Many takes later, Vig got what heВ wanted.вЂќ

вЂ‹ вЂњHe had trouble hitting those stratospheric notes,вЂќ wrote biographer Michael Azerrad, вЂ‹ вЂњBut if heвЂ™d blow aВ take, heвЂ™d just take aВ drag on his cigarette and try again. Not that they necessarily came easily to the future Foo Fighters frontman. And not only did he bring aВ powerhouse drumming style light years ahead of Chad Channing вЂ‹ вЂ™s grungy rumble, he was also capable of delivering harmonies to KurtвЂ™s lead vocals, which he first tried out on In BloomвЂ™s woozy, summery chorus, lending the song its high notes. The band had changed since the Smart Studios sessions, however, with the arrival of Dave on the drum stool. вЂ‹ вЂњI thought it would be good to start with aВ song where IВ was familiar with theВ arrangements.вЂќ вЂ‹ вЂњI was familiar with it because weвЂ™d worked on it for Sub Pop,вЂќ Butch told VH 1вЂ™s Classic Albums. When they returned to the track for the sessions at CaliforniaвЂ™s Sound City Studios, it was the first song they worked on for the album. The band had worked on In Bloom during the Smart Studios sessions with Butch for the mooted second Sub Pop album, which ended up serving as aВ dry-run for Nevermind. So IВ had him do multiple vocal takes, and he sang them so consistently IВ could run them at the same time as aВ double track, and it really made the song soundВ powerful.вЂќ вЂ‹ вЂњI said, вЂ‹ вЂKurt, IВ want you to double-track the guitars and vocals, to really make this jump out of the speakers.вЂ™ He thought it was вЂ‹ вЂcheatingвЂ™, especially with his vocals. To give Teen Spirit proper emphasis, Butch wanted to use some studio trickery, though Kurt was typically reluctant. IВ remember pacing around thinking, вЂ‹ вЂOh my God, this sounds crazyВ intense.вЂ™вЂќ вЂ‹ вЂњIt was the first time IВ heard Dave Grohl play live, and it sounded so amazing. Just before the recording session, Nirvana played through their songs at aВ nearby rehearsal space. And even though the recording was terrible, IВ was superВ excited.вЂќ But underneath the fuzz, IВ could hear вЂ‹ вЂ Hello, helloвЂ™, melodies and chord structures. It was so fucking distorted, IВ could barely hear anything. вЂ‹ вЂњKurt introduced it by saying, вЂ‹ вЂHey Butch, we got some new songs for you, and we also got Dave Grohl вЂ“ heвЂ™s the best drummer in the world!вЂ™ Then they clicked into Teen Spirit, with the scratchy guitar at the start.

вЂ‹ вЂњIt was aВ boombox recording of aВ rehearsal,вЂќ Butch remembered to Kerrang!. It was one of the last songs written before Nirvana travelled to California to record Nevermind, Kurt sending producer Butch Vig aВ cassette of its demo aВ week ahead of the sessions. вЂ‹ вЂњKurt called me up six months later,вЂќ Kathleen added, вЂ‹ вЂњand he said, вЂ‹ вЂHey, do you remember that night? ThereвЂ™s aВ thing you wrote on my wallвЂ¦ itвЂ™s actually quite cool, and IВ want to useВ it.вЂ™вЂќ Mission accomplished, they continued drinking, and ended up at KurtвЂ™s apartment, where Kathleen scrawled lots of graffiti on his walls, including the words вЂ‹ вЂKurt smells like teen spirit вЂ™. She wrote вЂ‹ вЂFake abortion clinic, everyoneвЂ™ on the walls, while Kurt added, in six-foot-high red letters, вЂ‹ вЂGod is gayвЂ™. Kathleen later recalled that, in August of 1990, fuelled by aВ bottle of Canadian Club whisky, the вЂ‹ вЂњangry young feministsвЂ¦ decided weвЂ™d do aВ little public serviceвЂќ and graffitied the exterior of a вЂ‹ вЂTeen Pregnancy CentreвЂ™ which had just opened in town, and was, in fact, вЂ‹ вЂњa front for aВ right-wing operation telling teenage girls theyвЂ™d go to hell if they had abortionsвЂќ. KurtвЂ™s main influence had been The Pixies, telling Rolling Stone, вЂ‹ вЂњI connected with that band so heavilyвЂ¦ We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.вЂќ Indeed, Krist Novoselic worried that the song was too Pixies-ish, telling Kurt, вЂ‹ вЂњPeople are really going to nail us for it.вЂќ Lyrically, Teen Spirit painted an ambivalent portrait of the indie-rock revolutionaries heвЂ™d lived alongside in Olympia, its title drawing upon memories of aВ night of uncivil disobedience with his friend Kathleen Hanna, who fronted Bikini Kill, her insurrectionary and brilliant riot grrl band with TobiВ Vail. Kurt later said that when he sat down to pen the track that secured Nirvana their unexpected crossover into the mainstream, he was trying to write вЂ‹ вЂњthe ultimate pop songвЂќ.

Shotty with a melody lyrics