10 Hard Rock Songs That Are Impossible To Understand
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
It almost feels wrong putting one of the most emblematic rock songs ever in this spot. For all of its shortcomings, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana is one of the pivotal moments in rock history, knocking down the hair metal movement singlehandedly and signaling the arrival of alt-rock as a major player on the charts. Then again, you might not want to pay attention to the inner workings of what Kurt Cobain is actually saying.
From the first time he opens his mouth, Cobain's phrases almost seem disassociated with one another, with the opening line of loading up on guns not really fitting in with a girl who's supposedly over-bored and self-assured. That's before you even get to the hard hitting chorus, whose back half is basically a random game of word association, with mosquito being mixed with libido and mulatto.
On the other hand, that might actually be the point. Instead of the call to arms that many might expect from a song like this, the lyrics act more like a commentary on the consumerist mindset that people have towards music, with the cutting line being "Entertain us!." In essence, this song is both intentionally trying to confuse while at the same time being a satire of songs that are impossible to understand. For as much meaninglessness might be on display here, the reasoning behind these lines are actually pretty damn smart once you settle into the groove