What Chords Does The Nirvana Song 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Use?

I still get chills thinking about that distorted opening riff, so here’s the practical scoop: you can stream most of Nirvana’s official studio albums — 'Bleach', 'Nevermind', 'In Utero', plus live albums like 'MTV Unplugged in New York' and 'From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah' — on major services such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, and Pandora. Those platforms carry the bulk of the catalog because the official releases are licensed widely, so whether you have a free tier or a paid subscription you’ll usually find their core albums. A few caveats: rarities, box-set-only tracks, and some alternate takes that were originally on physical-only collections like 'With the Lights Out' might not always be present on every streaming service. Also, availability can change by country due to regional licensing, so if something seems missing check another service or the official Nirvana YouTube channel where the band’s team posts a lot of content. If you care about hi-res audio, Tidal and Qobuz sometimes offer higher-quality streams than typical services. Personally, I bounce between Spotify for playlists and the official YouTube uploads when I want the videos — still gives me goosebumps every time.

The opening guitar lick of 'Come As You Are' is deceptively simple, and that's exactly why it mattered so much to me and to grunge as a whole. I think the song crystallized a paradox that grunge lived on: it sounded effortless and raw but was cleverly melodic and radio-friendly. That warped, watery riff — paired with Kurt Cobain's slightly off-kilter vocal delivery — made authenticity sound like a hook, not an aesthetic pose. Suddenly, you could be angsty and still sing along in the car, which helped bands that were once underground get airtime without losing their edge. Beyond the sound, the track helped normalize a softer, more introspective side of grunge. Where 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was a bruising anthem, 'Come As You Are' felt intimate and conspiratorial, giving the scene a broader emotional range. For me, it signaled that grunge could be complex: punk attitude, pop craft, and a tiny bit of theatrical melancholy all wrapped into one, and that's why it still resonates when I put that record on late at night.

I’ll be blunt: to me the most famous version of 'All Apologies' isn’t a cover at all but Nirvana’s own recorded and live treatments — especially the quiet, aching take they did on 'MTV Unplugged in New York.' That stripped-down performance made the song feel even more intimate and became the version a lot of people think of first. When a band’s own alternate take becomes the cultural touchstone, it’s hard for outside artists to eclipse it. That said, over the years I’ve heard plenty of musicians try to make the song their own — from hushed acoustic tributes to heavier, reimagined versions. Many of those renditions live on in tribute albums, late-night sets, and YouTube videos, and each brings something different: some emphasize melody, some the melancholy, and some the rawness. Personally, I’m partial to the unplugged mood; it’s the one that still gives me goosebumps every time I press play.

Curious twist: plenty of people assume there's a single Nirvana song that 'inspired' Kurt Cobain's lyrics, but the reality is messier and way more interesting. Kurt wrote most of Nirvana's lyrics himself, drawing from a stew of personal experiences, political frustration, indie punk vibes and the weird little phrases people around him would say. The title for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' actually came from Kathleen Hanna spray-painting 'Kurt smells like Teen Spirit' on his wall — she was referencing a deodorant — and he ran with that surreal image. Musically, he often borrowed the loud-quiet-loud dynamics from bands like the Pixies, and riffs like the one in 'Come As You Are' echo Killing Joke's 'Eighties', which led to similarities in feeling if not direct lyrical borrowing. So instead of one Nirvana song inspiring his lyrics, think of a network: friends' offhand lines, fellow bands' tones, personal heartbreaks and books. That chaotic blend is exactly why his words still stick with me — raw, cryptic, and totally human.

I get why 'Heart-Shaped Box' stirred up so many conversations — it’s one of those songs that practically dares you to pin it down. The lyrics are vivid and unsettling, like that line about cancer which made a lot of listeners wince and ask whether Cobain was being cruel, poetic, literal, or all three. That kind of provocative wording combined with Kurt's wounded delivery makes people read personal, medical, romantic, or even exploitative meanings into it. Then there’s the visual side: the single’s music video used stark, surreal religious and bodily imagery that pushed buttons on TV and in magazines. When you have a hugely famous frontman singing ambiguous lines with a pretty graphic visual treatment, opinions multiply — some admired the artful shock, others thought it was tasteless or manipulative. Add Nirvana’s sudden mainstream fame at the time and you get every tabloid and critic hunting for a target. For me the debate is part of the song’s power. It refuses a single story, and that messiness keeps it alive in conversations even decades later. I still find it chilling in the best possible way.

