NIRVANA SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
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
I’m worse at what I do best
And for this gift, I feel blessed
Our little group has 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
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, nevermind
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
This song is apart of the grunge music genre which originated form Seattle, America, which is where Nirvana is actually from. The song is about the “mass mentality of conformity”, which means they are talking about the rules of society such as laws everyone obeys. The disagreement of this topic matches with the common view on society from the grunge music culture. This song is relatively thin in texture, with very few instruments being used. The instruments that are being used are; drums, electric guitar, vocals, bass guitar, distorted electric guitar (chorus effect). This instrumental arrangement is very common in the rock music genre, as they have a powerful sound and aggressive tone to them. The grunge genre had a very heavy use of guitar distortion pedals, this song is no exception. This song has 2 electric guitars, one of these guitars is played with a chorus effect distortion pedal. This pedal is used to fill the track with the instruments crazy unique noise, the pedal is used often by Nirvana. The distorted electric guitar is used monophonically, because if you played chords it would get messy, just liken holding down the piano’s sustain pedal for too long.
The harmony of this song is very simple and can’t get much simpler, the only source of harmony in this song is the other electric guitar which only plays chords polyphonically. The harmonic electric guitar only plays during the intro and chorus. The harmony is sharp sounding and aggressive, giving the song an angry aggressive tone to it. This must be intentional to resonate with the songs message on rules. The drums in this song are very fast paced and heavy, the drum pattern is also busy and loud which is common in forms of rock music. The melody in this song is carried by the rough and loud lead vocals. The melody is repetitive and memorable. However it is quite fast compared to other melodies you hear, the melody tends to move in 1 to 3 note intervals throughout the song. The melody doesn’t move much in vocal range, it stays in a close spot to the root of the melody the whole time.
The time signature of this song is 4/4 common time and the BPM is 116, this is not unusual for a rock song. The key of the song is in F minor, this gives the music a dark mood and tone, this was used successfully to convey their opinion on society. The dynamics used in this song are interesting and powerful, this is because of their thoughtful use of them. The chorus of the song play at fortissimo dynamic level to express their angry emotions. The pre- chorus is repetitive and creates tension leading us up to the chorus. The outro at and final chorus are the loudest part of the song, they do this to release all energy the song was restraining before. The verses in the song have a calmer tone to them, this is because it has a thinner texture because the other electric guitar isn’t playing and also the dynamics are significantly softer. They play at a mezzo forte dynamic level before the bridge builds it up.
smells like teen spirit about – Bing
RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS Give it away
This song is about the philosophy of selflessness in different cultures and religions. Give it away by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers is classed inside of the alternative rock genre, so it is made up of rock features and techniques. This song is very thin in texture for a rock song, as it has few instruments in it. The only instruments used in this song are; a bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals and a jaw harp. A jaw harp is played with your mouth similar to a harmonica, the instrument is what creates that unique bouncing sound in the track which is interesting. The electric guitar is used in a very unique way in this song, it has a role that is new to most people. In this song they give the electric guitar a solo, however the solo is reversed giving the song a unique ancient sound that provokes the thought of religion and philosophy. The harmony in this song is simple as it is played by the electric guitar. The guitar will occasionally play chords that harmonize with the vocals and jaw harp, the harmony is short lasting and played in a staccato articulation. This gives the music a sharp punching effect, and is very powerful in the way that it is used in this song.
This song is written in 4/4 common time and is played at a tempo of 92 BPM, this is a bit slow compared to your usual rock songs which is interesting. The song plays at a forte dynamic level, which sounds is common for intense rock music. The song gets a little quitter at the end, the texture at the end of the song also fades as it ends with just the vocals. The song is written in the key of G major, which gives it an energetic feel which is why happy songs are written in major scales most of the time. The song follows the structure of; intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus. This structure is repetitive and simple, and the structure seems to bounce off of it’s self. After each chorus there is a little instrumental section where the reversed guitar solo comes in. The drums in this song use the high toms a lot which gives it that punch effect in the song, as the sound of the high tom is sharp and short lasting. The songs melody is very repetitive and simple, making it very memorable to the listener. The melody tends to move in short intervals such as hops and steps, making it simple and flowing.
lyrics meaning source– give it away about – Bing