Later that night, while Cobain slept, Hanna scrawled across his apartment wall with a Sharpie.
Cobain, who didn't know the brand existed, thought the phrase was a poetic, revolutionary slogan about the anarchist spirit of youth. He loved it so much he called Hanna six months later to ask if he could use it as a lyric. The Sound of Revolution Nirvana Smells Like
What Makes This Song Great? "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana Later that night, while Cobain slept, Hanna scrawled
The song's title came from a night of drinking and "public service" graffiti in 1990. , lead singer of the punk band Bikini Kill, joined Kurt Cobain to spray-paint slogans on the wall of a religious center they believed was a "fake abortion clinic". The Sound of Revolution What Makes This Song Great
Musically, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was Cobain’s attempt to write the "ultimate pop song".
Hanna was mocking Cobain because his then-girlfriend, Tobi Vail (Bikini Kill’s drummer), wore Teen Spirit , a popular deodorant marketed to teenage girls. She meant he literally smelled like her deodorant.