“With the lights out, it’s less dangerous. Here we are now, entertain us.” It’s one of the most anthemic choruses in the history of rock - possibly in the whole history of popular music. But, just why did a song from a then-little known Seattle grunge outfit end up swamping the ears and minds of the youth of the ‘90s?
Smells Like Teen Spirit, the lead single from the band’s 1991 breakthrough second album, Nevermind, fast became Nirvana’s signature song, thanks to a combination of critical factors.
One of which is inarguably its construction. Though built around four chords (F, Bb, Ab, Db), Its circular ‘chank-a-chank’ strumming pattern and striking use of light-and-shade dynamics (not to mention the roar of Kurt Cobain’s fuzz-soaked guitar) resulted in a song that grabbed the listener forcefully. It was tailor-made for radio-play.
Cobain’s vocal transition from the withdrawn cool of the verse to the impassioned, ragged-throated shouting in the chorus was the first exposure many listeners would have to the Nirvana frontman’s mercurial persona.
