This song is a commentary on mob mentality, mass hysteria and feminism.
When it comes to the grunge music scene of Seattle, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain are two names that instantly spring to the forefront. One of their most well-known songs, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” also has among the most cryptic lyrics. Nirvana singer, guitarist and frontman Kurt Cobain wrote the song together with Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, the band’s drummer and bassist respectively.
Where the Smell Originated
One night while on tour, Kurt Cobain discovered the words written out in graffiti, “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit,” across the wall of the hotel room he’d been staying in. It turns out that a woman who Kurt had been dating used a brand of deodorant called Teen Spirit, and a fellow musician recognized the telltale scent. She then decided to make it known by painting it on the wall, so the story goes. Even though Kurt hadn’t actually heard of the brand, like the ring of it, the phrase appealed to him so much that used it for their lead single in 1991.
As with many great lyrics, the bulk of this song is highly enigmatic and doesn’t necessarily make literal sense. This only adds to the interpretations that fans can attach. At times, Cobain seems to list things at random, making it hard to imagine how they might be connected or what was going through Cobain’s mind. The inspiration that caused him to choose such words like mulatto, albino, mosquito, and libido may never be known for certain.
The mysterious words are carried by an extremely catchy chord progression, melody, beat and hook that fills the listeners with a sense of violent frenzy. The fact that Cobain barely seems interested in enunciating these baffling words only adds to the mystique around their meaning, mumbling some and slurring others.
Kurt’s explanation to Much was, “I’ve just noticed that people expect more of a thematic angle with our music. They always want to read into it. And before, I was just using pieces of poetry and just garbage.”
Mob Mentality and Mass Hysteria
In the first verse, we hear the iconic words:
“Load up on guns, bring your friends / It’s fun to lose and to pretend / She’s over-bored and self-assured / Oh no, I know a dirty word”
Although some have interpreted the first two lines literally as a call to arms and revolution, Cobain may also use firearms as a way to describe the intoxicating effects of heroin and other hard drugs. The second line poses the philosophy that when you’re disenfranchised, it’s good enough to pretend you’re winning.
When Nirvana performed the song as part of their “Top of the Pops” performance, Cobain sang, “Load up on drugs, kill your friends / It’s fun to lose and to defend”
How low can you go?
Tucked neatly into the lyrics are themes of mass hysteria, mob mentality and even feminism. Cobain also uses assonance, which is when one sound is repeated until an internal rhyme is formed. This might be a comment on popular music in general and the nonsensical nature of its lyrics.
In the pre-chorus, Cobain repeats “hello” until it becomes “how low,” but some have also pointed out that this also sounds like “hollow.” Kurt may be making a commentary on depression and mood disorders as well as the repetitive nature of life.
Lyrics
Load up on guns, bring your friends
It’s fun to lose and to pretend
She’s over bored and self-assured
Oh, no, I know a dirty word
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it’s less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey
Yeah
I’m worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group it’s always been
And always will until the end
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it’s less dangerous
Here we are now entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey
Yeah
And I forget, just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it’s hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it’s less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid, and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: David Eric Grohl / Krist Novoselic / Kurt Donald Cobain