Smells Like Teen Spirit#Charts

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was one of several songs written following Nirvana's first recording sessions with producer Butch Vig in 1990. Lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain began writing it a few weeks before recording their second album, Nevermind, in 1991.Azerrad, p. 175. He said it was an attempt to write a song in the style of the Pixies, a band he admired:

{{Blockquote|I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band—or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.{{cite magazine|last=Fricke|first=David|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kurt-cobain-the-rolling-stone-interview-19940127|title=Kurt Cobain, The Rolling Stone Interview: Success Doesn't Suck|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 27, 1994}}}}

When Cobain presented the song to his bandmates, it comprised just the main guitar riff and the chorus vocal melody.Azerrad, p. 176."Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit". Rolling Stone. December 7, 2000. Cobain said the riff was "clichéd", similar to a riff by Boston or the Richard Berry song "Louie Louie". Bassist Krist Novoselic dismissed it as "ridiculous"; in response, Cobain made the band play it for an hour and a half. Eventually, Novoselic began playing it more slowly, inspiring drummer Dave Grohl to create the drum beat,Cross, Charles. "Requiem for a Dream". Guitar World. October 2001. which drew from disco artists such as the Gap Band.{{cite magazine|title=You Won't Believe Which Funky Drummers Dave Grohl Was 'Ripping Off' on Nirvana's 'Nevermind'|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9595601/dave-grohl-nirvana-influence-disco-drums-pharrell/|access-date=July 1, 2021|magazine=Billboard|language=en}} As a result, it is the only song on Nevermind to credit all three band members as writers.Berkenstadt; Cross, p. 65.

The title derives from a phrase written on Cobain's wall by his friend Kathleen Hanna, singer of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill: "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit."{{cite web|author=Terry|title=The Story Behind Smells Like Teen Spirit|url=https://www.upvenue.com/article/1467-the-story-behind-smells-like-teen-spirit.html|website=UpVenue|access-date=January 20, 2016}}{{cite web|title=Our Hit Parade – Kathleen Hanna – Smells Like Teen Spirit – Rebel Girl – 12-15-2010|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWO4JnP2T40|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/xWO4JnP2T40|archive-date=November 14, 2021|url-status=live|website=YouTube|access-date=January 20, 2016|date=December 17, 2010}}{{cbignore}} Hanna meant that Cobain smelled like the deodorant Teen Spirit, which she and Tobi Vail, his then-girlfriend, had discovered during a trip to the grocery store.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/features/kathleen-hanna-on-how-she-named-smells-like-teen-spirit/10269194|title=Kathleen Hanna on how she named 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'|date=September 23, 2016|website=ABC.net}} Cobain said that he was unaware of the deodorant until months after the single was released, and had interpreted it as a revolutionary slogan, as they had been discussing anarchism and punk rock.Azerrad, pp. 211–12.

Prior to the album recording, the band sent Vig demos for songs including "Teen Spirit". While the sound was distorted due to the band playing at a high volume, Vig felt it had promise.Azerrad, p. 167. Vig and the band recorded "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at Sound City Studios in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Van Nuys in May{{nbsp}}1991.Cross, Charles. "The Stories Behind the Songs". Rolling Stone. November 14, 2002. Vig suggested changes to the arrangement, including moving a guitar ad lib to the chorus and shortening the chorus.di Perna, Alan. "The Making of Nevermind". Guitar World. Fall 1996. The band recorded the basic track in three takes, and used the second take. Vig corrected some timing errors created by Cobain switching between his guitar effects pedals. Cobain recorded only three vocal takes; according to Vig, "I was lucky to ever get Kurt to do four takes."Berkenstadt; Cross, p. 67.

{{Listen|filename=NirvanaSmellsLikeTeenSpirit.ogg|title="Smells Like Teen Spirit"|description=Sample of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind. The sample illustrates the change in dynamics from verse to pre-chorus and chorus.}}

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a grunge{{cite magazine|last=Danaher|first=Michael|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/08/the-50-best-grunge-songs.html?p=2|title=The 50 Best Grunge Songs|magazine=Paste|date=August 4, 2014|access-date=May 5, 2019|archive-date=August 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805220018/https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/08/the-50-best-grunge-songs.html?p=2|url-status=dead}} and alternative rock{{cite web|last=Cosores|first=Philip|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/07/ranking-every-alternative-rock-hit-from-worst-to-best/|title=Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best|work=Consequence|date=July 5, 2017|access-date=October 9, 2019}} song. It was recorded in the original key of F minor and follows a F⁵-B{{music|flat}}⁵-A{{music|flat}}⁵-D{{music|flat}}⁵ chord progression,Rooksby, p. 133. with the main guitar riff constructed from four power chords played in a syncopated sixteenth note strum by Cobain.Chappell, Jon. "Nirvana's Music". Guitar. June 1993. The guitar chords were double tracked to create a "more powerful" sound.Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004. The chords occasionally lapse into suspended chord voicings as a result of Cobain playing the bottom four strings of the guitar for the thickness of sound. The riff resembles that of Boston's 1976 hit "More Than a Feeling", though it is not identical - the band would sometimes play a fragment of that song as an introduction.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-19 |title=Nirvana play Boston’s ‘More Than A Feeling’ at Reading Festival back in 1992 - Far Out Magazine |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/nirvana-boston-more-than-a-feeling-reading-festival-1992/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}} During the verses, Cobain used a Small Clone effect pedal to add a chorus effect.{{Cite book |last=Hunter |first=Dave |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GZgOo8qmQDUC&q=Small%2520Clone%2520Smells%2520Like%2520Teen%2520Spirit&pg=PA202 |title=365 Guitars, Amps & Effects You Must Play: The Most Sublime, Bizarre and Outrageous Gear Ever |date=2013-05-15 |publisher=Voyageur Press |isbn=978-0-7603-4366-1 |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b-HqBQAAQBAJ&q=Small%2520Clone&pg=PT89 |title=Guitar World: The Life & Genius of Kurt Cobain |date=2014-03-21 |publisher=Time Home Entertainment |isbn=978-1-61893-956-2 |language=en}}

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" uses a "somewhat conventional formal structure" consisting of four-, eight-, and twelve-bar sections, including an eight-bar verse, an eight-bar pre-chorus, and a twelve-bar chorus. Musicologist Graeme Downes, who led the band the Verlaines, says that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" illustrates developing variation.{{cite news|last=Lapriore|first=Elaine|title='Teen Spirit' at 10: An Unshakable Scent|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 2, 2001|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/2001/09/02/teen-spirit-at-10-an-unshakable-scent/e76f5ad4-17ad-4c34-9479-0bc5194ad402|access-date=November 19, 2018}} Elements of the structure are marked with shifts in volume and dynamics, moving from quiet to loud several times. This structure of "quiet verses with wobbly, chorused guitar, followed by big, loud hardcore-inspired choruses" became an alternative rock template.di Perna, Alan. "Brave Noise—The History of Alternative Rock Guitar". Guitar World, December 1995.

During the verses, the band maintains the same chord progression as the chorus. Cobain plays a two-note guitar line over Novoselic's root-note eighth note bassline, which outlines the chord progression. Approaching the chorus, Cobain begins to play the same two notes on every beat of the measure and repeats the word "Hello". Following the first and second choruses, Cobain simultaneously sings the word "Yay" and performs a unison bend on his guitar.Rooksby, p. 134. After the second chorus, Cobain plays a 16-bar guitar solo restating his vocal melody from the verse and pre-chorus.Starr; Waterman, pp. 434–5. During the closing refrain, Cobain sings "A denial" repeatedly; his voice becomes strained from the force of yelling.

The lyrics to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" were often difficult for listeners to decipher, both due to their nonsensicality and because of Cobain's slurred, guttural singing voice. This problem was compounded by the fact that the Nevermind album liner notes did not include any lyrics for the songs aside from selected lyrical fragments. This incomprehensibility contributed to the early resistance from radio stations towards adding the song to their playlists; one Geffen promoter recalled that people from rock radio told her, "We can't play this. I can't understand what the guy is saying."Cross, pp. 204–05. MTV went as far as to prepare a version of the video that included the lyrics running across the bottom of the screen, which they aired when the video was added to their heavy rotation schedule. The lyrics for the album—and some from earlier or alternate versions of the songs—were later released with the liner notes of the "Lithium" single in 1992. American rock critic Dave Marsh noted comments by disc jockeys of the time that the song was "the 'Louie Louie' of the nineties" and wrote, "Like 'Louie', only more so, 'Teen Spirit' reveals its secrets reluctantly and then often incoherently."Marsh, p. 204. Marsh, trying to decipher the lyrics, felt after reading the correct lyrics from the song's sheet music that "what I imagined was quite a bit better (at least, more gratifying) than what Nirvana actually sang", and added, "Worst of all, I'm not sure that I know more about [the meaning of] 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' now than before I plunked down for the official version of the facts."Marsh, p. 206.

The book Teen Spirit: The Stories Behind Every Nirvana Song describes "Teen Spirit" as "a typically murky Cobain exploration of meaning and meaninglessness".Crisafulli, p. 37. Azerrad plays upon the juxtaposition of Cobain's contradictory lyrics (such as "It's fun to lose and to pretend") and states "the point that emerges isn't just the conflict of two opposing ideas, but the confusion and anger that the conflict produces in the narrator—he's angry that he's confused". Azerrad's conclusion is that the song is "alternately a sarcastic reaction to the idea of actually having a revolution, yet it also embraces the idea". Additionally, the "famously obscure couplet"—"A mulatto, an albino / A mosquito, my libido"—is, according to Azerrad, "nothing more than two pairs of opposites, a funny way of saying the narrator is very horny".Azerrad, p. 213. In Heavier Than Heaven, Charles R. Cross' biography of Cobain, Cross argues that the song is a reference to Cobain's relationship with ex-girlfriend Tobi Vail. Cross cites the line "She's over-bored and self-assured" and states the song "could not have been about anyone else". Cross backs up his argument with lyrics which were present in earlier drafts, such as "Who will be the King & Queen of the outcasted{{sic}} teens".Cross, p. 169.{{Efn|Earlier drafts of the lyrics to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" have been reprinted in Kurt Cobain's Journals (2002).|group=lower=alpha}}

"Teen Spirit" is widely interpreted as a teen revolution anthem, an interpretation reinforced by the music video. In an interview conducted the day Nevermind was released, Cobain stated the song was about his friends, explaining, "We still feel as if we're teenagers because we don't follow the guidelines of what's expected of us to be adults ... It also has kind of a teen revolutionary theme." In Michael Azerrad's biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Cobain said he felt a duty "to describe what I felt about my surroundings and my generation and people my age". He also said, "The entire song is made up of contradictory ideas ... It's just making fun of the thought of having a revolution. But it's a nice thought." As Cobain did more interviews, he changed his explanation of the song and rarely gave specifics about the meaning. Grohl stated he does not believe the song has any message, and said, "Just seeing Kurt write the lyrics to a song five minutes before he first sings them, you just kind of find it a little bit hard to believe that the song has a lot to say about something. You need syllables to fill up this space or you need something that rhymes."Azerrad, p. 214.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was released to radio on August 27, 1991. On September 10, it was released as the lead single from Nevermind, Nirvana's major label debut on DGC Records. The song did not initially chart, and it sold well only in regions of the United States with an established Nirvana fanbase.Berkenstadt; Cross, p. 112.

The single was intended to be a base-building alternative rock cut from the album, and was not expected to be a hit; the follow-up "Come as You Are" was planned as the single that could cross over to mainstream radio formats. However, campus and modern rock radio stations placed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on heavy rotation. Danny Goldberg of Nirvana's management firm Gold Mountain said: "None of us heard it as a crossover song, but the public heard it and it was instantaneous ... They heard it on alternative radio, and then they rushed out like lemmings to buy it."Azerrad, p. 227.

The video received its world premiere on MTV's late-night alternative rock program 120 Minutes on September 29,{{cite book | last1 = Grohl | first1 = Dave | title = The Storyteller | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 2021 | pages = 151 | isbn = 978-1-3985-0372-4}} and proved so popular that the channel began to air it during its regular daytime rotation.Azerrad, p. 199. MTV added the video to its "Buzz Bin" selection in October, where it stayed until mid-December. By the end of the year, the song, music video, and the Nevermind album had become hits. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Nevermind became a rare cross-format phenomenon, reaching all the major rock radio formats including modern rock, hard rock, album rock, and college radio.Berkenstadt; Cross, pp. 124–25.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was also a critical and commercial success. It topped the 1991 Village Voice "Pazz & Jop" and Melody Maker year-end polls and reached number two on Rolling Stone's list of best singles of the year. The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart the same week that Nevermind reached number one on the albums chart."Nirvana Achieves Chart Perfection!" Billboard. January 25, 1992. "Teen Spirit" hit number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and in April 1992 it was certified Platinum (one{{nbsp}}million copies shipped) by the Recording Industry Association of America.{{cite web|last=Basham|first=David|date=December 20, 2001|title=Got Charts? No Doubt's Christmas Gift; Nirvana Ain't No Beatles|work=MTV|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451583/20011220/story.jhtml#/news/articles/1451583/20011220/story.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011227152340/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451583/20011220/story.jhtml#/news/articles/1451583/20011220/story.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 27, 2001|access-date=October 19, 2006}} However, many American Top 40 stations were reluctant to play the song in regular rotation and restricted it to night-time play.Ross, Sean. "Nirvana Receiving Less-Than-Spirited Airplay". Billboard. February 1, 1992.

The single was also successful in other countries. In the United Kingdom, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was released on November 18, 1991, reaching number seven on the UK Singles Chart and charting for 184 weeks.{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=21|date=November 16, 1991}}Nirvana and The Story of Grunge. Q. p. 54. December 2005. The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal and Best Rock Song."The 35th Grammy Awards Nominations General Categories". The Los Angeles Times. January 8, 1993. Entertainment Weekly would later name Nirvana's loss to Eric Clapton in the Best Rock Song category as one of the 10 biggest upsets in Grammy history.{{cite magazine|year=2007|first=Michael|last=Endelman|title=Grammy's 10 Biggest Upsets|magazine=EW.com|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,1567466_20010834_20010795_1,00.html|access-date=May 19, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629034859/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20010795_20010079,00.html}} Outside the United States, the song topped the charts of Belgium, France, New Zealand, and Spain. It charted within the top five of several European countries and reached number five in Australia. In Israel, it was voted in at number 2 on the IBA's "Voice of Israel" singles chart.{{cite web |url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1of9J-7k3EqEzvgH8mZXqGv5N-oAIC30d/edit?gid=497451199#gid=497451199 |title=Israeli Singles Chart archive |website=google.com |language=he |access-date=August 17, 2024}} It appeared on several year-end charts, including number 10 in New Zealand, number 17 in Belgium and Germany, and number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart.

In the wake of Nirvana's success, Michael Azerrad wrote in a 1992 Rolling Stone article: "'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is an anthem for (or is it against?) the 'Why Ask Why?' generation. Just don't call Cobain a spokesman for a generation."Azerrad, Michael. "Inside the Heart and Mind of Nirvana". Rolling Stone. 16 April 1992. Nevertheless, the music press awarded the song an "anthem-of-a-generation" status, placing Cobain as a reluctant spokesman for Generation X.Garofalo, Reebee. Rockin{{'}} Out: Popular Music in the USA. Allyn & Bacon, 1997. {{ISBN|0-205-13703-2}}, p. 447. The New York Times wrote that "'Smells Like Teen Spirit' could be this generation's version of the Sex Pistols{{'}} 1976 single, 'Anarchy in the U.K.', if it weren't for the bitter irony that pervades its title ... as Nirvana knows only too well, teen spirit is routinely bottled, shrink-wrapped and sold".{{cite news|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|date=24 November 1991|title=Boredom + Claustrophobia + Sex {{=}} Punk Nirvana|work=The New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DB103AF937A15752C1A967958260|access-date=April 8, 2007}}

Nirvana grew uncomfortable with the song's success and, in later concerts, often excluded it from the set list.Crisafulli, p. 38. Prior to the release of the band's 1993 follow-up album In Utero, Novoselic remarked, "If it wasn't for 'Teen Spirit' I don't know how Nevermind would have done ... There are no 'Teen Spirits' on In Utero."DeRogatis, Jim. Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. {{ISBN|0-306-81271-1}}, p. 14. Cobain said in 1994, "I still like playing 'Teen Spirit', but it's almost an embarrassment to play it ... Everyone has focused on that song so much."

File:CastingCallSmellsLikeTeenSpirit.jpg

File:Kurt Cobain, Smells Like Teen Spirit guitar, EMP Museum.jpg guitar played by Kurt Cobain in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video.]]

The music video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the first for director Samuel Bayer. Bayer believed he was hired because his test reel was so poor the band anticipated his production would be "punk" and "not corporate". The video is based on the concept of a school concert which ends in anarchy and riot, inspired by Jonathan Kaplan's 1979 film Over the Edge and the Ramones' film Rock 'n' Roll High School."The Making of the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Video". Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004. It had an estimated budget of between $30,000 and $50,000.{{cite web|url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/277601/smells-like-teen-spirit-smells-like-its-19-today/|title="Smells Like Teen Spirit" Smells Like It's 19 Today|last=Ganz|first=Caryn|date=10 September 2010|publisher=Yahoo.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917001818/http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/277601/smells-like-teen-spirit-smells-like-its-19-today|archive-date=September 17, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=January 11, 2011}}

The video was filmed on August 17, 1991,{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-original-casting-call-for-nirvanas-smells-like-teen-spirit-video-2012-4|title=Here's The Original Casting Call For Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Video, From 1991|date=April 25, 2012|access-date=June 18, 2020|last=Stampler|first=Laura|work=Business Insider}} on Stage 6 of GMT Studios in Culver City. It features Nirvana playing at a pep rally in a high school gym to an audience of apathetic students on bleachers, and cheerleaders wearing black dresses with the Circle-A anarchist symbol. The video features an appearance by Burton C. Bell, later known as frontman of heavy metal band Fear Factory.{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/fear-factory-frontman-how-i-ended-up-appearing-in-nirvana-s-smells-like-teen-spirit-video/|title=Fear Factory Frontman: How I Ended Up Appearing In NIRVANA's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Video|publisher=blabbermouth.net|date=July 31, 2012|access-date=October 2, 2017}} Occasionally, the scene cuts to a janitor (played by Tony De La Rosa) wearing a navy blue jumpsuit and dancing with a push broom handle. The video ends with the students destroying the set and the band's gear. The discontent was genuine; the extras who filled the bleachers had been forced to stay seated through numerous replays of the song for an entire afternoon of filming. Cobain convinced Bayer to allow the extras to mosh, and the set became a scene of chaos. "Once the kids came out dancing they just said 'fuck you', because they were so tired of his shit throughout the day," Cobain said.Azerrad, pp. 190–91.

Cobain disliked Bayer's final edit and oversaw a re-edit of the video, creating the final version. One of Cobain's major additions was the penultimate shot, a close-up of his face after it had been obscured for most of the video. Another major change involved two sequences of a principal standing next to a loudspeaker and being sprayed with confetti, and a teacher dressed like a nerd dancing to the song with a "Dunce" cap before being tied to a basketball hoop pole. Cobain had the principal footage and most of the teacher footage removed, aside from the ending scene which shows the teacher tied to the pole as the janitor sweeps the floor.{{cite web|title=Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit (Director's Cut)|publisher=Daniil Nefedov|work=YouTube|date=May 5, 2016|access-date=September 26, 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLvb2UTndLM|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/SLvb2UTndLM|archive-date=November 14, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} Bayer said that unlike subsequent artists he worked with, Cobain was not vain, and was more interested that "the video had something that was truly about what they were about".

The music video received positive reviews. The Rolling Stone writer David Fricke described the video as looking like "the greatest gig you could ever imagine". In addition to a number-one placing in the singles category, "Teen Spirit" also topped the music video category in the Village Voice{{'}}s 1991 "Pazz & Jop" poll.{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=March 3, 1992|title=The 1991 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|publisher=RobertChristgau.com|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres91.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507034515/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres91.php|archive-date=May 7, 2006|access-date=May 19, 2007}} The video won Nirvana the Best New Artist and Best Alternative Group awards at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards,{{cite web|year=2006|title=Past Winners Database|work=Los Angeles Times|url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1992/1992mtvv.htm|access-date=October 29, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031053343/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1992/1992mtvv.htm|archive-date=October 31, 2006|url-status=live}} and in 2000 the Guinness World Records named "Teen Spirit" the Most Played Video on MTV Europe.{{cite web|date=November 27, 2006|title=ABC News: Achieving Nirvana: Grunge Band's 'Teen Spirit' is Top Song of Past Two Decades|publisher=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2682023&page=1|access-date=December 1, 2006}} Amy Finnerty, formerly of MTV's Programming department, later said the video "changed the entire look of MTV" by giving them "a whole new generation to sell to".

Rolling Stone placed the music video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at number two on their 1993 list of "The 100 Top Music Videos".{{cite web|date=October 1993|title=Rolling Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos"|publisher=Rock on the Net|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1993/rsvideo.htm|access-date=October 7, 2013}} MTV ranked the song's music video at number three on its "100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made" list in 1999.{{cite web|year=1999|title=MTV: '100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made'|publisher=Rock on the Net|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/mtv100.htm|access-date=October 7, 2013}} VH1 placed the debut of the "Teen Spirit" video at number eighteen on its 2000 list of "100 Greatest Rock & Roll Moments on TV", noting that it made alternative rock "a commercial and pop culture force".{{cite web|title=VH-1's 100 Greatest Rock & Roll Moments|publisher=AmIAnnoying.com|url=http://www.amiannoying.com/%28S%28kbtodvygih5iyiprvdctv414%29%29/collection.aspx?collection=5772|access-date=October 24, 2013}} In 2001, VH1 named it the fourth-greatest video.{{cite magazine|last=Susman|first=Gary|date=May 2, 2001|title=News Summary: Model Patient|magazine=EW.com|url=https://ew.com/article/2001/05/07/niki-taylor-seriously-hurt-car-crash/|access-date=November 12, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=October 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013185525/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,108354,00.htm}} The video was parodied in "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video for "Smells Like Nirvana"{{cite AV media notes|title=Permanent Record: Al in the Box|title-link=Permanent Record: Al in the Box|others="Weird Al" Yankovic|year=1994|first=Barret|last=Hansen|author-link=Dr. Demento|type=liner|publisher=Scotti Brothers Records|location=California, US}} and referenced in Bob Sinclar's 2006 music video for "Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)".{{cite web|url=https://www.plasticletters.org/bobsinclarrockthisparty|first=Stephen|last=Hill|title=Rock This Party Popular Music Video|publisher=Routelege Media|series=AS Media Studies: The Essential Introduction|website=plasticletters.org|year=2008}} By December 25, 2019 the video had been viewed 1 billion times on YouTube.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/25/790835284/here-we-are-now-on-smells-like-teen-spirit-hitting-a-billion-views-on-youtube|title=Here We Are Now: On 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Hitting A Billion Views On YouTube|last=Thompson|first=Stephen|publisher=NPR|date=December 25, 2019|access-date=December 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226050259/https://www.npr.org/2019/12/25/790835284/here-we-are-now-on-smells-like-teen-spirit-hitting-a-billion-views-on-youtube|archive-date=December 26, 2019|url-status=live}}

