> In Heavier Than Heaven, Charles R. Cross cites the line «She’s over-bored and self-assured» and states the song «could not have been about anyone else.»
To add my thoughts on a few things it was clear that Kurt was devastated when Toni vail (who used teen spirit,her scent.)broke up with him,and he wrote at least 6 songs about her. (By the way this happened in 1990 and as in the cross book it’s says a new character appeared in Kurt’s journal and would soon spring into every image,song story,this was heroine.(which was Kurt’s own «bastardisation» of the word heroin) Which became his great love in the fall of 1990. He overcame his fear of needles and injected for the first time with a friend that fall.
He also said he really liked it 
and it made him more sociable. So now you know all this. Just enjoy the pure Genius of the Lyrics.
If you really think that this song had that much thought put into it, that it became a gumbo pot of metaphors that not even Bob Dylan could pretend to decipher than you are smoking too much salvia and not getting out of your parents basement enough.
There are people who try to make their songs as complex as possible and it doesn’t come to be called art. It is called Techno.
As an ex heroin addict myself. I am confident in saying this song may have been written while on a squinting-eyed, heavy headed, dose of what I used to refer of as «normal».
Cross’ biography of Kurt Cobain, the author argues that the song is a reference to Cobain’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Tobi Vail
Smells Like Teen Spirit is Nirvana’s sell out song. Yeah, here it comes. I know right. Smells Like Teen Spirit is in fact probably one of Nirvana’s worst songs. Yet, people who hear this song on the radio, and then download Nevermind think it’s the best thing since sliced bread. It’s not. It’s a fucking joke. Dont get me wrong. But this is a shit song. There are so many better songs by Nirvana, and people always say this is the best. It’s not. You want some fucking talent. You go out and buy the Boxset. Buy fucking Bleach, buy everything they have. This song is a stab at Jocks, and preps, although they didnt have preps back then. You were right about that. But it is most certainly not the best Nirvana song. And it is definetley not the most influential song ever written. And it wasn’t written. if you know anything about Nirvana/Kurt, you’d know he never really wrote songs until the last minute, often when they were in the studio about to record. The same can be said for SLTS. There are atleast 3 different versions, and lyrical wording to this song.
This makes more sense than the whole teenage high school bs honestlying from heroin addiction, it makes more sense and now I have chills on repeat nothings ever been so much more relatable
Ha. Yeah, it’s a great song. Seriously, though, most influential song ever written? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Not even close. Not even a little. That’s off base, off the reservation, out of town, overseas, and out in space.
I like how this entire reply section somehow didn’t even begin until like 8 years after the original comment. And the first reply was from a guy going by a username that references a movie that’s 6 years older than even that (Hackers). Good movie though. Totally a tech-gen classic.