Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana
How to study this song
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” carries 14 English words, 13 adjectives and 21 verb forms — 48 study entries in all, graded B2. Work through the glossary first: guns, friends and word are the words you will lean on most. It is unusually descriptive — 13 adjectives alongside 14 everyday words — so expect colour rather than plot. At this level the words on their own are not the problem — it is the way they are put together that takes the work.
The words of this song, in several languages
Every word below is taken from this song and translated by us. Nothing here is the lyric itself — these are the individual words you need in order to follow it.
Vocabulary
| EN | ES | IT | FR | PT | NL | DE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| guns | armas | pistole | armes | armas | wapens | Waffen |
| friends | amigos | amici | amis | amigos | vrienden | Freunde |
| word | palabra | parola | mot | palavra | woord | Wort |
This card holds 11 more words. You meet them when you play the song.
Adjectives
What this song teaches you
Level · B2
- Vocabulary words
- 14
- Adjectives
- 13
- Word combos
- 4
- Expressions
- 10
- Verb forms
- 21
- Quiz questions
- 35
More English songs at this level
Background
About the song
Released in September 1991 as the first single from «Nevermind» and produced by Butch Vig, «Smells Like Teen Spirit» is the record usually credited with moving guitar music from the margins to the centre almost overnight. Cobain wrote the words as sound first and sense second, and said as much: the chorus is a run of images chosen for rhythm. That is why the song resists translation and why it is interesting to study — the grammar is simple and the meaning is not.
Did you know?
The title came from a phrase a friend wrote on Cobain’s wall; it referred to a brand of deodorant, which he did not know at the time.
Charts & streaming
Released 10 September 1991 on DGC, from «Nevermind». It is among the most-streamed rock recordings of its era and the band’s best-known single.