Smells Like Teen Spirit

Nirvana, 1991. Solo by Kurt Cobain.

A solo that just plays the vocal melody, and that is the point.

Kurt Cobain's solo is a 16-bar section that simply restates the vocal melody of the verse and pre-chorus on distorted guitar, and that is exactly why it became one of the most-learned solos of its generation. It sits over the same four power chords that drive the song, refusing any display of technique. The effect is powerful because it keeps the song's hook in focus and feels like a direct statement. Cobain's gear included a Fender Mustang and pedals such as a Boss DS-1 and a Small Clone chorus. Listen for how the solo follows the vocal line almost note for note; it is the song sung again through an amplifier.

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana is ranked #67 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Kurt Cobain and the song was released in 1991. It appears on 10 lists, placing as high as #1 (Alternative Nation).

The story of Smells Like Teen Spirit

Smells Like Teen Spirit opens Nevermind and was its lead single. Kurt Cobain said he was trying to write the ultimate pop song and was essentially borrowing the Pixies' trick of quiet verses exploding into loud choruses. When he first played the riff to the band he admitted it sounded clichéd, close to Boston or Louie Louie, and Krist Novoselic thought it was ridiculous. Cobain made them play it for an hour and a half until Novoselic slowed it down, which prompted Dave Grohl's now-famous drum pattern.

The title came from Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna, who scrawled that Kurt smelled like Teen Spirit on his wall after she and Tobi Vail had been joking about a deodorant of that name. Cobain took it as a rebellious slogan and did not learn about the deodorant until months after the single came out. The lyric became an anthem for a disaffected generation, although biographer Michael Azerrad noted its famous couplet is little more than a pair of opposites.

Nirvana recorded the song at Sound City in Van Nuys in May 1991 with Butch Vig. The basic track took three takes, with the second used, and Cobain sang only three vocal passes. Vig suggested tightening the arrangement, shortening the chorus and moving a guitar ad lib, and he fixed timing slips where Cobain stomped between pedals. The guitars were double-tracked for extra weight, and a chorus pedal gave the verses their watery shimmer.

DGC sent the song to radio on 27 August 1991 and released the single on 10 September. It was meant only to build Nirvana's alternative audience ahead of Come as You Are, but college and modern rock stations embraced it and the Samuel Bayer video took over MTV. It reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 in the UK and number 1 across several countries, carrying Nevermind to the top of the charts.

The solo

Kurt Cobain's solo is a 16-bar section that simply restates the vocal melody of the verse and pre-chorus on distorted guitar rather than showing off technique, which is exactly why it became one of the most-learned solos of its generation. It sits between choruses over the same four power chords that drive the song, played in a syncopated sixteenth-note strum. On the Nevermind sessions Cobain's main guitars were a 1969 Fender Mustang and a modified 1965 Jaguar, with a Boss DS-1 distortion and an Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus among his pedals; Butch Vig recalls using a Mesa/Boogie, a Fender Bassman and a Vox AC30 for amps. Which exact combination was used for the solo take is not documented in the sources consulted.

Legacy

Smells Like Teen Spirit is often credited with bringing alternative rock into the mainstream in the early 1990s. It topped NME's 2014 list of the 500 greatest songs, reached number 5 on Rolling Stone's 2021 list and was named the best song of the nineties by Rolling Stone in 2019. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017, has sold more than 13 million copies and has been certified diamond in the US. Its quiet-loud structure became a template for countless alternative bands.

Top 10 facts about Smells Like Teen Spirit

Cobain said the song was his attempt to rip off the Pixies' soft-then-loud dynamics.
Wikipedia
The title came from a note Kathleen Hanna wrote on Cobain's wall; he did not know Teen Spirit was a deodorant until months after the single's release.
Wikipedia
The backing track was recorded in three takes, and the second was the one used.
Wikipedia
Cobain's guitar solo is 16 bars long and repeats the melody of the verse and pre-chorus vocal.
Wikipedia
Butch Vig said amps on Nevermind included a Mesa/Boogie, a Fender Bassman and a Vox AC30, the last used for most clean parts.
Guitar.com
The watery verse sound came from an Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus pedal.
Guitar.com
Nirvana first played the song live on 17 April 1991 at the OK Hotel in Seattle.
Wikipedia
On Top of the Pops in 1991 Nirvana refused to mime properly; Cobain sang an octave lower, later saying he was imitating Morrissey.
Wikipedia
At Reading in 1992 the band opened the song with a snippet of Boston's More Than a Feeling, a nod to the riff's resemblance.
Wikipedia: Live at Reading
Weird Al Yankovic's parody Smells Like Nirvana made the band laugh, and Cobain reportedly said it told them they had made it.
Wikipedia

Live versions

Top of the Pops (BBC) (1991) Mocking mimed performance with a deliberately low vocal and altered lyrics; later released on Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!.
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (Del Mar Fairgrounds) (1996) Recorded 28 December 1991 on a bill with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam.
Live at Reading (1992) Final UK show, opened with a tease of More Than a Feeling; released in 2009.

Notable covers

Tori Amos (1992) Stark piano version on her Crucify EP; Grohl found it amusing.
"Weird Al" Yankovic (1992) Parody Smells Like Nirvana, poking fun at the song's mumbled lyrics.
Pansy Division (1995) Queercore rewrite Smells Like Queer Spirit on the album Pile Up.
Malia J (2021) Slowed, haunting version used in the opening credits of Black Widow.

In our lists

The Most-Taught Solos — #3
The Modern Canon: Best Since 1990 — #15
The Road Trip 50 — #15
The 25 Greatest Grunge Guitar Solos — #4
The 1990s — #14
Short & Perfect — #6
Solos in Hit Singles — #15

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Smells Like Teen Spirit?

Kurt Cobain played the solo on Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991).

What guitar was used on the Smells Like Teen Spirit solo?

A fender mustang through a Mesa/Boogie amp, with Boss DS-1, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Smells Like Teen Spirit rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#67 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 10 of them.

Who wrote Smells Like Teen Spirit?

The music is credited to Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, with lyrics by Cobain.

Where does the title Smells Like Teen Spirit come from?

Kathleen Hanna wrote that Kurt smelled like Teen Spirit on his wall, referring to a deodorant; Cobain thought it was a revolutionary slogan.

What guitar did Kurt Cobain use on Nevermind?

His main studio guitars were a 1969 Fender Mustang and a modified 1965 Fender Jaguar.

What is the guitar solo in Smells Like Teen Spirit?

It is a 16-bar solo that repeats the melody Cobain sings in the verse and pre-chorus.

What album is Smells Like Teen Spirit on?

It is the opening track and lead single of Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind.