What Makes This Song Great? "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2020
- In this episode we continue to explore the Nirvana song that changed the direction of Rock music "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
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this is why you are on youtube. it took you decades to discover this... dork. you are the enemy of music
i bet rick was a genesis fan when this was released
Can you do nirvana endless nameless next?it sounds genius to me but pure noise to others
@@thgftiigghjfryyhgjiyreg8945
enemy how?
Wow! I loved this video Rick. I really enjoyed it. All your videos are very professional and I learn a lot
“It doesn’t matter if people know what they are doing if they can just do it intuitively” this applies to so much of life.
The difference between genius and science. Natural brio and learning.
@@patrickfreeman8257 Yes. A heart surgeon that has only studied standard operations is a lot worse than one who is so familiar with heart surgery that if something goes wrong he can fix it by intuition
@@patrickfreeman8257 I knew you were sarcastic, that's why I replied to you
@@patrickfreeman8257 I have to agree with @overratedprogrammer here. Sorry bud but he's right
@@overratedprogrammer it was too over his head
"And then they went around two times. Why? Because it's cool."
This is the content I live for, Rick.
+1
That explains so much in rock music.
I screamed Ha! in elation when he said that.
Yeah very cool...
Smells like teen spirit - “Godzilla - The smashing pumpkins 1990 BOC cover”
Come as you are - “The damned - life goes on” / “22 faces - Garden of delight” / “Killing joke - Eighties”
Rape me - “Gwar - Pussy planet” / “Mudhoney need”
I remember reading Kurt Cobain's biography, and to my surprise and delight, that despite his disheveled appearance and don't-care persona, i learned that he was absolutely meticulous with his music. There was a segment that described how their band practices were very serious and that Kurt wld be obsessive and intentional about every note and nuance. That he wld force the band to restart the song if there even a slight mistake. I feel like I needed to add this little detail bc Rick does address the fact that many incorrectly think Kurts music was all intuition. The man was an extremely hard working genius. For me it makes me respect and admire his work even more.
Exactly!!!! THIS COMMENT SHOULD BE MORE POPULAR
Has someone ever thought Kurt wasnt hard working lol? You cant make music like he did without hard work and dedication.
@@remorcist2499 his style is raw so it sounds noisey, ham fisted or improvised, the point is that it isn't, i think is point, people are making.
One hell of a man any generation would admire a person like that besides the age
I think he was relentlessly introspective, and was not all that he could be with his instrument. Watch them live, he screws up the guitar on the verses and solo (on slts) almost intentionally sabotaging the live performance. He writes lyrics that mean nothing, but can be interpreted to be deep. He wasn’t all that he was going to be yet.. the intuition he had about music would have flowered into something amazing had he not self destructed. His voice came up with these amazing melodies that elude to him being extremely intelligent, but the latency between him and his instrument was a bit low.
For anyone who critisises Kurt Curbain for 'not knowing what he's doing' consider it like this. He was able to create these melodies organically without knowing that they had a name. Without spending 4 years of his life learning music theory. Plus let's face it, most of the people who've studied these melodies couldn't write a song that comes close to Smells Like Teen Spirit. I think that makes him a true songwriting genius.
Yes. If you have the talent and can create the masterpiece, objections about how you crossed that gap amount to nitpicking. And that's probably too nice a word for it.
Completely agree with you.
Boston came close, but I understand.
He ripped the riff from Boston and added his horrible sing sang vocals. Not a genius by any stretch…
Thousands of guitar players write great melodies and rhythms without knowing anything about music theory. Take The Beatles as an example.
Kurt watching from above...
"I did what now?"
He has been blocked for a week.... by big brother.
@Clint Cowan or maybe they just made it easier to play?
I'm sorry if I sound like a looser I'm so new but HE DIED hes a legend 😭🤚
he knew what he was doing... obviously all of those complicated chords dont happen by accident.
lol, so true... but I think on some level he knew his greatness and talents. It just didn't fit with his entire disdain for success to acknowledge and embrace it, so instead he hated himself for it. A complicated, troubled guy who was immensely gifted, and left the world as quickly as many of the other revolutionaries who came before him.
"He doesn't know what he's doing... that doesn't matter. I know what he's doing and I'm gonna tell YOU what he's doing" it's something I would like to ear from every teacher
It's encouraging purity, I never took lessons either and write pretty good songs. Not to say learning scales is tainting originality. I am admittedly limited
First of all Muhammad, you left out a key phrase that began Rick;'s comment, which was, "Before everybody starts saying...." In other words, Cobain may well have understood more of the musical theory behind his playing than some would assume. He was a very smart guy and immersed in his music. Secondly, the problem is that 99% of people playing music don't have enough intuitive resources to forego studying some amount of musical theory if they want to succeed creatively and professionally. So for all you hacks out there, don't get too complacent.
THEY knew what they were doing. There's more than one way to signify music. What Rick Beato explained here about the melody is bang on. That said, it's an analysis. The process of making music can be ANYTHING, and that's the power of art.
and actually, he knew what he was doing, that is bs
I think the point is, Kurt may have not have learnt all the music theory like other people did. He might not have learnt all the terminology. But he knew what effect playing certain notes had because he had a musical ear. So therefore he knew what he was doing. He chose the notes for a reason.
