10 Most Blatant Ripoffs In Rock History 

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana is one of those rare songs that seems to exist outside of time or place. Though you can clearly tell that this is a '90s product from the video alone, the pure allure of Kurt Cobain's melody sounded so modern that it felt like the future of rock before it had even reached the end of its runtime. Then again, even the most modern rock tends to pull from the classics every now and again.

For the longest time, Nirvana attributed to the construction of Teen Spirit to that of the Pixies, who always thrived on the dynamic contrast of a soft verse and a loud chorus. While it's nice for Cobain to at least admit his influence, the similarities between the opening riff feels a lot closer to AM radio rock once you hear it in context. From the root accents of the chords to the way they stop and start on a dime, you can really see that Cobain used Boston's More than a Feeling as his model for rock and roll history.

Even Cobain seemed to be in on the joke once someone pointed it out, going so far as to start playing the iconic Boston hit live on the rare occasion before blasting into Teen Spirit. Rock history may have been set in stone in 1991, but this is one of those instances where it takes a genius to steal this well.