How Bikini Kill Singer Came Up With ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’

Here’s how Bikini Kill vocalist Kathleen Hanna came up with Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” song title.

Funny enough, Kurt Cobain didn’t actually come up with the phrase that became the name of the song — which was ultimately the song that took grunge from a fledgling genre to the biggest in the world in just a matter of a few months.

Where Did the ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Song Title Come From?

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shared a new clip from their Music Makes Us podcast on social media featuring Hanna and Olivia Rodrigo. Hanna recalled coining the phrase “smells like Teen Spirit” and Cobain asking her permission to use it in a song.

“Me and Kurt got super drunk and went into the woods. We went around town, we did all this stuff and ended up back at his apartment and we broke all this stuff in the dark. I started writing stuff on the wall with Sharpies and I wrote, ‘Kurt is the keeper of the kennel’,” Hanna remembered.

“And then I wrote ‘Kurt smells like Teen Spirit’,” she continued.

The singer said Cobain called her later on while Nirvana were working on Nevermind and asked if he could use the line. Hanna was skeptical about how the phrase would fit into a song, but as history would have it, it became the title of the track, not a lyric.

See the clip here and check out the whole podcast episode below.

How Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna Came Up With Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Song Title

What Is ‘Teen Spirit’?

Teen Spirit was a deodorant launched by the brand Mennen in 1991 that was specifically advertised for teenage girls.

“Teen Spirit, by Lady Speed Stick, is targeted to the more than 12 million girls between the ages of 11 and 16, a population that has spending power and is seeking products to meet its special needs. They also have an extra need for strong deodorant/antiperspirant protection because of their changing bodies and active lifestyles,” a 1991 ad by Chain Drug Review reads.

Nirvana released “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as a single on Sept. 10, 1991. Various reports say that the song created a massive uptick in Teen Spirit sales for Mennen, though exact numbers aren’t available.