{{Listen|filename=SmellsLikeTeenSpirit.ogg|title="Smells Like Teen Spirit" (live)|description=Sample of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, from the live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996). The band performs the song at a faster tempo and in a lower key than the studio recording.}}

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was first performed live on April 17, 1991 at the OK Hotel in Seattle, Washington.With the Lights Out (p. 23) [CD liner notes]. Santa Monica: Geffen Records. 2004. The performance is featured on the DVD of the 2004 box set With the Lights Out, while shorter clips are included on the Classic Albums{{'}} Nevermind DVD, as well as the documentary film Hype!. As the song's lyrics had not yet been entirely written, there are notable differences between it and the final version. For example, the first performance started with "Come out and play, make up the rules" instead of the eventual opening of "Load up on guns, bring your friends". A recording of the earlier version appears on With the Lights Out and again on Sliver: The Best of the Box. A similar early live performance of the song is found in the documentary 1991: The Year Punk Broke, filmed during a 1991 summer tour in Europe with Sonic Youth.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The international television debut performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was on 8 November 1991, on the UK TV series The Word.{{cite web|url=https://www.livenirvana.com/tvguide/91.html |title=Live Nirvana TV Guide: 1991 |publisher=livenirvana.com |access-date=January 30, 2022}} Cobain opened by declaring: "I want everyone in this room to know that Courtney Love, the lead singer of the sensational pop group Hole, is the best fuck in the world."{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/best-of-the-word |title=Best of The Word |publisher=Channel 4 |access-date=January 30, 2022}} Cobain and Love married the following year.{{cite magazine |author=Sinclair, Tom |date=February 19, 1999 |title=Encore: Kurt and Courtney's wedding |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/02/19/encore-kurt-and-courtneys-wedding/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}

Nirvana often altered the song's lyrics and tempo for live performances. Some live performances of the song had the line "our little group has always been" changed to "our little tribe has always been", which can be heard on the 1996 live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. Rolling Stone remarked that the Wishkah version of "Teen Spirit" "[found] Cobain's guitar reeling outside the song's melodic boundaries and sparking new life in that nearly played-out hit".{{cite magazine|last=Ali|first=Lorraine|date=2 February 1998|title=From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (review)|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/from-the-muddy-banks-of-the-wishkah-19980202|access-date=February 2, 2015|archive-date=October 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001222043/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/from-the-muddy-banks-of-the-wishkah-19980202|url-status=dead}} A notable alternate performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" occurred on BBC's Top of the Pops in 1991, during which the band refused to mime to the pre-recorded backing track and Cobain deliberately sang the whole song an octave lower and altered numerous lyrics in the song (for example, "Load up on guns, bring your friends" became "Load up on drugs, kill your friends"). Cobain later said he was trying to sound like former Smiths frontman Morrissey.Cross, p. 208. When Top of the Pops was cancelled in 2006, The Observer listed Nirvana's performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as the third greatest in the show's history.{{cite web|date=July 16, 2006|title="Top of the Pops" shows|work=Guardian|location=UK|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/jul/16/32|access-date=October 18, 2006}} This performance can be found on the 1994 home video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!.{{cite web|last=Prato|first=Greg|title=Live Tonight Sold Out – Nirvana {{=}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{=}} AllMusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-tonight-sold-out-mw0000120039|website=allmusic.com|access-date=April 18, 2021|language=en}}

Dubbed an "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974625,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204015208/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974625,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 4, 2007|title=Winners of 1991|date=January 6, 1992|magazine=Time|access-date=April 15, 2007}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/smellsliketeenspirit.shtml|title=Smells Like Teen Spirit|publisher=BBC Radio 2|access-date=October 29, 2006}} in the years following Cobain's 1994 suicide and Nirvana's breakup, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has continued to garner critical acclaim, and is often listed as one of the greatest songs of all time. It was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" in 1997.{{cite web|title=The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll|publisher=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|url=http://rockhall.com/exhibits/one-hit-wonders-songs-that-shaped-rock-and-roll/|access-date=October 7, 2013}} In 2000, VH1 rated the song at number forty-one on its "100 Greatest Rock Songs" list,{{cite web|year=2000|title=VH1: '100 Greatest Rock Songs': 1–50|publisher=Rock on the Net|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/vh1rocksongs.htm|access-date=October 7, 2013}} while MTV and Rolling Stone ranked it third on their joint list of the "100 Greatest Pop Songs".{{cite magazine|last=Angulo|first=Sandra P.|date=November 17, 2000|title=News Summary: Lord Jim|magazine=EW.com|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/11/17/jim-carreys-grinch-could-steal-weekend-box-office/|access-date=November 12, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=September 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924062303/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,88627,00.html}} The Recording Industry Association of America placed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at number eighty on their 2001 "Songs of the Century" list.{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Jamie|date=March 7, 2001|title=New song list puts 'Rainbow' way up high|publisher=CNN|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/365.songs/|access-date=April 7, 2007|archive-date=February 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222174824/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/365.songs/|url-status=dead}} In 2002, NME awarded the song the number two spot on its list of "100 Greatest Singles of All Time",{{cite web|date=24 April 2002|title=NME's 100 Greatest Singles of All Time Unveiled|work=NME|location=UK|url=https://www.nme.com/news/103493.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427035859/http://www.nme.com/news/103493.htm|archive-date=April 27, 2006|access-date=May 19, 2007}} with Kerrang! ranking it at number one on its own list of the "100 Greatest Singles of All Time".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/kerrang.htm|title=100 Greatest Singles of All Time|magazine=Kerrang!|access-date=24 October 2013}} VH1 placed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at number one on its list of "100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years" in 2003,{{cite news|date=June 10, 2003|title=VH1's 100 Greatest Songs|publisher=CBSNews.com|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vh1s-100-greatest-songs/|access-date=October 19, 2006}} while that same year, the song came third in a Q poll of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".{{cite news|date=November 18, 2003|title=U2's One named 'greatest record'|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3281327.stm|access-date=October 22, 2006}} In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" fifth on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".{{cite magazine|date=15 September 2021|title=Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: 1–50|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/the-beatles-strawberry-fields-forever-2-1225331/|access-date=September 15, 2021}} The song was placed at number six in NME{{'}}s "Global Best Song Ever Poll" in 2005.{{cite web|date=September 29, 2005|title=Queen win 'best song ever' poll|work=NME|location=UK|url=https://www.nme.com/news/michael-jackson/21121|access-date=October 4, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004232938/http://www.nme.com/news/michael-jackson/21121|archive-date=October 4, 2013}} In 2022, it was included in the list "The story of NME in 70 (mostly) seminal songs": Mark Beaumont wrote that with this song, Nirvana rejuvenated American rock, "honing the melodic roars of Husker Du, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth into an MTV friendly quiet-loud dynamic".{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Beaumont |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/story-of-nme-in-70-seminal-songs-3176759 |title=The Story of NME in 70 (mostly) Seminal Songs |publisher=NME |date=March 7, 2022 |access-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307110139/https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/story-of-nme-in-70-seminal-songs-3176759 |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |url-status=dead}}

In the 2006 VH1 UK poll The Nation's Favourite Lyric, the line "I feel stupid and contagious / Here we are now, entertain us" was ranked the third-favorite lyric by over 13,000 voters.{{cite web|date=April 17, 2006|title=U2 cop nation's favourite lyric|publisher=itv.com|url=http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/15934/U2s-One-Tops-Nations-Favourite-Song-Lyric-Poll|access-date=October 22, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113125123/http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/15934/U2s-One-Tops-Nations-Favourite-Song-Lyric-Poll|archive-date=January 13, 2012}} VH1 placed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at number one on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs Of The '90s" in 2007,{{cite web|date=December 12, 2007|title=VH1's 100 Greatest Songs Of The '90s: Not Enough Pavement|publisher=Stereogum|url=https://www.stereogum.com/7468/vh1s_greatest_songs_of_the_90s_not_enough_pavement/list/|access-date=October 5, 2013}} while Rolling Stone ranked it number ten on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time".{{cite magazine|title=The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/20947527/page/8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530212615/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/20947527/page/8|date=May 28, 2008|archive-date=May 30, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=October 24, 2013}} In 2009, the song was voted number one for the third time in a row on the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time in Australia{{cite news|year=2009|title=Hottest 100 Of All Time 2009|work=Triple J|url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100_alltime/countdown/cd_list.htm|access-date=December 21, 2011}} (it was first place previously in 1991{{cite news|year=2009|title=Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 1991|work=Triple J|url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100_08/history/1991.htm|access-date=October 24, 2013}} and 1998).{{cite news|year=2009|title=Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 1998|work=Triple J|url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100_08/history/1998.htm#h100-all-time|access-date=24 October 2013}} That year, VH1 ranked the song seventh on its list of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs".{{cite web|date=January 5, 2009|title=VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs|publisher=Stereogum|url=https://www.stereogum.com/43591/vh1s_100_greatest_hard_rock_songs/list/|access-date=October 5, 2013}} Despite previously proposing in its 2006 entry for Nevermind on "The All-TIME 100 Albums" that "'Smells Like Teen Spirit' ... may be the album's worst song",{{cite magazine|last=Tyrangiel|first=Josh|date=November 13, 2006|title=All-TIME 100 Albums: Nevermind|magazine=Time|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1955625,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603141651/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1955625,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 3, 2010|access-date=April 6, 2007}} Time magazine later included it on its list of "The All-TIME 100 Songs" in 2011.{{cite magazine|last=Suddath|first=Claire|date=October 21, 2011|title=All-TIME 100 Songs: 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'|magazine=Time|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/24/the-all-time-100-songs/slide/smells-like-teen-spirit-nirvana/|access-date=October 5, 2013}} That same year, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" kept its number nine ranking on Rolling Stone{{'}}s updated list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time",{{cite magazine|year=2011|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Nirvana, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-20110516|access-date=October 7, 2013|archive-date=October 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008043033/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-20110516|url-status=dead}} while in 2019, the magazine ranked it at number one in its list of "50 Best Songs of the Nineties".{{cite web|date=August 28, 2019|title=50 Best Songs of the Nineties|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-best-songs-of-the-nineties-252530/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-1991-252544/|access-date=September 29, 2020}} NME placed the song at number two on its list of the "100 Best Tracks Of The '90s" in 2012,{{cite web|date=16 May 2012|title=NME's 100 Best Tracks Of The '90s|publisher=Stereogum|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1032631/nmes-100-best-tracks-of-the-90s/list/|access-date=October 7, 2013}} and at number one on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2014.{{cite web|date=January 31, 2013|title=Pictures of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time: 100-1 – Photos|publisher=NME|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-100-1/330996/1/1#100|access-date=August 3, 2014}} In 2015, the song was also named the most iconic song of all time according to a study by Goldsmith's College, which analysed various songs featured in numerous 'all-time best' lists, using analytical software to compare their key, BPM, chord variety, lyrical content, timbral variety, and sonic variance{{snd}} the result of which designated the title to this song.{{cite web|last=Loudermilk|first=Lauren|title='Smells Like Teen Spirit' Named the Most Iconic Song Ever by Science|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/09/smells-like-teen-spirit-named-the-most-iconic-song.html|website=Paste|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925163925/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/09/smells-like-teen-spirit-named-the-most-iconic-song.html|archive-date=September 25, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=November 12, 2021}} In 2017, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/nirvana|title=Nirvana|date=November 19, 2019|website=GRAMMY.com|language=en|access-date=February 4, 2020}}

