Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Soars Over 1 Billion YouTube Views
Marking the second ’90s music video to reach the count.
Even after almost three decades, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is one of the most played ’90s songs on YouTube. We know this because it just surpassed 1 billion views.
The original track was the first single off the band’s iconic 1991 album Nevermind. The worldwide success of Nirvana was unprecedented for any grunge band at the time, and what followed is a legacy that’s since changed the face of rock music. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has become the second ’90s music video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube, following behind Guns N’ Roses‘ “November Rain” (1.3 billion views). According to an MTV interview from 1993, Kurt Cobain wasn’t entirely satisfied with the original edits of the video. “I like the video overall, but it wasn’t what I pictured in my mind,” said Cobain. In an effort to align the direction more to what he initially envisioned, the frontman made some changes and re-edited it himself: “I flew down at the last minute to L.A. and edited it myself. I threw in a few extra things which pretty much saved it.”
Scroll up to watch Nirvana’s music video “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
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