Smells Like Teen Spirit Quotes
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Source: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Speaker: Nirvana
Here we are now. Entertain us.
Context
This line is from the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana from the album Nevermind (1991).
September 1991 smelled like success for alternative rock as Nirvana broke into the main stream with "Smells Like Teen Spirit." This song wasn't named after the popular deodorant brand Teen Spirit, so we're left with the question What does teen spirit smell like? French fries? Axe Body Wash? Socks? Gardenia?
Even when you do know the lyrics, it still hardly makes any sense. "Here we are now, entertain us" is one of the clearest lines of the song...but what does it mean? Is it signifying the neediness of Generation X?
And you thought millennials were in constant need of entertainment.
Where you've heard it
Weird Al parodied it with "Smells Like Nirvana," and Arcade Fire mashed it up with another song in 2014.
You've also probably heard it misquoted on about a zillion occasions. "Here we are now. In containers"?
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
We have to split this down the middle because, if we don't know what it even means, how do we know if it's pretentious or not? It's an awesome song, though.