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was rereleased as a limited edition 7-inch vinyl single in December{{nbsp}}2011. In an attempt to emulate a successful 2009 Facebook campaign to promote Rage Against the Machine's song "Killing in the Name", an online campaign was launched to promote "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to 2011 Christmas number one in the UK Singles Chart in protest at the dealings of The X Factor television series with the children's charity Rhythmix.{{cite news|last=Michaels|first=Sean|title=Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit to be re-released for Christmas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/dec/07/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-christmas?newsfeed=true|access-date=December 9, 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|date=December 7, 2011}} A similar campaign was also launched in Ireland to get the track to 2011 Christmas number one in the Irish Singles Chart.{{cite news|last=Murphy|first=Lauren|title=Push is on for Christmas No 1|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2011/1209/1224308798142.html|access-date=December 13, 2011|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=December 9, 2011|archive-date=December 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213003350/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2011/1209/1224308798142.html|url-status=dead}} The campaign resulted in the song reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 30,000 copies.{{cite magazine|last=Sexton|first=Paul|title=Michael Buble, Military Wives Top U.K. Charts|magazine=Billboard|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/464651/michael-buble-military-wives-top-uk-charts|date=December 27, 2011|access-date=January 21, 2012}} According to Nielsen Music's year-end report for 2019, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio with 145,000 spins. All of the songs in the top 10 were from the 1990s.{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/nirvana-most-played-radio-rock-band-decade/|title=Nirvana Were the Most-Played Band of the Decade on Rock Radio|last=Trapp|first=Philip|date=January 14, 2020|access-date=January 23, 2020|website=Loudwire}} In June 2021, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became the second song from the 1990s to reach 1 billion streams on the Spotify platform.{{cite news|last=Schaffner|first=Lauryn|date=June 2, 2021|url=https://loudwire.com/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-billion-streams-spotify/|title=Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit Has Hit 1 Billion Streams On Spotify|work=Loudwire|access-date=August 1, 2021}}{{cite news|last=Rolli|first=Bryan|date=June 29, 2021|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2021/06/29/nirvanas-smells-like-teen-spirit-surpasses-1-billion-spotify-streams/|title=Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Surpasses 1 Billion Spotify Streams|work=Forbes|access-date=August 1, 2021}} As of 2024, the song ranked at number 80 for list of Spotify streaming records. With 2.203 billion streams on Spotify, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became the most streamed song from the 90s.Spotify Most Streamed Songs from the 90s https://kworb.net/spotify/songs_1990.html

Tori Amos recorded the song and released it in 1992 on her "Crucify" EP single. Dave Grohl commented on Nirvana covers in 1996: "There are a few bands that go out there and do Nirvana covers and it's absolutely ridiculous, That's almost like desecration, that's what I think of it as. Tori Amos' take on it (Smells Like Teen Spirit) was fine. I mean that was pretty hilarious. She can do whatever the hell she wants."{{cite web|date=April 5, 1996|title=Life without Kurt|newspaper=Toronto Sun|url=http://www.canoe.com:80/JamMusicArtistsN/nirvana.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011101083407/http://www.canoe.com/JamMusicArtistsN/nirvana.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 1, 2001|access-date=July 22, 2020}} "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song in 1992 with "Smells Like Nirvana", a song about Nirvana itself. Cobain quickly gave permission, but asked, "It's not about food, is it?" Yankovic answered, "No, it's about how nobody can understand your lyrics." Upon hearing the parody, Cobain and his bandmates laughed hysterically. Yankovic has said Cobain told him he realized that Nirvana had "made it" when he heard the parody.{{cite magazine|date=September 19, 2006|title=Weird Al Yankovic Dishes On James Blunt, Discusses His Role As the Whitest, Nerdiest Rock Star Ever|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/weird-al-yankovic-dishes-on-james-blunt-discusses-his-role-as-the-whitest-nerdiest-rock-star-ever-20060919|access-date=April 5, 2011|archive-date=April 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427114936/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/weird-al-yankovic-dishes-on-james-blunt-discusses-his-role-as-the-whitest-nerdiest-rock-star-ever-20060919|url-status=dead}} In 1995, the queercore band Pansy Division released a cover version with altered lyrics titled "Smells Like Queer Spirit" on their Pile Up album. Pansy Division guitarist Jon Ginoli insisted that his band's version of the song was not a parody but "an affectionate tribute". In the 2011 film The Muppets and its soundtrack, one of the acts of the Muppet Telethon involves Rowlf the Dog, Link Hogthrob, Sam Eagle, and Beaker performing the song as a barbershop quartet, where unwilling special guest Jack Black accuses them of "ruining one of the greatest songs of all time".{{cite news|last=Gallo|first=Phil|title='Muppets' Movie Soundtrack Features Feist, Flight of the Conchords, Andrew Bird|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/muppets-soundtrack-feist-flight-conchords-246217|access-date=July 11, 2013|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 10, 2011}}{{AllMusic|class=album|tab=review|id=r2302113|last=Cherrie|first=Chrysta|access-date=February 14, 2012|ref=Allmusic}} The 2015 film Pan features a cover of the song performed by Hugh Jackman in character as the pirate Blackbeard and other members of the cast in a musical sequence that introduces the character and his crew. It was selected for the scene after other traditional pirate songs "just wasn't jelling" with the filmmakers during rehearsals.{{Cite web |title=So About That Nirvana Song In 'Pan'... |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/115811-pan-covers-smells-like-teen-spirit-surprisingly-hugh-jackman-has-an-explanation |access-date=April 15, 2023 |website=Bustle.com|date=October 9, 2015 }} A version recorded by singer Malia J is used in the opening credits sequence of the 2021 film Black Widow.{{Cite web |title=Marvel's Black Widow opens with "dark, dramatic" cover of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit — Kerrang! |url=http://www.kerrang.com/marvels-black-widow-opens-with-dark-dramatic-cover-of-smells-like-teen-spirit |access-date=October 11, 2022|website=www.kerrang.com}}