Three decades later I'm still waiting for that Teen Spirit moment to come around again. To hear a song that just blows everyone's doors off and becomes a cultural phenomenon. I don't know if I'll ever experience something quite like that again.
we didn't realize how lucky we were at the time
You'll be waiting a long time, unfortunately.
With what’s being mainstreamed today idk if we will get it again
You already forgot about Despacito?
@@pahwraith that was in and out of the mainstream in a few months. Didn’t stay
It's crazy how different Nirvana was from every other band on the radio at that time.
They weren’t that different from other bands in 91. Who was different? U2 was different very different. While all the bands were doing Grunge or 80s hair band style Rock U2 was creating their own sound on Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop.
@@TheChenny73 I've never liked U2, and it sounds like you do, so I won't trash them. But I will say I always thought they sounded like Depeche Mode and other generic alt rock type bands.
they were just trying to copy the Pixies, but you are right, that was college / indie radio at the time
I don't think many of the people commenting were alive when this song hit. Guns and roses were the biggest band at the time
@@Bossanovawitcha the album Nevermind does NOT sound like the pixies lol. I get that Kurt made attempts to emulate them in certain ways stylistically when he first started writing his early Bleach songs… but the Pixies were not top Billboard artists or considered a household name when Smells Like Teen Spirit dropped. Your uncle/neighbor/cousin/teacher didn’t ALL know who the pixies were and very few ppl outside of a specific indie college radio scene could’ve named more than one song by the pixies back then. Nirvana sounded drastically different from the other top 40 hits of the very early 90s. Don’t be intentionally obtuse just to be contrarian… it’s obnoxious.
One of the greatest things about "What Makes This Song Great?" is when Rick starts air drumming. :)
closing his eyes and air drumming !
One of the greatest things about youtube let alone his series :)
DAGADAGADAGADAGADAGA
Rick is young rocker at heart and that's why I keep coming back....
I turned that into a gif
When Rick is air drumming I just know it’s going to be a good day. 2:46
I hate to alarm you but he was playing an actual kit.
Gabriel 22 can't more agree
It would be rude NOT to air drum to this song.
I love when he’s playing air guitar while holding a guitar. That’s a dude that is really enjoying what he’s doing.
Rick air drumming is my ringtone.
It never gets old. It sounds more modern now than when it came out. If that is even possible
I know exactly what you mean
I get a little emotional sometimes listening to this song and his work in general.
Truly timeless
Greatness
This is called timeless.
It's possible because on the whole music seemed to stop evolving at that point in time. Today we have some superb musicians out there but a decent hole in the writing and composing. Stuff now just seems like a minor offshoot of what was then rather than a rich and evolving tapestry of new. Technical skill went up, creative skills went into hiding. It may have to do with how people access music today vs then, or how much time people have to immerse themselves with endless other media.
This last words “a denial!” Made me cry. How powerful and gore perfectly executed. I’m an opera singer and this is raw feeling the falling off the scream at the end… OMG!!! Hering him singing alone in your explanation… Jesus goosebumps… what an incredible song.
Oh man, do I ever hear you on this. I’m sitting here in a mess right now with those words ringing in my ears, “A denial… a denail… a denial.. a deniiiaaalllll…” So much of life is this, isn’t it?
Cobain a genius take away his grunge pedal and he probably can't even play all
Notalent ass clown!
@@jh366 Ok, troll...Did you watch the same video everyone else did???
I agree with you completely - it’s a very creative shift away from the rest of the song yet sounds utterly perfect in tone and in sentiment (Rick has pointed out how rare this is in pop music when he discussed “Every little thing she does is magic” by The Police - pop songs almost always fade out with a repeated chorus or a repeated section of guitar and rarely add new material)
Same I well up everytime it's so powerful
A Beato, an albino, a mosquito, my libido...Yeah, hey!
*an Albini .... fix't
lmfao.
hahahahahaha
😂😂😂😂
Best laugh I've had in a while 😂😂
"It doesn't matter if people know what they are doing, if they can just do it intuitively". Right on.
Absolutely... Beatles melodies with all the modal changes... They could do it intuitively....
Exactly.
@@martinpaddle and they had dragons too..😁😁😁
Right?????
@@martinpaddle Great point!
How can you love more a song that you already love so much?
Listen to Rick analyzing it and uncovering the beauty and the incredible talent that brought that song to life!
I like most rock and roll music.
I loved Weird Al's version... when Al asked Cobain if he could parody it, Cobain, familiar with Al's past work asked him "is it going to be about food?" Al responded "no... it's going to be about how nobody understands your lyrics." Lol
I also would LOVE to hear Rick's take on a Weid Al song lol
with these MARBLES in my MOUUUTH (Kazoo solo) (Tuba solo) lol
"They go around two times.
'Why?'
Because it's cool!"
I thought.. but.. also to make up a 16 bar pattern?
@@ThePurza 8 bar patterns work too ya know.
An interviewer once said to Tori Amos, 'I love how you were able to make that song beautiful'. She responded "oh, I didn't add the beauty, that was already there"
Tori Amos is the female version of Kurt Cobain
@@MagicJonesMusic Kurt Cobain was the male Tori Amos. ;)
Not a fan of her version.
