lot of sense. This confusion adds to the chaos that I think
Nirvana was trying to display in the maturation of a teen from child to adult.
Being a teenager is fun, but it is also disconcerting as this song is. Overall,
I really like this song not necessarily for the message it portrays but more
for the musicality.
This song is so iconic. I like that you mentioned Cobain’s vocal style. His raw, vocal scraping reminds me of Janis Joplin. I wonder if the vocal technique affects men and women differently? I love how you found that the change in the song symbolized getting older, and that being a teenager is kind of an in-between stage of being a child and being a grown up.
ReplyDeleteI love this song, Kurt Cobain is who I think when I hear the word grunge. I like that you noted on Kurt's voice. I think he really gave the band the sound and feel that was intended. A loud, gritty and almost "dirty" sound to it. It almost like Nirvana knew how they wanted to be seen and how they wanted sound, a true band of rebels against society.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your input and interpretation about this song. It really does have a weird meaning... but aside from that, you are correct that the musicality is exciting. What an all-over-the-place-song! It's sporadic and creates a "crazy" or maybe even "uneasy" feeling. But certainly not in a bad way. What a great post, Lauren!
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