In 'The Last Song', the piano song that stands out is an original piece composed by Miley Cyrus herself, titled 'When I Look at You'. It's a heartfelt ballad that perfectly captures the emotional core of the film—raw, tender, and deeply personal. The melody weaves through key scenes, especially during moments of reconciliation and self-discovery. Its simplicity is its strength; the gentle chords mirror Ronnie’s journey from defiance to vulnerability. The song isn’t just background music—it’s a narrative device, echoing her fractured relationship with her father and the healing power of music. What makes it unforgettable is how it blends with the story’s coastal setting. The piano notes feel like waves—sometimes calm, sometimes crashing—mirroring Ronnie’s turbulent emotions. The lyrics, though not always audible in the film, add layers when listened to separately. It’s rare for a soundtrack to feel so organic to a character’s growth, but this one nails it. Fans often associate the song with the iconic beach piano scene, where music becomes the language of unspoken forgiveness.

Growing up in the damp, gray outskirts of Aberdeen shaped a lot of what Kurt Cobain did before Nirvana became a thing. He wasn’t lounging around waiting for a record deal — he was scraping together gear, learning guitar riffs, and playing in a string of small, messy bands that never made it into any mainstream history books. One notable project was 'Fecal Matter', a short-lived but important punk side project with Dale Crover; they recorded a rough cassette demo called 'Illiteracy Will Prevail' that circulated in the local scene and showcased Cobain’s early songwriting, noisy instincts, and love for DIY recording. Beyond the band names and tapes, Kurt spent his late teens and early twenties embedded in the Pacific Northwest punk and indie scenes, trading tapes, hanging out with members of 'the Melvins', and absorbing an oddly beautiful mix of punk aggression and pop melody. Like many musicians from small towns, he supported himself with odd jobs and relied on cheap shows, house gigs, and cassette trading to get his music heard. He wrote constantly — lyrics, melodies, short songs — honing a voice that later exploded into the more refined material he brought to Nirvana. By the mid-1980s those raw experiences coalesced: the demos, the friendships, the local shows, and the relentless practice. Meeting Krist Novoselic and hooking up with a rotating set of drummers in 1987 turned those scattered efforts into a band with a name, a sound, and a direction. It’s wild to think how messy, scrappy beginnings fed the honesty and immediacy that made his later work so affecting — it still gives me chills to trace that thread.

Sometimes a song will drop me back into the late '80s Seattle scene; that's how I end up thinking about where everyone from that band actually wound up. The most obvious place to start is Kurt Cobain — he tragically died in 1994, and that fact is central to every story about the group. His recorded legacy lives on in landmark records like 'Bleach', 'Nevermind', and 'In Utero', and his influence still threads through modern rock and indie music. Beyond the albums, Kurt left behind art, journals, and an outsized cultural footprint; people still study his lyrics and interviews to understand the era. His daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, has carved out a creative life of her own, which keeps Kurt’s personal story part of contemporary conversation. Krist Novoselic took a path that’s part musician, part activist. After the band ended, he didn’t vanish — he joined other musical projects such as Sweet 75 and Eyes Adrift, and in recent years has been involved with Giants in the Trees. He’s also written and spoken about politics; his book 'Of Grunge and Government' reflects that mix of music and civic interest. I respect how he balanced continuing to create music while also stepping into public discourse about democracy and policy, which feels like a thoughtful evolution rather than a total pivot. Then there’s Dave Grohl, who went from joining the band near the start of their major-label run to becoming one of rock’s most visible figures. After Kurt’s death he founded Foo Fighters and turned into a prolific songwriter, bandleader, collaborator, and documentarian — he directed the documentary 'Sound City' and has remained a tireless touring and recording force. Other early drummers like Chad Channing and Dale Crover kept playing music too: Chad continued with his own projects and smaller bands, while Dale remained active with the Melvins and other ventures. Aaron Burckhard, the earliest drummer on some demos and shows, pursued local music projects afterward. All of them, in different ways, kept the creative spark alive; some stayed in the spotlight, some moved to quieter musical lives, and the whole story is one of impact that stretches far beyond the three records everyone knows. For me, that mixture of tragedy, reinvention, and ongoing creativity is what keeps their story endlessly compelling.