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Smells Like Teen Spirit
by Kurt Cobain
Load up on guns
Bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored and self-assured
Oh no, I know, a dirty word
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
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 mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido
Yeah!
Hey
Yay
I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
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 mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido
Yeah!
Hey
Yay
And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, nevermind
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
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 mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
Archivist's note: Has anyone else noticed what Kurt hid in here with his clever play on words? I think it's hilarious that this song got so popular, and I bet Kurt did, too.
"And I forget just why I taste. Oh, yeah, I guess it makes me smile. I found it hard, it's hard to find. Oh, well. Whatever. Nevermind."
I recall Kurt mentioning that one proposed name for what became Nevermind was "Blowjob", and that gives a hint. What did Kurt find that was hard? Any guesses? Tasting it made him smile. :3 And why was it hard for him to find? Maybe because gay and bi men aren't as common as straight men?
Hopefully I don't need to elaborate further on that verse.
I think the poetic "A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido," is also related to this theme. What do these four things have in common? They're all things that have been treated as "unwanted", "unusual", or "outcast" by human society. Kurt feels rejected for his natural desires. The hopeless-sounding end of the song, "A denial," really says it all.
And this next idea is just a good guess, but I think the bored sounding "Hey" and "Yay" following the impassioned chorus might be Kurt's sarcastic imitation of braindead mainstream "music consumers" failing to respond in a human way to real art. Incredibly ironic that this song became the top favourite of those very braindead people, but I guess alienation is highly relatable in current American society regardless of who you are.
tags:
- date:1991,
- decade:1990s,
- media:audio,
- media:lyrics & titles,
- pairing:other,
- person:kurt,
- topic:being a black sheep,
- topic:biphobia,
- topic:bisexuality,
- topic:blowjobs,
- topic:emotions & self-expression,
- topic:homophobia,
- topic:homosexuality,
- topic:humor,
- topic:oral sex,
- topic:puns & double entendre,
- topic:sexuality,
- type:factual
