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Dave Grohl<\/a> recalled the experience of breaking into the big time with Nirvana<\/a> when there 1991 track \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d became a hit.<\/p>\n But he revealed he\u2019d never thought of it as the standout moment on second album Nevermind<\/em><\/a>, and added that, in his view, the band had written better songs.<\/p>\n The Foo Fighters<\/a> leader said Nirvana only saw the effects of the single when they arrived at venues to play shows. Other than that, he told Mojo<\/em><\/a> in a recent interview, it felt like business as usual.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really think much of \u2018Teen Spirit\u2019 at first,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought it was just another one of the jams that we were doing\u2026 But \u2018Teen Spirit\u2019 was one we kept coming back to because the simple guitar lines were so memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Top 10 Nirvana Songs Better than \u2018Teen Spirit\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n He continued: \u201cWe played a show in Seattle to get gas money to go down to Los Angeles to record the record. We set it up at the last minute; it was an afternoon gig and we played that song for the first time, and the audience went nuts. I don\u2019t know if it was the rhythm or the melody, but people got caught on it pretty quick.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought \u2018In Bloom\u2019 was going to be the smash hit off the record, or \u2018Lithium.\u2019 I thought \u2018Smells Like Teen Spirit \u2018was just another album cut\u2026 it soon became pretty clear that it would be the special song on the record. But, of course, at that point we didn\u2019t think anything was going to happen with the record.\u201d<\/p>\n Grohl said that, for the most part, Nirvana remained \u201cin our little bubble\u201d even while the \u201cTeen Spirit\u201d video gained significant airplay. \u201c[W]e were in our van, the three of us, Krist<\/a>\u2019s wife Shelli, our monitor guy Miles, and Monty Lee Wilkes, our tour manager,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it didn\u2019t seem like anything unusual was happening until we\u2019d get to the gig and it was f\u2013\u2013g chaos. And we started to notice there were normal people here \u2013 \u2018What are they doing here? That guy looks like a jock, what the f\u2013\u2013k is he doing here?\u2019 And it was like, \u2018Oh, maybe that video thing is attracting some riff-raff!\u2019<\/p>\n Watch Nirvana\u2019s \u2019Teen Spirit\u2019 Video<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe only indication that our world was turning upside down would be when you\u2019d get to the venue. Then it would be, \u2018Holy s\u2013\u2013t, these people are nuts!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He maintained the video had been a significant part of the single\u2019s success. \u201cPeople heard the song on the radio and they thought, \u2018This is great,\u2019 but when kids saw the video on MTV they thought, \u2018This is cool. These guys are kinda ugly and they\u2019re tearing up their f\u2013\u2013g high school!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cBut do I think it\u2019s the greatest single of all time? Of course not! I don\u2019t even think it\u2019s the greatest Nirvana single. And compared to \u2018Revolution\u2019 by the Beatles<\/a> or \u2018God Only Knows by the Beach Boys<\/a>\u2019\u2026<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Smells Like Teen Spirit\u2019 was a great moment in time. But there\u2019s better.\u201d<\/p>\n The bands, people, places and trends that paved the way for grunge’s landmark album.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nDave Grohl on What Made \u2018Teen Spirit\u2019 Such a Big Hit<\/h3>\n
Grunge Pre-Nirvana: 20 Things That Set the Stage For \u2018Nevermind\u2019<\/h2>\n