I didn’t enjoy Bleach but maybe that’s because I listened to it after already listening to the other two. Same with when I listened to Hole’s first album Pretty On the Inside.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of those songs that you remember where you were when you first heard it, even 34 years later when you're an old fart with grown kids who are right now learning to play it in their band.
Hey Liz, I just found your Substack and I’m glad I did. This piece is very closely related to my take on what happened when us latchkey kids inherited the world thanks to angry music and nonchalant (I’m being kind) parenting in a book I just wrote. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for sharing this! I'm one of the few among our family and friends who still has a visceral attraction to 90's grunge. The summer of '91 was one of my favorite periods in my life.
I'd just returned from serving nearly a year in the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Music from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and others dominated the radio and MTV.
The energy was contagious and led me to joining my first band. I felt so intensely alive that summer.
To this day, 90's alternative is my go-to tool to help with deep focus - especially the soundtrack from Singles.
I resisted Nirvana at first but then In Utero came out and my mind was blown and I became a fan just in time to experience the loss of Cobain, a moment I remember vividly. His/their music got me through a strange, disconnected time in my early 20s living and working in NYC which was still a rough place, listening to Nirvana, Throwing Muses, Bob Mould, Morphine, PJ Harvey, etc. Now my son listens to and loves Nirvana, the circle is complete, and I look back on that time with deep nostalgia. Great article.
Older Gen X loved all the music videos you mentioned and when Smells Like was world premiered we turned off the channel. We could go to bars by then so there was no need to watch unless it was 120 minutes on a hungover Sunday night.
I think your point of view is skewed because you only listed to pop music until Nirvana. Nirvana was good but they stole the Pixies style, Kurt admitted this in early1994. Also because the Melvins weren't playing on pop radio than you thought Nirvana's style was original; it wasn't. The 1980s have plenty of dark, edgy and realness to it but it was played on rock and hard rock stations. Also KISS wasn't on the radio in the late 80s; I think bands like the Nelsons, Poison, Warrant, Bon Jovi, and Def Leoppard are more are who you are thinking on. Also there where pop bands that weren't just happy see Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, and Crowded House for more serious songs about the decade. The style that struck you was around in Metallica, Megadeath, Iron Maiden, and Guns and Roses crowds. Axel wore flannel too. In fact I would say the popularity of the Black Album from Metallica helped Nirvana's style to be more appealing. Nirvana was good but not the best band out of Seattle and there were many more innovative bands before them in Seattle.
Their music is rooted in both punk & classic hard rock. Grunge wasn’t a thing when Nirvana began—because they helped create it. This is why Nevermind was so transformative & powerful. Along with other bands of the time, they ushered in a new sound, a new genre dubbed “grunge”.
I remember that I had heard the album Bleach and then when Nevermind came out I initially wasn't sure if that was the same band.
I didn’t enjoy Bleach but maybe that’s because I listened to it after already listening to the other two. Same with when I listened to Hole’s first album Pretty On the Inside.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of those songs that you remember where you were when you first heard it, even 34 years later when you're an old fart with grown kids who are right now learning to play it in their band.
God I am so fcking old
🤣
Hey Liz, I just found your Substack and I’m glad I did. This piece is very closely related to my take on what happened when us latchkey kids inherited the world thanks to angry music and nonchalant (I’m being kind) parenting in a book I just wrote. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for sharing this! I'm one of the few among our family and friends who still has a visceral attraction to 90's grunge. The summer of '91 was one of my favorite periods in my life.
I'd just returned from serving nearly a year in the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Music from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and others dominated the radio and MTV.
The energy was contagious and led me to joining my first band. I felt so intensely alive that summer.
To this day, 90's alternative is my go-to tool to help with deep focus - especially the soundtrack from Singles.
I resisted Nirvana at first but then In Utero came out and my mind was blown and I became a fan just in time to experience the loss of Cobain, a moment I remember vividly. His/their music got me through a strange, disconnected time in my early 20s living and working in NYC which was still a rough place, listening to Nirvana, Throwing Muses, Bob Mould, Morphine, PJ Harvey, etc. Now my son listens to and loves Nirvana, the circle is complete, and I look back on that time with deep nostalgia. Great article.
Thank you! And good job with your son ❤️
My husband Terry lived in NYC for a decade, he moved there in ‘94.
Older Gen X loved all the music videos you mentioned and when Smells Like was world premiered we turned off the channel. We could go to bars by then so there was no need to watch unless it was 120 minutes on a hungover Sunday night.
I think your point of view is skewed because you only listed to pop music until Nirvana. Nirvana was good but they stole the Pixies style, Kurt admitted this in early1994. Also because the Melvins weren't playing on pop radio than you thought Nirvana's style was original; it wasn't. The 1980s have plenty of dark, edgy and realness to it but it was played on rock and hard rock stations. Also KISS wasn't on the radio in the late 80s; I think bands like the Nelsons, Poison, Warrant, Bon Jovi, and Def Leoppard are more are who you are thinking on. Also there where pop bands that weren't just happy see Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, and Crowded House for more serious songs about the decade. The style that struck you was around in Metallica, Megadeath, Iron Maiden, and Guns and Roses crowds. Axel wore flannel too. In fact I would say the popularity of the Black Album from Metallica helped Nirvana's style to be more appealing. Nirvana was good but not the best band out of Seattle and there were many more innovative bands before them in Seattle.
Nirvana was a punk band and would probably describe themselves as such. "Grunge" wasn't even really a thing.
Their music is rooted in both punk & classic hard rock. Grunge wasn’t a thing when Nirvana began—because they helped create it. This is why Nevermind was so transformative & powerful. Along with other bands of the time, they ushered in a new sound, a new genre dubbed “grunge”.