美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' The Anthem For A Generation That Didn't Want One

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

So if you're a member of Generation X - that generation sandwiched in between the baby boomers and the millennials - there's a good chance you remember the first time you heard these chords.

(SOUNDBITE OF NIRVANA SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

GREENE: Yeah. That is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana from 1991. The song became an anthem¹ for a generation that was ambivalent² about traditional values and jaded³ with mainstream⁴ culture. Here's NPR's Joel Rose, a Gen Xer himself, with the latest in our American Anthem series on songs that unite, challenge and celebrate.

GREENE: Nirvana played the song for the first time at a small club in Seattle.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

KURT COBAIN: This song is called "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

JOEL ROSE, BYLINE⁵: There's a grainy video of the show. It's April 1991. Nirvana hasn't even recorded "Smells Like Teen Spirit" yet, so nearly everyone in the audience is hearing the song for the first time. And no one knew what a big deal it would go on to be - including Jennie Boddy. She was a friend of the band and a publicist for Sub Pop Records, the indie label that put out Nirvana's first record, "Bleach⁶."

JENNIE BODDY: They started playing the new song, and people erupted.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

NIRVANA: (Singing) I'm a liar⁷, and I'm famous.

BODDY: We were being slimed on by shirtless guys, like, just moshing.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

NIRVANA: (Singing) I feel stupid and contagious⁸. Here we are now...

BODDY: My friend Susan started hyperventilating, she thought it was so good. And she was like, I can't believe what they just played. It was just instantaneous. It was crazy.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

NIRVANA: (Playing music).

(APPLAUSE)

ROSE: That was the beginning of a crazy year for Nirvana. They were at the cutting edge of a wave that was labeled grunge. And the band's new album, "Nevermind," came out a few months later on a major label. And suddenly, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was all over the radio.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

NIRVANA: (Singing) Yeah.

ROSE: The video, featuring cheerleaders with the anarchy⁹ symbol scrawled¹⁰ on their black uniforms, was in heavy rotation¹¹ on MTV. And nine months after they played the song live for the first time, Nirvana was performing it on "Saturday Night Live."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")

NIRVANA: (Playing music).

HUA HSU: And I just remember feeling as though it was this inescapable presence in my life.

ROSE: Hua Hsu is a staff writer at The New Yorker. In 1991, he was a 14-year-old in Northern California when he heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the first time.

HSU: Like millions of kids my age, like, this was the first thing that felt like it was mine. And as a teenager, I think you're really trying to figure out your place in the world. And I think this song in particular felt so ambivalent about its own success.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

NIRVANA: (Singing) I found it hard. It's hard to find. Oh well, whatever. Never mind.

ROSE: Oh, well. Whatever. Never mind. Those words cut right to the heart of Generation X - kids who were born in the 1960s and '70s. We were too jaded for a feel-good singalong anthem, says NPR Music critic Ann Powers.

ANN POWERS, BYLINE: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is an unusual anthem because it refuses the role of the anthem. It's perfect for the generation it represented because this was a cohort that was so ambivalent about any traditional values - you know, conventional success.

ROSE: There's that word again - ambivalence¹². Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was famously ambivalent about the band's success. Jennie Boddy, now vice¹³ president for publicity¹⁴ at Capitol Records, says you can see that in the handmade T-shirt Cobain wore for the band's photo shoot with Rolling Stone magazine.

BODDY: What did he wear on the Rolling Stone cover? Corporate¹⁵...

ROSE: Corporate magazines still suck.

(LAUGHTER)

BODDY: People often will say, like, well, they ushered¹⁶ in the new generation or anything. But what are you supposed to say? (Laughter) A mosquito, my libido¹⁷ - that's the spokesperson.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

NIRVANA: (Singing) A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido, yeah.

ROSE: Cobain often warned interviewers against reading too much into his lyrics¹⁸. Here he is talking to Canadian TV channel MuchMusic in 1993.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

COBAIN: I was just using pieces of poetry and just garble¹⁹ - just garbage, you know? - just stuff that just would spew out of me at the time. And a lot of times when I write lyrics, it's usually at the last second because I'm really lazy. So - and then I find myself having to come up with explanations for it.

