In the early 90s, hair bands were fading, and the future of rock was unclear. That is, until Nirvana released “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on September 10, 1991. Before then, grunge was still in the underground music scene of Seattle, Washington. The Seattle scene established the genre in the late 1980s, but the rest of the country hadn’t been introduced to it quite yet.
Nirvana’s 1989 debut album, Bleach, was a moderate underground success, but Cobain was dissatisfied with Sub Pop’s distribution. As a result, Nirvana sought to leave the label. Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth advised Cobain to seek a major-label distributor. On April 30, 1991, Nirvana signed with DGC Records (Geffen Records). Sub Pop was offered a buyout for the group and a percentage of album sales from the band’s next record. Additionally, the Sub Pop logo was included on early pressings of the album alongside DGC Records.
Between May and June of 1991, Nirvana recorded Nevermind at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, California. The album was the first to feature Dave Grohl on drums, as he had joined the band in September 1990. Just one year later, Nirvana released their first major-label single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. In the 2015 documentary Montage Of Heck, Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor, detailed the first time she heard the new album. She revealed that once she heard a master cut of Nevermind, she told her son, “This is going to change everything. You better buckle up because you’re not ready for this.” She was absolutely right.
Grunge Invades the Mainstream
In early 1991, Kurt Cobain attempted to write the “ultimate pop song”. He drew inspiration from the Pixies, and the result became the album’s lead single. Ahead of the single’s release, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released to radio stations on August 27, 1991. On September 10, the lead single was released but didn’t immediately chart. The band anticipated that their follow-up single, “Come As You Are”, would be the song to break into the mainstream. Unexpectedly, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became an instant alternative radio hit.
Two weeks later, the same week of the album’s release, MTV aired the music video on its late-night alternative radio show, 120 Minutes. Soon, the song became a daily fixture on the channel, and album sales began to soar. In January 1992, Nevermind famously knocked Michael Jackson’s Dangerous out of the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200. With Nirvana topping the chart, grunge had successfully invaded the mainstream. Kurt Cobain became an icon, and alternative music reigned supreme throughout the decade.
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