10 Best Rock Anthems
7. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Rock was starting to lose its edge at the beginning of the 90's. Even though some artists would come out with fantastic records on a whim, the mainstream genre of hair metal had gotten too ridiculous to take seriously anymore. Maybe it was time for rock to call it a day, but not if Kurt Cobain had anything to say about it.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the song that gave the genre a shot in the arm by bringing a sense of urgency back into rock music. Once the drums kick in in the song's intro, you are automatically sucked into the distorted bliss of alternative angst. The lyrics tend to not have that much cohesion, but the focus is not so much on the phrasing as it is on the power of the single lines. The scream of "Here we are now, entertain us" has become ingrained in the minds of rock fans for years now with its snide commentary of artist's treatment.
With this song, Nirvana made the community of rock musicians collectively wake up and show them why they play this kind of music in the first place. We may not have had them for long, but what Nirvana gave us while they were here was something undefinable.