Kurt's that rare singer who can literally scream and NOT lose melody or tunefulness.
exactly! he was able to express himself very viscerally while still being beautifully melodic
@@vsaucepuppet697 totally melodic! Well said, my friend! That's the whole thing with Nirvana - raw, punky, loose, and yet always tuneful and catchy as hell! Kurt sang as if he was pouring out every ounce of his soul - true artist! Cheers!
Black Francis
@@jlouis4407 Pixies HUGE inspiration for Kurt, and really diggin' The Pixies latest albums - talk about a welcome return! Also am a huge fan of Frank Black' solo stuff - got all of his albums! The man is one of a kind, extremely creative and marches to his own drummer, yet his songs are filled with interesting hooks and melodies! Any group, and there are a plethora of alternative groups, and even some metal, owe their "quiet, loud, quiet song structures to The Pixies! Kim Deal was a badass, as well! You liking the modern day material from Pixies? Cheers!
Don't forget Serj Tankian
It always amazes me, whenever I hear Kurt's voice soloed, just how strong and full his vocals are. Many rock singers rely on the sonics of the rest of the band to cover up a lack of strength, or a certain awkwardness, but Kurt's vocals sound exactly the same soloed as they do unsoloed.
God it’s so haunting to hear Kurt’s isolated vocals
Couldn't agree more!
Almost surreal.
if you listened to the song often and loud enough (because you were 22 at the time) you could hear the vocals isolated even on the CD.
Don’t ever search for the isolated vocals for “You Know You’re Right.”
The image of Kurt it reveals is devastating in hindsight.
Yes it is weird
I don't understand 98% of what Rick says because I have no musical talent or training. However, when I watch these videos, it's more like "this is why you like this song". I also get to hear all of those nuances we all know are there, but are hidden in the mix. I love watching these even though it's way over my head :-)
Exactly this for me too.
LOL same. I have no idea what he's talking about most of the time but I love it.
i fell ya jeff
Rick should do a series of videos with a non-expert sidekick, encouraging their questions & breaking down complex points to the level of the average viewer.
All good teachers do a lot of repitition - he should go back to basics repeatedly.
@@george474747 Problem is it's often hard to break down things to simple concepts. There might be a question for example "What is aeolian?" - There you go, you are just spending 10+ minutes explaining what aeolian is.
You have two choices:
1.) Stick to the analysis like Rick did and don't explain it.
Or
2.) explain everything like children are watching. The latter won't lead to an interesting video.
He has some videos on theory. Maybe you should check those out.
One thing I noticed about Kurt's melodies that sets them high and above most music is when broken down as by Rick here, they sound like medieval madrigals. This and 'Lithium' are prime examples.
Yes, yes , yes! I've always thought this! I didn't know what it was called, I just imagines someone playing a lute in a castle on a dark rainy day. Thank you.
Didn't matter that Kurt "didn't know what he was doing." He could HEAR it. He could PLAY it. I've heard a lot of things in my life that are way beyond my abilities to perform them. He had both the ears and the chops.
I love how genuinely excited Rick is while talking about this song.
Same! I have seen him excited before but he loved doing this song.
I must admit, I took a large hit of nostalgia myself. This song signifies so much in so many people’s lives. This was the song that EVERYBODY rocked out to. The pop chicks, the nerds, the jocks, the altos, the normies, everyone. This song grabbed at the heart strings and yanked you to your feet. I was lying in bed, my wife asleep next to me and I was playing air guitar and drums with Beato this whole video through, not ashamed to add :)
I hate how he exploiting a great song for money. Hope he get copyright flagged!
@@realbuckwell you sir, are an intelligent individual
@@realbuckwell dum dum
I've heard Smells Like Teen Spirit a million times, and now I just heard it for the first time, again.
Totally. Honestly I got bored of playing teen spirit on guitar despite the song being the main reason why I started guitar last year. After watching this video, I decided to start learning the fingerstyle version to listen it's beautiful melody. Smells like teen spirit is the reason why I keep wanting to learn guitar
I think Kurt was an absolute genius lyricist. I mean he said the lyrics were just written in the moment and didn't mean anything but like... the chorus, sung from the perspective of his audience, "Here we are now, entertain us," then sung from his perspective, "I feel stupid and contagious," like he's saying "Who the hell am I that you people are listening to me?" then he starts having what sounds like it could be a profound thought in the final chorus, "I found it hard, it's hard to find.." and he kind of just gives up "Oh well, whatever, never mind." like... I don't know, I absolutely love those lyrics. This isn't my favorite Nirvana song, but you just have to admit it's amazing in basically every way.
I hear what your saying. I too like the song & album but its not my favorite. Bleach is my favorite cd despite not like every song and Radio unit friendly shifter is probably my favorite tune !
Great music doesn't need vocals or lyrics.
