Little did the small crowd in attendance at Nirvana’s April 17th, 1991 show at the OK Hotel know that they were about to witness a historic moment when Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl launched into a new song they called Smells Like Teen Spirit. By the end of the year Smells Like Teen Spirit had become a huge hit and propelled Nirvana to mega-stardom.
While most of the elements that make Smells Like Teen Spirit great are found in its debut performance, there are a few changes from what would be recorded for Nevermind at Sound City in Van Nuys, Calif. just one month later. Not only are a few of the lyrics changed, but Nevermind producer Butch Vig convinced the trio to move a guitar riff into the chorus and switched up the ending. Take a look…
