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Tre Wittman
Mrs. Kenger
Brit Lit
29 April 2016
Nirvanas Legacy
I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not--Kurt Cobain (Kurt
Cobain). During the 1990s the band Nirvana rose from the underground scenes of
seattle to the top of the charts. Throughout their career they released multiply songs
that became popular and stirred up controversy including: Smells Like Teen Spirt, Come
as You Are, and Heart Shaped Box (Gould). Lead Singer Kurt Cobain was able to
connect with people by inflecting his audience with raw powerful emotion. Tragically, in
April 1994, Kurt Cobain took his own life which lead to the end Nirvana
(Biography.com). Still their legacy lives on through their influence on rock music
industry, inspiring bands, and youth culture.
During the 1990s Nirvana pioneered a new style of music called grunge; which
is a combination of hard rock and punk music featuring heavy electric guitar and
dragging lyrics. Grunge music alternates verses from loud chaotic screaming to a harsh
whisper which connected with their audiences rage and hatred (Gould). Grunge
concerts consisted of bands playing the same way they would at a bar; the shows
always lacked flashy lighting and were full of engaging teens who just wanted to let
loose. Kurt Cobain also changed the way rock musician wrote their songs, rock music
before Nirvana used to be about girls and cars. After Nirvana, songs could be about
anything that comes to mind including darker and depressing topics giving rock music a

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more authentic feel (The Influence). Nirvana songs have meanings behind them For
example We Dont Have To Breed. is not about trying to dominate a womans body,
and Polly a sad tribute about the rape and the murder of a young girl (Shepherd).
Eventually grunge music decreased in popularity and merged with new music elements
to create the rock alternative that we know today.
Even though Nirvana had a short music career, they were still able to change and
inspire bands with their creativity and originality. After the enormous success of
Nirvanas album, Nevermind many different bands were created using similar sounds
to Nirvana including: Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots
(Batchelor). Nirvanas popularization of grunge music also opened doors for bands with
a comparable aggressive sound. Smashing Pumpkins, for instance combined grunge,
1970s rock, and the goth rock sound of the 1980s, to create their album Gish in 1991.
Newer bands such as Awolnation are using Nirvanas alternating verses and aggression
(Batchelor). Perhaps the band most affected by Nirvanas success was Pearl Jam, who
gained popularity by the numerous grunge fans that Nirvana created in the 1990s
because Pearl Jam had the same appeal to the young adults (Smith). In the end,
Nirvana was able to live on through other bands that have been inspired by their
powerful music.
Neverminds first single Smells Like Teen Spirit taps into the madness in young
adults lives. The song gained popularity by excessive rotation on the radio and tv's new
popular MTV channel making their song top the charts a few month after release
(Gould). The video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was one of the most requested clips on
MTV in 1992. Nirvana's video did not follow the industrys standards; MTV traditionally

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demanded pretty boy male singers. Nirvana appears dressed casually in blue jeans with
Kurt Cobain's hair messy and covering his face. Set in a high school gymnasium, the
video demonstrates the popular underground activity known as moshing, surrounded by
tattooed cheerleaders wearing the anarchy symbol (Schoemer). Their music was a
perfect anthem of the younger generation, because they had a random chaotic style
that was similar to how students felt on the inside. Which allowed them to connect with
the outcasts and nobodies creating songs that reflected what they were thinking and
problems of their everyday lives because they had the same problems too. Kurt Cobain
embraced depression, in fact, in the 1990s America was barely talking about the
disease and it was going untreated, but years earlier Cobain was writing about his own
sorrows and allowed them to resonate (Shepherd).
At the Rock and Roll Hall of fame induction in 2014 singer-songwriter Michael
Stipe said, Nirvana defined a moment, a movement for outsiders: for the fags; for the
fat girls; for the broken toys; the shy nerds; the Goth kids from Tennessee and
Kentucky; for the rockers and the awkward; for the fed-up; the too-smart kids and the
bullied. We were a community, a generation in Nirvanas case, several generations
in the echo chamber of that collective howl (Rolling). Nirvana was a hero helping
teens who are in lost their minds still find a voice to hold on to and feel accepted. Their
legacy will always live on, by their influence in rock music, the way they inspired bands,
and how they connected with youth emotions and culture.
Works Cited

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Batchelor, Bob. Grunge, Alternative, and Rock in the 1990s. Pop Culture Universe:
Icons Idols Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. <http://popculture.abcclio.com/>.
Biography.com Editors. Kurt Cobain Biography. The Biography.com website. A&E
Television Networks, n.d. Web. 3 May 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/kurtcobain-9542179#related-video-gallery>.
Gould, Katherine. Nirvana. Pop Culture Universe: Icons Idols Ideas. N.p., 2016. Web.
22 Apr. 2016. <http://popculture.abc-clio.com/>.
The Influence of an Era | Grunge Music. Jeanette Leblanc | Life of a Student.
Wordpress, n.d. Web. 3 May 2016. <https://jeanyleblanc.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/theinfluence-of-an-era-grunge-music/>
"Kurt Cobain." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2016. 8 May 2016.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/k/kurtcobain167123.html
Rolling Stones. Read Nirvanas Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech.
Rolling Stone. N.p., 2016. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. <http://www.rollingstone.com>.
Schoemer, Karen. POP VIEW; The Art Behind Nirvanas Ascent to the Top. The New
York Times 26 Jan. 1992: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.nytimes.com>.

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Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo. 8 Reasons Nirvanas Nevermind Is The Most Important
Rock Album of All Time. Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2016.
<http://www.alternet.org/story/152444/8_reasons_nirvanas_nevermind_is_the_most_i
mportant_rock_album_of_all_time>.
Smith, Chris. Nirvana: Nevermind (1991). Pop Culture Universe: Icons Idols Ideas.
ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://popculture.abc-clio.com/>.