It has meaning. Right now I only remember the lyrics of Smells like teen's spirit:
Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
_Making fun of the 'cool kids'_
She's over bored and self-assured
Oh, no, I know a dirty word
_Making fun of cheerleaders_
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
_Probably mocking children/maybe also him as a child, being afraid of the dark_
Here we are now, entertain us
_Probably a dig at hair-metal who were more show = entertainers than anything_
I feel stupid and contagious
_He feels like a loner as he's different_
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
_Krist, Kurt, Dave, a rhyme for good measurement_
I'm worse at what I do best
_what he likely heard all his childhood_
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group it's always been
And always will until the end
_a sarcastic dig at all those people who told him they're better than him_
And I forget, just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
_probably because of his stomach? or an inside joke I don't know of_
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind
_I'm a loser, but I don't care_
A denial, a denial
_Goes both ways, he's been denied 'into society' and he's refusing to adapt to be part of it._
I mean he's not here to tell me I'm wrong, but I pretty much think I got this right. He also gave the lyrics meaning by how he sang/played the song, which could be the opposite of the lyrics at times.
This song is genius. SO simple. SO aggressive. Incredible melody. I have been listening to it for 2 decades and I still want to jump out of my chair when it comes on. Just perfect.
yeah but Slipknot and Rammstein is aggressive too but they are more disturbing.
Dave Ghrol after hearing Rick's video: "So THAT's what we were playing!"
Who's Dave _Ghrol_
Dave Grohl after seeing this comment: "So THAT'S how you spell my name!"
@@benyoung4305 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Nah Grohl was a talented and knowledgeable musician even back then. He knew exactly what they were doing.
Every comment after these videos
*Your comment*
Lmao
Rick could breakdown jingle bells and you’d come away thinking wow what a song
Well I would imagine. Just because it's a short lighthearted song doesn't mean it's been memorable all this time for no reason.
Love this comment. Maybe we should urge Rick to do so....
That made me legit laugh out loud
@@luigicappetta348 Me, too. I can dig it.
I want him to break down the remix. Y'know, the "Batman smells..." version?
Dave's drumming had a lot of funk influence in his playing. For me, that was made Nirvana one of the greatest bands because we think they just a bunch of kids making noise but they very intentional with their music.
I was way into Subpop in the late 80s, and while I somehow missed Bleach I was 18 so my brother and I would flip between Headbangers Ball and SNL on Saturday nights. During one flip Teen Spirit came on. It was THE seminal moment.
I remember running to my room to find something to write on and seeing a placard from flowers some girl gave me and writing the word NIRVANA on it, not knowing how within months they would be a household band saved from the lost annals of late night MTV.
It was Gen X’s Beatles on Ed Sullivan moment.
This is the greatest overall rock song ever, and always will be because nothing will be like that again. It’s the modern demarcation line.
Your game-changer comparison nails it. Last week I introduced my younger brother to _Teen Spirit_ and by way of introduction first showed him _I Want to Hold Your Hand_ on Sullivan.
I agree, Cobain and Nirvana are on the same level talent wise as the Beatles. Of course they didn’t last long enough to build the catalogue and resume Beatles did.
Dave Grohl beats the drums like they owe him money.
He made that band also and imo why he caught crap for "selling out" Back then my drummer introduced me to Nirvana but Grohl was the man. Almost joined Tom Petty, then Foo Fighters and the rest is history! Anyway, love your comment! Like they owe him money! 😂😂
This is a great fucking comment.
Well... he did got a lot of money from that drums
Super analogy...Grohl, great guy too.
Our hometown boy/pride--Springfield, Virginia
wow never heard that one before
So interesting hearing his vocals isolated. He was a much better singer than people give him credit for.
It just sounds like he's yelling to me. :(
@@julieolson9832 It’s primal, affecting, beautiful. This was a man with a lot of pain and his voice channeled it and made it into art
@@ohwellwhateverr I'll agree that it's primal and affecting and painful. And that he was channeling his pain. But pain can be conveyed with a singing voice in ways that aren't yelling and doesn't damage vocal cords.
@@julieolson9832 Singing is nothing but yelling with context... think about it
@@xkuei Not if you actually learned how to sing in a sustainable manner with control of your instrument.
That opening riff separated everything me and my parents knew about pure rock and at the same time put us on the same page.
Well if they listened to Boston then they probably secretly liked it because Kurt said he basically lifted that riff from the chorus to “More than a Feeling” haha. He was trying to write a song so where between the Pixies and Boston.
@@mrwassef my parents were beetles and doors people lol. Boston was in-between our generations
I was attending UC Berkeley before this song came out. The school newspaper had a music columnist (what was her NAME??) who talked excitedly about an unknown band named Nirvana. She mentioned them in every piece she wrote. She must have felt so satisfied when the rest of the world caught on.
"They go around two times... why? Because it's cool."
Lol, I was looking to see if anyone already posted this. I was waiting for him to give some highly technical reason, so when he said "because it's cool" I laughed so hard.
When he asked “why?” I said why NOT
"Why? Because it's cool."
This is something that rock seems to have forgotten.
I remember the first time I heard this song, the entire impression I had was how cool it was. Damn, it was cool.
Totally, man.
fucking cool as fuck bro.
bourgeois hipsters took over indie rock & made it a hierarchical clubhouse for contrived dorks.
5:37 - 5:51 There's just something about the chord progression that resonates with me. Especially when it's played on electric guitar with reverb. Amazing.
Kurt's wonderful use of the submediant
Man I love how excited Rick is in this video. You can tell how much he likes the song.
um, am i the only one who wants to hear more of mr beato's piano arrangement.