DANNY GOLDBERG: I don't believe that at all. I think he worked as carefully on the lyrics as he did on everything else.

ROSE: Danny Goldberg was Nirvana's manager. He's written a memoir²⁰ about Cobain called "Serving The Servant." Goldberg says the chorus of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" pulls off a tricky²¹ balancing act. The song mocks the culture of mainstream arena²² rock while at the same time celebrating the joys of listening to your favorite underground band in a dimly lit club.

GOLDBERG: With the lights out, it's less dangerous. Here we are now; entertain us. It was rock 'n' roll and kind of an ironic²³ commentary on rock 'n' roll at the same time. That was the genius of the song is it combined a fierce commentary on shallowness while still having mass appeal musicality.

ROSE: Jennie Boddy says that's one of her favorite parts of the song.

BODDY: It's exactly what you feel. I feel stupid and contagious. And you just want to scream that. You're all in unison²⁴, just feeling the same way.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

NIRVANA: (Singing) I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now. Entertain us.

ROSE: By the end of their time together, Nirvana's "Nevermind" had sold millions of copies. But the band had dropped "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from its live shows. Cobain openly worried that the band was attracting the kind of fans he would have hated in high school.

He championed feminism and gay rights. And he wrote this in the liner notes for one of Nirvana's albums - quote, "if any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different color or women, please do this one favor for us - leave us the [expletive] alone. Don't come to our shows, and don't buy our records," unquote.

POWERS: Kurt Cobain was always questioning his authority, questioning his masculinity.

ROSE: NPR Music's Ann Powers says that may be why "Smells Like Teen Spirit" still resonates, especially with teenagers.

POWERS: That experience of warring impulses and of ambivalence is the adolescent experience. It's exactly what teenagers go through when they are trying to come into their own authority and power but they're also questioning everything around them and questioning their own self-worth. Kurt Cobain captured that adolescent feeling better than anybody of his generation.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

NIRVANA: (Singing) Here we are now. Entertain us.

ROSE: It's been 25 years since Kurt Cobain took his own life at age 27. Powers says the tragedy of his death has also become part of how we hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" today.

POWERS: It sort of intensifies²⁵ its power and its message. And that, also, now is part of the meaning of the song.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

NIRVANA: (Singing) A denial, a denial, a denial...

ROSE: It's one more way the song has become an anthem for a generation that didn't want one. Joel Rose, NPR News, New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT")

NIRVANA: (Singing) ...A denial, a denial.

1 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

2 ambivalent   

adj.含糊不定的；(态度等)矛盾的

参考例句：

• She remained ambivalent about her marriage.她对于自己的婚事仍然拿不定主意。
• Although she professed fear of the Russians,she seemed to have ambivalent feelings toward Philby himself.虽然她承认害怕俄国人，然而她似乎对菲尔比本人有一种矛盾的感情。

3 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？

7 liar   

n.说谎的人

参考例句：

• I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
• She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

8 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

9 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。

10 scrawled   

乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。
• Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”

11 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

12 ambivalence   

n.矛盾心理

参考例句：

• She viewed her daughter's education with ambivalence.她看待女儿的教育问题态度矛盾。
• She felt a certain ambivalence towards him.她对他的态度有些矛盾。

13 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

14 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

15 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

16 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 libido   

n.本能的冲动

参考例句：

• Lack of sleep is a major factor in loss of libido.睡眠不足是导致性欲丧失的一个主要因素。
• Ginseng can increase energy and libido,which can help solve intimacy problems.人参可以增加活力和性欲，从而帮助解决亲密关系的问题。

18 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

19 garble   

v.曲解，窜改

参考例句：

• You garble my words from their real meaning.你曲解了我的话的真实含义。
• We must take this report as a whole and not garble any part of it.对这篇报告要全面理解，不能断章取义。

20 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

21 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

22 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

23 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

24 unison   

n.步调一致，行动一致

参考例句：

• The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
• My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。

25 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》