A Brilliant Animation of the Story Behind Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Narrated by T-Bone Burnett

In the animated short “Drawn & Recorded: Teen Spirit” by Drew Christie of Kalakala Animation, narrator T-Bone Burnett tells the story behind the popular 1991 Nirvana song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and how it all stemmed from a drunken night of antics shared by Kurt Cobain and Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna. Burnett pulls no punches about the late Cobain, particularly since he didn’t know at the time that he was writing about deodorant for teenagers.

Find out how the scent of a woman inspired Kurt Cobain to write an anthem for the ages.

This film is part of an ongoing series by director Drew Curtis.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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