Great as usual Rick! interesting piano mode at the end... should consider adding these kind of short versions at the end of your videos. Gives a great touch. Cheers!
I know, that was beautiful.....
Daniel Johns did a cover of this a few years ago.....on piano, harp, and voice. And it's gorgeous. Highlights the operatic melodic content so well.
Really hope Rick investigates a Silverchair song.....they are so SO underrated. Their 3rd, 4th, and 5th albums....especially Diorama are genius.
Daniel Johns is THE most criminally underrated songwriter/musician of my generation.....imo.
@Lester Unwin - I thought that was from the Tori Amos version...
Chopin’s Funeral March!
"Kurt didnt know what he was doing"
"I know what he was doing and im gonna tell you"
Literally the reason why i watch your videos!
idk its pretty ridiculous, maybe he couldnt read and play music.. but kurt cobain DEFINATELTY knew what n F minor scale was....lmfao
Anyone can come up with something fantastic even without knowing how to do music properly. Relying to your instincts and trying to sound good can sometimes produce something like this.
cole verret definitely
@@d-d-i Yeah, but why go down the anti-intellectual rabbit hole now that you're here. You can do that or your own. Learn!
me and me I get that reference!
The best part for me is just how Rick really feels the music (not just here but in all his analyses), he goes all out imitating drums and guitars because it's so captivating. I can't understand how you can listen to great music without gesturing about like a weirdo, it just shows that you're getting the music on a subcontious body level. Which absolutely applies to this song.
I won't lie. As both a Nirvana AND a Rick fan, I've watched this 10+ times now.
sometimes you hear a song so many times that you forget why it's so good, but this brought me back to when I was 12 or 13 yo and listened to Smells Like Teen Spirits for the first time. now I remember why it completely blew me away
Well said and big same!
Literally!!! Felt the same way.
"That doesn't matter. I know what he's doing." - Rick Beato
Truly the best line.
@@mejlaification "His ear led him to those notes"
So Kobain doesn't know what he's doing but Rick can paraphrase the music with some impressive (to some) music theory, and hey presto we have a genius musician? Ok then....
I love that you spotlight the main melody of this song, especially the chorus, because it's so gorgeous and has this classic melancholic progression of notes that wouldn't have been out of place by Beethoven. That beautiful core melody by Cobain is also why I think it's been covered by so many different artists and styles -- pop, jazz, blues, classical, etc.
“You can never go wrong with playing the melody“
TOTALLY AGREE!!!
I swear - The thing that makes this series even better is when the songs have great drum parts and Rick brings out his drummer face
ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka
I wish that he'd do a major feature on Drave Grohl because he's guested on so many influential songs.
The air drumming comes before air guitar in life!
Air guitar!
"Kurt didn't know what he was doing"
Yeah, but doesn't that make it even more impressive that he was able to do it?
People are just jealous that they don't have that kind of natural talent
Paul McCartney couldn't read music, and it never stopped him.
@@Corn_Pone_Flicks Exactly the argument I made 30 years ago. Unfortunately I wasn't Paul McCartney and it stopped me.
Natural talent. It can't be taught.
People are too quick to denigrate and fail to appreciate.
I still remember my friends and I just staring at the video with our mouths hanging open, and we were like “this must have been like hearing The Beatles for the first time.” We knew it would change music forever. And Kurt is underrated as an incredible vocalist with excellent pitch, interval relationships, great phrasing, and *ATTITUDE.* His control of his volume and tone is also superb - and I come from a tradition of classical singing. Brilliant.
How you could compare this trash to The Beatles not only shows you know nothing about music, you have absolutely no artistic discernment or critical thinking skills at all!
That "a denial" final...brings me to tears and gives me the chills
The local hip hop station I listened to in the '90s played this song. I remember the DJ saying, "We don't play this kind of music but we've getting so many requests for it."
Interesting! 📞
I assume media consolidation plays a role in why such crossover moments are becoming rare, unless the radio station changes its format.
Did anyone realize how many 1991 song Rick has done:
Smells like teen spirit,Enter sandman,Garden,Jeremy,Outshined,Losing my religion,under the bridge and give it away and black
That's right. That was the year. Happy to have been alive and get all this in its time.
So?
Best year in music?
That year is a milestone for a lot of things in music, I was born in '92 so didn't see that coming, but I've heard the effects on the long run
Good point, makes me really want a couple of episodes on Pixies tunes to hear Rick's take on their influence.
The isolated vocals of Kurt's ghost are chilling
As a budding shredder in the late 80’s early 90’s I was upset by the grunge movement, and lack of “virtuosity” in the new music.
Looking back it was a much needed wave of honesty and raw personal emotion to the music industry. It isn’t by chance either that the groups using more rich song structures and melodies are the one we’re still talking about. Some of those songs are real gems.
14:37 «His ear led him into those notes».
Amen.
So true. 😢
And his heart led his ear.
"Because it's cool" is an answer that I go to use everytime somebody make me an overrational silly question.
I'm a little late to this video, so people may not see my comment, BUT this song holds such a special place in my heart because it literally sparked this recent obsession I've had of rock music. Before, my extent of rock knowledge of any kind was like... radio pop stuff. Kurt's story makes the song that much better... so visceral, so tragically poetic! ❤
The piano demo makes it even more beautiful
Rick's businessplan in one sentence: "I know what he's doing and I tell you what he's doing!". Yes please and thank you, Sir!
