A small band from Aberdeen, Washington introduced a new genre in the early ‘90s — and now, over 30 years later, they’ve reached yet another major milestone.
Formed in 1987 by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, with Dave Grohl joining a few years later, Nirvana helped define the grunge era and left a lasting impact on rock music.
Earlier this week, the band made YouTube history by reportedly becoming the first grunge group to surpass 2 billion views on a single music video.
While fans might guess it was “Come As You Are” or “In-Bloom” that pushed them past the mark, the honor belongs to their iconic hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Directed by Samuel Bayer, the music video first premiered on MTV in 1991 — back when the channel was the primary destination for discovering new artists.
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The video’s popularity quickly grew, earning Nirvana "Best New Artist" and "Best Alternative Group Video" at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.
The video was produced on a relatively modest budget, reportedly between $30,000 and $50,000, which is a fraction of what many artists were spending at the time.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the lead single from the band’s sophomore album, Nevermind. The project used elements of punk and heavy metal, however, it was largely inspired by a very different sound — the Beatles.
Cobain often spoke about his admiration for the legendary group. In a ‘90s interview, he explained how they shaped his earliest ideas about music.
“At a really early age I wanted to become a Rock and Roll star. I wanted to play drums since I got my first Beatles record,” he said at the time.
“I wanted to have the adoration of John Lennon but have the anonymity of Ringo Starr. You know, I didn’t want to be the frontman. I wanted to be back there but be a Rock and Roll star at the same time.”
Though Cobain never got that anonymity, he became one of the most recognizable faces in music history.
Nirvana remained active until 1994, when the band came to an end following Cobain’s tragic death — a loss that bandmate Grohl is still coming to terms with today.
“I’m still processing Kurt’s death,” he shared in the BBC documentary When Nirvana Came To Britain.
“Because for the longest time, I would try to process it and talk about it with friends and family and things like that. . . And they would help me, but now I feel like I have to help my kids go through it. It's a lifetime of healing.”
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