Song by Song: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Quiz

Answer: Mick Jagger

Kurt Cobain was the primary songwriter of Nirvana as well as its frontman and guitarist. Krist Novoselic was one of Nirvana's founders and was the bassist. David Eric Grohl was Nirvana's drummer and went on to found the band Foo Fighters, for which he is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist.

According to Jim Berkenstadt and Charles Cross in "Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind," Novoselic created the baseline, which in turn inspired drummer Dave Grohl to conceive the drumbeat, and thus the song was credited to all three band members.

Answer: 1991

The single, which was in the grunge or alternative rock genre, was released in September 10, 1991 by DGC. The B-side contained three songs: "Drain You," "Even in His Youth," and "Aneurysm." It was produced by Butch Vig.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and is often credited with making grunge mainstream.

Answer: Nevermind

"Nevermind," Nirvana's second studio album, was released in 1991 and is famous for its cover picturing a naked baby swimming in a pool of water in pursuit of a dollar bill. The album followed "Blew" and preceded "Hormoaning." "Nevermind" peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and catapulted Kurt Cobain to stardom.

Answer: A brand of deodorant for teenage girls

Released by Mennen in early 1991, Teen Spirit deodorant became a popular deodorant among teenage girls and came in scents such as pink crush, sweet strawberry, baby powder soft, and ocean surf. In "Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana," Michael Azzerad reports that Kurt Cobain didn't know Teen Spirit was a deodorant when his friend Kathleen Hannah wrote "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit" on his wall. Rather, he thought it was some kind of revolutionary slogan.

Answer: Generation X

In a November 24, 1991 New York Times article, Simon Reynolds wrote that the song "could be this generation's version" of "Anarchy in the U.K." by the Sex Pistols. In 1992, Time magazine called it an "anthem for apathetic kids." Most members of Generation X, born from approximately 1965 to 1980, would have been in their teens or early twenties when the song came out.

Answer: guns

"Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend."

In a 2017 article in Aurlcrave titled "The True Meaning of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit," Dario Giardi writes, "The call to arms in the first verse alludes to the revolutionary urgency of a hypothetical youth movement. The opening...is lyrically powerful and evocative."

Answer: over-bored

In his biography on Nirvana, Michael Azerrad suggests this "over-bored" and "self-confident" girl is Tobi Vail, the drummer for Bikini Kill, and a member of the "Riot Girl" scene.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" rose to the number one position on the US Mainstream Rock Nielsen Music decade in sales chart for 2010 to 2019.

Answer: entertain

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

BBC called this song "an anthem for bored youth" in 2006 in its "Sold on Song" column, as evidenced by lines such as "entertain us" and the description of an "over-bored" girl. In Cobain's diaries, there is a variation on this line that says "segregate us" instead of "entertain us."

Answer: libido

"Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
Yeah, hey."

Rolling Stone ranked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" number nine on its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and number three on its joint 1997 list with MTV of the "100 Greatest Pop Songs."

In a 2003 poll held by music magazine Q, it was rated third on a list of the "Best Songs Ever." The song was a worldwide hit, peaking in the top five on singles charts in Belgium, France, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Norway, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Answer: 120 Minutes

"120 Minutes" began airing in 1986 and was cancelled in 2003. Although Nirvana's video premiered on the late-night alternative show, it was soon being aired in the regular daytime rotation. The video was modeled on the idea of a school concert gone bad, and it won two MTV Video Music Awards. The video was also widely played on MTV Europe.