"His ear led him to those notes and that's the real genius of Kurt Kobain" best quote, Ricky!
Sadly.... Kobain had expressed his actual depressed mental leanings! If people would stop fucking around and complimenting anxiety/suicidal overtures,, and instead,, help the poor people that are on the literal edge of life.... and ............. ~!~
Some people’s musical intelligence comes from various senses. Doesn’t have to be built by measuring. In other words most of us know music by sight, but there are some that know music by sound, some by feeling the vibration in their fingers, or even by smell yet, they couldn’t tell you anything about music theory. There’s something incredibly spiritual about that. About those that don’t use their eyes to play at all.
@@NatureandSpirit111 love your comment
Man.
so much great music in the 90s before the computers took over, Alice in Chains, Tool, NIN. Kurt kicked off the party...
@@NatureandSpirit111 your comment man. Damn.
Best male singer in any genre for mine, by a margin. The tone in his voice was special, unique and like some sort of drug.
I would not have noticed that kick drum pause if you didn't mention it... Now I can't unhear it. Makes all the difference in the world.
I was in a cover band when this first came out, and we played it at a high school dance... well, the chaperones did NOT expect what happened when we hit those first chords... ALL the kids ran out to the dance floor and started a mosh pit, which the teachers and chaperones had NEVER seen before! They thought a huge fight had broke out and they ran in and pulled them all apart and kicked them out... all the while we were on stage playing with our mouths hanging open... that's a great great memory of mine!
...thanks Kurt! (RIP)
...and thanks Rick!
Head like a hole.
I was in 8th grade when this came out, same scenario we were at a school dance and this song got put on somehow and it was udder chaos!!
That story rules.
what a spectacular imagination
@@increase9896 imagination? ...not sure I follow your comment.
"Why? Because it's cool."
That's what it's all about, right there.
This songs still blows me away. I always felt Nirvana´s melodies were unique and unprecedented, in spite of their apparent simplicity. Thank you for demonstrating it was the case.
Another thing that makes it great, at 9:12 when Kirk bends the note with his voice. One example of adding a lot of flavor that's not directly theory related.
"What Makes This Song Great", or as I like to call it "Why I've Been Playing This Song Wrong for 15 Years"
hahaha
😂😂
I'm black, grew up in a black neighborhood, and I remember my older brother's friends playing this song. They were mostly into R & B, Rap, and Hip-hop. That is how big the song was at the time.
Music is colorblind. Gotta love it! I was on a Navy ship and played Bob Seger, Night Moves. The brothers loved it. So did everybody else.
@@johnjacobs1625 Were you a deejay?
@@crnkmnky No. At that time I was a temp. working in the Dry Cleaning Plant on the Aircraft Carrier. My normal job was working on the electrical systems of the F-14 Tomcats. We were allowed to play what ever music we wanted to listen to, as long as we got our work done. And we Jammed!
I’m black and all I listen to is rap and R&b, I even make it. But this is the best song ever made in my opinion
@@yxnggod9444 Have you checked out Lost in Vegas reactions? Love those guys. Especially when they do Tool or Metallica. This song forever changed me and my perception of what music could be and I'm forever grateful but there are better songs out there if, as George says, you are a free thinker.
Great analysis and tribute!! I was a cocktail waitress in college when this came out and I remember it being blasted over and over again at the bar. The energy you would feel each time you heard it was almost overwhelming. Wow, WHAT A SONG.
I was at their first “gig” at a house party in Raymond, WA in ‘87.
The way he can break down music theory is honestly baffling.
It's really not that difficult. Music is a language. If you practice speaking it [hearing it] [thinking it], you will be surprised at how fluent you become in no time at all.
@@bry2k interesting but music is like art, either you have talent or you do not. Unfortunately my drawings would be stick figures--LOL
@@bobkaddy4012 Conceiving of an original melody or unique chord progression is "art". Music theory is NOT art - it is "craft". 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration. If you draw enough stick figures, you may not become Michelangelo, but you will eventually draw the best damn stick figures anybody has ever seen. 😂 And since art is subjective, some may then consider your mastery of the craft of stick figures to be great "art".
His enthusiasm is contagious isn't it?
That is called talent
Kurt screaming "a denial" at the end, just hearing his voice alone without the instruments gave me mega chills.
Same. Just incredible.
Eerie, sad and full of rage. What a timely, unique combination.
A DENIAL. This Part is so awesome that Rick just shrugged his shoulders 2 Times.
I love it😊.
Watching this episode was more emotional than hearing just the Song.
In Addition my view of the band changed by 180‘. 😜
One Of the best TH-cam Videos i have seen. Of cause i like all of your Videos!😜
It's such a familiar song but when you hear it critiqued like this it brings into perspective just how great it is. I wish I could hear it again for the first time.
Indeed 😮😮😮😮😍❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I feel that exactly. I can remember the exact moment I first heard this song...time...place...every single detail. The hair stood up on my neck, I was struck dumb. I NEEDED to hear this song again, would watch MTV for hours to see the video again and again when it came out, but that first moment I heard this song, I felt the earth move and I knew music would never sound the same again.
