INSTEP Magzine

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was not just any song, it was an anthem for a generation of "apathetic kids". Some critics argue that it was the song that opened doors for punk in mainstream music.

One of Nirvana's biggest hits of all times, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' - off the band's breakthrough record, Nevermind, which released in late '91 - remains a classic to this day.
Musically, it was meaty in sound with slashing electric guitars and a big, loud singing chorus. Kurt Cobain's often slurred, and frustrated vocals gave the song an incredible character.

For a long time it was hard for listeners to decipher what the actual lyrics were. The most common interpretation of the catchphrase, "Teen Spirit" is teen revolution. On the other hand, the words of this song are strangely contradictory. "Load up on guns/Bring your friends/It's fun to lose/And to pretend/She's overboard/And self assured/I know I know/A dirty word" - the opening verse is just one example. It's interpreted as a sign of boredom, cynicism, confusion and most importantly, something real.

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' has been covered umpteen times. The one version that really is a 360 degree turn of this grungy number is a swing version done by Paul Anka in 2005.

Paul Anka's cover is what it really means to use the same melody and giving it a new twist. It is nothing like the original except for the lyrics and melody. Paul Anka sings flirtatiously, very different from Kurt. As far as music goes, it is not rock at all. It's heavy orchestra that is classic swing music style, with quite a few saxophones, trumpets, drums and a bevy of other instruments. And this is a tune that just belongs in the "ballroom".

And even though no cover can ever match Nirvana's original, Paul Anka's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is fabulous

2. 'The Man Who Sold The World'
David Bowie versus Nirvana
Off David Bowie's third album (of the same name) 'The Man Who Sold The World' is simply put, a fabulous song.
Bowie's original that first released in 1971 is a tripped out, bass-guitar heavy, slightly poppish tune. Bowie is credited for producing one of the most addictive guitar riffs such as the one played in this number.

Call them odd or inspired or inner feelings of one of the world's most brilliant musicians, the lyrics of this tune are unforgettable. "We passed upon the stairs/We spoke of was and when/Although I wasn't there/He said I was his friend/Which came as some surprise/I spoke into his eyes - I thought you died alone, a long long time ago/Oh no, not me/I never lost control/You're face to face/With the man who sold the world" - The words penned by David Bowie himself are often seen as a reflection of his concerns with "multiple personalities".

But this song really shot to fame for an entire new generation in 1993 after Nirvana performed an unplugged version of the tune and continued to perform it till 1994 until Kurt Cobain died. The popularity of Nirvana's cover has actually managed to overpower the original. Bowie once stated, "Kids come up afterwards and say, 'It's cool you're doing a Nirvana song.' And I think, 'F*ck you, you little tosser!'"

Nirvana's cover uses the classic drums-guitars-bass instruments. And yet this version literally puts one to tears. And those emotions come because of one man alone and he is Kurt Cobain. As he sings, "I laughed and shook his hand, and made my way back home/I searched a foreign land, for years and years I roamed/I gazed a gazeless stare, we walked a million hills/I must have died alone, a long long time ago/Who knows? Not me/I never lost control/You're face to face/With the Man who Sold the World" - it reflected pain, turmoil and the soul of the man that was Kurt Cobain.

It is rare that a cover supersedes the original but in this case it is not even a question.