All lyrics are written by Kurt Cobain; all music is composed by Nirvana{{Cite AV media notes |title=Nevermind |others=Nirvana |year=1991 |type=CD liner notes |publisher=DGC}}

{{div col begin}}

US 7" single {{small|{{abbr|style=text-decoration:none|(DGCS7-19050)|Catalog #}}}}

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 4:38
2. "Even in His Youth" – 3:03

US/Australian/Australasian cassette single {{small|{{abbr|style=text-decoration:none|(DGCCS-19050)|Catalog #}}}}

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 4:38
2. "Even in His Youth" – 3:03

US & Australian CD single {{small|{{abbr|style=text-decoration:none|(DGCDS-21673)|Catalog #}}}}

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 4:38
2. "Even in His Youth" – 3:03
3. "Aneurysm" – 4:47

UK 7" single {{small|{{abbr|style=text-decoration:none|(DGCS 5)|Catalog #}}}}

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 4:38
2. "Drain You" – 3:43

UK 12" single {{small|{{abbr|style=text-decoration:none|(DGCT 5)|Catalog #}}}}

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 5:00 (LP Version)
2. "Drain You" – 3:43
3. "Even in His Youth" – 3:03

UK picture disc 12" single {{small|{{abbr|style=text-decoration:none|(DGCTP 5)|Catalog #}}}}

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 5:00 (LP Version)
2. "Drain You" – 3:43
3. "Aneurysm" – 4:47

UK CD single {{small|{{abbr|style=text-decoration:none|(DGCTD 5)|Catalog #}}}}

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 4:38
2. "Drain You" – 3:43
3. "Even in His Youth" – 3:03
4. "Aneurysm" – 4:47

{{div-col-end}}

Personnel adapted from Nevermind liner notes

Nirvana

• Kurt Cobain (uncredited) – vocals, guitars
• Krist Novoselic (uncredited) – bass
• Dave Grohl (uncredited) – drums, backing vocals on "Drain You"

Technical personnel

• Butch Vig – producer, engineer
• Nirvana – producer, engineer
• Craig Montgomery – production and engineering on "Even in His Youth"{{sup|{{dagger}}}}and "Aneurysm"{{sup|{{double-dagger}}}}
• Andy Wallace – mixing

{{small|{{dagger}} Appears in all release formats, except for UK 7" and some promos.}}
{{small|{{double-dagger}} Paired with the track "Even in His Youth" on CD and {{abbr|promo 12"|PRO-A-4314}} only; also separately on UK 12" (picture disc).}}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Smells Like Teen Spirit"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|number=12|relyear=1991|certyear=2024|access-date=8 March 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Nirvana|title=Smells Like Teen Spirit|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1991|certyear=2024|access-date=March 13, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Nirvana|award=Platinum|number=8|relyear=1991|certyear=2022|accessdate=April 23, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=Smells Like Teen Spirit|award=Platinum|number=3|id=13671|relyear=1991|certyear=2024|access-date=October 13, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=Smells Like Teen Spirit|relyear=1991|certyear=2025|access-date=January 22, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=Smells Like Teen Spirit|award=Platinum|number=3|relyear=2002|certyear=2023|note=Sales since 2009|access-date=December 12, 2023|id=11756}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=Smells Like Teen Spirit|award=Platinum|number=6|certyear=2024|relyear=1991|access-date=December 18, 2024|source=radioscope}}

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{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|streamsonly=true|nosales=true}}

• List of highest-certified singles in Australia
• List of highest-certified digital singles in the United States

• Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. {{ISBN|0-385-47199-8}}
• Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004.
• Berkenstadt, Jim; Cross, Charles. Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind. Nirvana. Schirmer, 1998. {{ISBN|0-02-864775-0}}
• Crisafulli, Chuck. Teen Spirit: The Stories Behind Every Nirvana Song. Carlton, 1996. {{ISBN|0-684-83356-5}}
• Cross, Charles R. Heavier Than Heaven. Hyperion, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7868-6505-9}}
• Marsh, Dave. Louie Louie. Hyperion, 1993. {{ISBN|1-56282-865-7}}
• Rooksby, Rikki. Inside Classic Rock Tracks. Backbeat, 2001. {{ISBN|0-87930-654-8}}
• Starr, Larry; Waterman, Christopher. American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. {{ISBN|0-19-510854-X}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

• {{cite book|last=Bradley|first=Adam|author-link=Adam Bradley (literary critic)|year=2017|title=The Poetry of Pop|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0300165029|chapter=Figurative Language|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=L808DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154&dq= 153]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=L808DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154&dq= 154]|ref=none}} An analysis of the song's use of figurative language.

{{Sister project links|d=Q485907|display="Smells Like Teen Spirit"|q=Smells Like Teen Spirit|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no|c=no}}

• {{MusicBrainz release|mbid=2f03daed-36e6-4b17-8df3-6dc49556f438|name=Smells Like Teen Spirit}}
• {{YouTube|hTWKbfoikeg|"Smells Like Teen Spirit" (official music video)}}

{{Nirvana (band)}}

{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video}}

{{Triple J Hottest 100 winners}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1990 songs

Category:1991 singles

Category:DGC Records singles

Category:Music videos directed by Samuel Bayer

Category:Nirvana (band) songs

Category:Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles

Category:SNEP Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand

Category:Number-one singles in Spain

Category:Patti Smith songs

Category:Songs involved in plagiarism controversies

Category:Song recordings produced by Butch Vig

Category:Songs written by Kurt Cobain

Category:Songs written by Krist Novoselic

Category:Songs written by Dave Grohl

Category:Songs about teenagers

Category:Tori Amos songs

Category:1991 neologisms

Category:1991 quotations