@@m2goofy760 it was so long ago.. and i was so young. but this is one of the few songs i remember hearing for the first time. n i completely agree. so much energy n so many emotions came through those speakers.. so many. but kurt's voice.. from the 'spitting nails' to that sincere n overwhelming sadness.. he sings in such an honest way that just hit me in the soul in a way that no other singer has. what i would do to experience it that way for the first time again..
I actually feel like I just did after hearing the vocal melodies played on guitar and piano. I never noticed how beautiful they were, I only heared the rage.
@@m2goofy760 Same man, exactly the same
"People say Kurt Cobain didn't really know what he was doing, that doesn't matter... I know what he was doing and I'm gonna tell you what he's doing. That's really the essence of this.. it doesn't matter if people know what they're doing if they can just do it intuitively. Kurt had an incredibly intuitive sense of melody." For us out there who get tripped up on the specific stuff but can make cool songs, thank you very much. You're a great teacher. Still doesn't hurt to keep learning.
Kurt,
was a genius
shermigz the sky is blue..
Just like people like me who inherently can’t do it, there are people that inherently can do it. I’m thankful they exist, art is the single art I really see as a need(although I respect other artists and those who need that expression)
I recently listened to a podcast about Kurt’s life. The guy had SERIOUS mental issues. Made worse by drug and alcohol abuse. He was a ticking time bomb. Could he have been saved? Possibly. Kurt’s guitar playing by itself is just noise in my opinion. But add those base lines, the drums, and Kurt’s gravely, grunge, voice and it all came together. He was not dedicated to the guitar like most serious musicians. The chords are basic and easily learned. His smashing of his guitars alone tells me he was not dedicated to the instrument. In my very humble opinion he served his purpose on earth and moved on. That’s it. We all move on wether we accomplish anything or not. After all the mess and b.s. I think he lived a pretty good life. Seriously, can you imagine him wearing a tie or tending to his backyard garden? Kurt proved you can live an entire life in just a few years.
He still did it that's the point. I believe he did understand it but just couldn't explain. End of the day the morons saying that he didn't know what he was doing, I don't see those cunts writing master pieces like he did
As a lover of music, when I first heard this song it stopped me my tracks, I didn't know why, it is just that it felt different, it resonated in me. Rick, you just explained why it did...Mucho gracias...keep doing what you do....we are all the better for you.
Love this, Rick. Genius isn’t always creating something that intimidates us mere mortals; sometimes it’s creating something that sounds so straightforward and simple that anyone could do it … until they try to.
The song literally became the face of 90's grunge music.
literally?
it’s a rip off of “Godzilla The smashing pumpkins 1990”
smells like teen spirit is a rip off of “Godzilla The smashing pumpkins cover 1990 BLUE OYSTER CULT”
come as you are is a rip off of “the damned life goes on” or “22 faces garden of delight”
aneurysm is a rip off of “Fang an invitation”
Polly is a rip off of “the 4 skins on the streets”
About a girl is a rip off of “Hrast parni vajak”
been a son if a rip off of “zebra don’t walk away”
heart shaped box is a rip off of “butthole surfers bar b q”
Breed is a rip off of “Wipers potential suicide”
spank thru is a rip off of El clavo
rape me - mudhoney need
@@user-hx4ez6tu6y nice information, this is really interesting
@@user-hx4ez6tu6y wait i've seen nirvana covering a song from "fang", damn kurt now i know why
You don't realize how heavy and tight the guitars are until they're isolated!
There is a Classic Albums episode from VH1 where the engineer and Dave and Kris talk about this whole album and he talks about how he had to talk Kurt into double tracking and said that he would always tell Kurt "John Lennon did it this way..." to get him to agree to certain things he thought would work best. You might be able to find that online if you want to go more in depth about this.
Boss DS-1 double tracked. A super tight, compressed, amazing pedal.
@DuckTalesWooHoo1987 I believe he also said he would trick Kurt and tell him that he needed to get another take of a vocal phrase due to a mistake or something when in fact he was just layering the vocals.
@@jarsenberg Yeah and Kurt would always get the doubles perfect at first try not even knowing hes doing them
But how does rick always get these isolated tracks??
“ I doesn’t matter if someone knows what they’re doing if they do it intuitively.” I literally just said basically the same thing about the 3 bar leap into the modulation on your Living on a Prayer video. Anyway, “I know what he’s doing and I’m gonna tell you…” is one of your greatest lines Rick 👍👍
As simple as the band was, seeing you noodle around the intervals of the vocal melody over the actual progression, sounds like the most elegantly selected notes on earth. Hearing them plucked out in various shapes on the neck puts Kurt's melodic intuitiveness into a completely different light.
"It doesn't matter if people know what they're doing if they can just do it intuitively" is one of the most inspiring things I've ever heard.
Tears in my eyes at 8.27... Kurt was an incredible melody composer. The fact he probably didn't know what he was doing elevates his natural genius. Grazie Rick!
He had a big intuition about emotional, dramatic music … He was also pisces, I think that helps 😉 I just uploaded a piano version of the song…finally. 🎹 🎵
@@Stiegosaurus this is a message that needs to be brought to the masses. Stay in the moment and do what you naturally do. Things just turn out better that way.
i was 16 living overseas when my brother and I somehow watch SLTS music video. We were stunned and a convert since. We dont even hear music usually but I remember that day very clearly until today.
