Song Lyric Dissection: Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit

 

Ok, the grunge anthem. The song that killed metal. The song that had the Generation Y crowd learning to play guitar, strumming 3 chords, and thinking they were guitar gods. You know, I was in a music store in the 90's trying out an effects rack that I was considering buying. There was this kid who came up and asked if he could try out a guitar...it was one of those weird looking grunge special guitars. The guy at the music store plugged it up for him. He starts playing Smells Like Teen Spirit...badly if that is possible. I couldn't hear what I was doing, so I turned the amp that I was playing through up. Gen Y guy took that as a challenge. He turned his up again and does a very bad version of the guitar solo in that song, looks at me and nods his head, like he was something special. I looked at the salesman, winked, turned the amp up even louder, and proceeded to shred. I jammed. I played an un accompanied guitar solo worthy of an arena, and just shredded for about 30 seconds. The kid looked at me in astonishment, and said "Dude, you wanna be in my band?" (imagine a pimply faced teenager saying that with the typical teen nasal sneer with a puberty break thrown in) I said "No, but I would like to hear what I'm doing because I'm thinking about buying this effects rack. Think you could help me out with that?" The kid put his guitar back on the wall, and went back outside, grabbed his bike and pedaled away.

Now, on to the dissection. I think I'll use a rusty scalpel on this song.

Verse: Load up on guns
Bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend 

Sounds like an angry right wing militia as described by CNN. However, this is Nirvana, who is completely against the establishment, so that can't be it. The last line I think sums up what would be 'nirvana' for Kobain and company. They wanted to be unsuccessful losers, and they pretended to play guitar.


Verse: She's overborne and self-assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word

Smells like a certain California politician if you ask me...and I do know a few dirty words that would describe that woman. But, if Nirvana was so against normalcy, why not just SAY the dirty word. 

What a dirty filthy...word!

Chorus-
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low? -Hi...I can hear you.
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low? -Yes..I...I can hear you, Kurt! 
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low? -Kur- Hey! I can hear you!
Hello, hello, hello ,hello Maybe you should get a new cell phone. I can hear you just fine. 

Chorus: With the Lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now entertain us

How so? With the blast shield down, I can't see. How am I supposed to rock? Ok...Sorry for the Star Wars reference, but it fit. I'm not above the movie references. But, how can it be less dangerous with the lights out? I mean you could fall off the stage and break your neck!

Chorus: I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now entertain us
A mulatto an albino
A mosquito my libido
yay

Stupidity is contagious. Just ask the Gen-Y crowd anything about American history. Not sure where you were going with the mulatto to albino line. They are not opposites...unless you were trying to rhyme. That's ok. Not like this song made any sense anyway. And why would you compare your libido to a mosquito? That's not the image I want to portray about my sexual prowess. 

I'm .00003 inches, and will rock you for
the best half second of your damn life!

Verse 2-
I'm worse at what I do best...
And for this gift I feel blessed.

It shows in your guitar playing. You say you feel blessed now, but once you made it big, you started whining like a little bitch. No one felt sorry for you anymore. So you married Courtenay Love. I felt sorry for you then...in fact if I married her, I'd probably take a similar approach to getting out of the marriage as you did.

Verse: Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Been what? Blessed? If that's the case, your drummer got the best end of that deal. He's now in a VERY good band, and showed that there was actually one talented member of Nirvana.

Chorus-
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, hello

Dude, get a new cell phone already! Or call me from a land line...or borrow the drummer's cell! Stop wasting MY minutes because your phone sucks!

Chorus: With the Lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now entertain us
A mulatto an albino
A mosquito my libido
yay
Bridge-

Verse 3-
And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah I guess it makes me smile

All these things combine to give you
the ability to taste.

Taste what? Or are you asking why people taste? Well, its because of those little taste buds on the tongue. Its so that you can differentiate what you are eating from one thing to another. And what exactly makes you smile? The fact that you can own apartment buildings, shopping centers, condooo-miniums...and you only know 3 chords??

Verse: I found it hard it's hard to find
Oh well whatever nevermind

What is hard to find? Oh well I'm not going to finish this dissection. Whatever, nevermind. If you don't care, neither do I.

Chorus-
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, hello
With the Lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now entertain us
A mullato an albino
A mosquito my libido
A denial
A denial
A denial
Yeah...You're in denial. You think you have a good cell phone, and that its everyone else's phone that
sucks.


You know, this is the first time I actually read the lyrics to this song. Weird Al was right to do his parody of it. We all know, its hard to zwarg bargle zous with all these marbles in my mouth!

HELLO?????