10 Greatest Hard Rock Album Openers
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Every other generation seems to have a song with the ability to move a mountain. Whether it was when the Beatles first played in the 60's or the first time you heard Led Zeppelin, certain songs seem almost destined for legendary status from the first moment you hear them. Even if Kurt Cobain didn't want to be known as a rockstar, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" cut through the entire rock world like a machete.
From the opening guitar stabs, the entire track erupts into life with Dave Grohl's furious drum roll. Instead of being just another helping of glam rock trash coming from the Sunset Strip, this was something incredibly fresh with a ton of muscle behind it. With an almost nonsensical lyric sheet, the track became a rallying cry for the youth of the world who wanted something a little more authentic than the rock posturing of the day.
Though Nevermind as a whole was one of the greatest records of the 90's, it would be a shadow of what it was if it didn't have this song as its starting point. The song definitely rocked, but "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was about more than just headbanging with your friends. This wasn't just a song....this was the beginning of a movement.