Maybe 16 was the perfect age but still, I don’t hear this experience from young kids nowadays.
Most of my friends have this experience listening to SLTS the first time and we live 10000miles from Seattle.
8:00 i want to hear this song instrumental with those haunting chords behind it. What a genius
I heard a story where Kurt was adamantly against the overdubbing of his vocals until the producer told him that John Lennon overdubbed vocals as well
Butch Vig, Smart Studios in Madison, WI. He and his friends used to come into the bar I worked at; the people I worked with/for were part of that group. Butch became a big deal after producing Nirvana I think.
It’s double tracked. Kurt didn’t want to double track his voice until learning Lennon did it.
Overdub meaning recording over a section.
Please note I’m not policing, just sharing the info.
its true but Vig told him the Beatles used to do it i think there's a Video on Vig actually talking about it
If you listen really close you can actually hear John Lennon in the mix ;)
*doubled
Crazy how Kurt just made this music naturally, he wasn’t trying to incorporate any science or anything into his songs on purpose they just all came out beautifully because he was just that talented and so was the rest of the band.
Whether technically or intuitively, he knew how to express emotion in a way that any listener could experience it right along with him. That's what makes it great. You're just glad to be along for the ride. . . .though good to be able to get off the ride when it's over, too, which apparently and sadly, he couldn't.
You can create so much when you have the creative freedom to make music by ear.
Naturally gifted
@@psnetman this comment was so just.....damn.....that last part is sadly tru
GESTALT - The sum is greater than its parts.
The Best video in whole Internet about Smells Like Teen Spirit that my eyes ever seen.
I always thought it was impossible not knowing what KC was doing. I was 14 years old when this song came out and I remember to be obsessed with the melody, the lyrics and the combination of sadness and euphoria. When someone says he didn't know what he was doing I use to say "I bet you'd love to play like him".
Whenever I see "KC" I can't help but think of King Crimson, a truly great band more worthy of Rick's time.
I really like this series even though I don’t understand like 90% of the music theory lol. I think it’s because you explain the feel of the songs along with the technical stuff. Example: “Flat 6th to 5th” means nothing to me but saying it sounds “haunting” and “melancholic” gives me enough of a connection point to feel like I‘m following along because I can definitely hear that.
Appreciate all the work you put into these videos!
This is me too lol
U should learn some theory. Makes the music even more inspiring
Wow CORF, couldnt have said it better myself.
with you on this corf, totally
I believe that it has to do with the 5th and 6th. Instead of them just being the perfect intervals you make them flat. And that adds to the tone. You’re ear is naturally wanting a perfect 5th. And the 6th itself isn’t normally used. At least what I understand about music
I was never a big fan of Nirvana. I do like "Smells like Teen Spirit" And I do appreciate the artistry of Kurt Cobain and the rest of the band. It does, however, really annoy me when people say things like, "He didn't know what he was doing." He most definitely did know what he was doing. He may have not known the standard lexicon of what he was doing. But he definitely had an intuitive knowledge of the structure and syntax of music.
My daughter is the same way. She does very sophisticated things with her music. But struggles with her "theory" classes. I keep trying to tell her, "Hun, you already know this. All this class is doing is teaching you to communicate to others what you intuitively know."
Unintuitive truth that often clouds any discussion of stuff like music theory: You can understand something without learning it, and you can learn something without understanding it. You learned to use adjectives long before you knew what an adjective was. You can develop an encyclopedic knowledge of a subject and be unable to apply it.
Oh u know his daughter personally?
I am not a particular fan of this song, finding it too earnest, but I do really like Heart Shaped Box a hell of a lot.
Love how you phrased that
your daughter has clearly been exposed to great music throughout her life, otherwise she wouldn't have developed that intuition... fair play mate!
I so remember MTV (there was no internet, this for the kids) playing the vid over and over again and me watching it over and over again. My CD is literally from 1991 and I bought it from our next-level neighbours (huge bookstore and two record-stores), who sold jazz and rock. I sold classical CD's fulltime back in the day (can you imagine that nowadays?).
I feel so lucky to have been a teenager when this came out, down here in New Zealand and we like the rest of the world went nuts for it, it was like that 70's moment when punk rock exploded on to the scene, when I was really young and didn't appreciate it, now I'm 50 and have a huge respect for punk rock and then Grunge, what a time to be alive 🤘🎶
I waited 25 years for this breakdown. Didn't even realize I was.
Lol…😳 It’s such an unique song ! I finally filmed my piano version on it, if you are interested you can check my channel. 🎹 🎸
I hear ya. I now feel like an out-of-touch goon for not having given them their props until hearing this breakdown.
I was closed-minded at the time. The only band from Seattle I liked was Alice in Chains, who are still in my top 3 favorite bands. I now see what I've been missing.
I just love how he goes “flat eleventh sus nine double venti with that inversion on the snare” and then just ends it with some air drumming. Because that’s really what makes this song great, you just can’t not air drum.
oml yes
10 seconds into the song, you already knew it was something special the first time you heard it. I was 12 when the song came, like it was yesterday.