A Comparative Analysis of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Music Cover Styles

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and two distinct cover versions: one by Bad Plus, transforming the grunge anthem into a jazz piece, and another by the Robert Glasper Experiment, infusing it with experimental hip-hop and industrial elements. The analysis considers the instrumentation, tempo, texture, and overall stylistic choices made by each artist. The author expresses a preference for the Bad Plus cover due to its artistic jazz interpretation, while also acknowledging the experimental nature of the Robert Glasper Experiment's rendition, ultimately offering a personal perspective on how different genres can reshape a well-known song. The original Nirvana version is also discussed and compared to the covers.

Running head: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells like Teen Spirit
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1Smells like Teen Spirit
Smells like Teen Spirit was composed by the Grunge band Nirvana and was released
on 1991 in their album Nevermind. The instruments used on this track included the usual
instruments played by the band, that is: a bass guitar, a rhythm guitar, drums accompanied by
the vocals. The music is one of the most iconic tracks in the genre of Grunge music, which
was made famous by the band. The track is played at the average tempo of 116 bpm; however
there are fluctuations in the tempo at different parts of the song. The sound has an overall
gritty texture, with its dynamics shifting from mellow to loud ("Nirvana - Smells like Teen
Spirit", 1991).
The cover by Bad Plus was released on 2001. The version incorporates a Jazz style
into the track, deviating from its Grunge style. The instruments used for the cover were:
Cello, drums and piano but no vocals. The track is played faster than the original version, at
around 120 to 130 bpm. The track has an overall smooth texture, using odd time signatures
and 16th note fillers (("The Bad Plus - Smells like Teen spirit (Nirvana cover)", 2001).
The cover by the Robert Glasper Experiment was released on 2012. The version
incorporates an experimental, industrial and hip hop influence into the sound. The
instruments used were Latin percussions (samba/congo), synth/keyboards, drums with vocals.
The vocals used a lot of reverb effects, and had a smooth texture. The track was performed at
a slower tempo than the original (100 to 110 bpm), and incorporated different sound effects.
The track also had the dynamics of swing jazz style in the rhythm and the vocals had a hip-
hop style, while the sound effects had an industrial ambience (("Robert Glasper Experiment -
Smells like Teen Spirit", 2012).
Out of the three versions, I liked the cover by Bad Plus the most, because of the
artistic way, the song was molded into a Jazz format, keeping originality of Jazz music being
incorporated into a Grunge track. I also liked the cover by Robert Glasper Experiment;

2Smells like Teen Spirit
however, the experimentation on the hip hop style didn’t agree much with my taste. I am not
a huge fan of the original version and of Nirvana. Hence the Bad Plus cover was my favorite.

3Smells like Teen Spirit
References:
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit. (1991). YouTube. Retrieved 22 April 2018, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg
Robert Glasper Experiment - Smells Like Teen Spirit. (2012). YouTube. Retrieved 22 April
2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onXoreYFMhU
The Bad Plus - Smells Like Teen spirit (Nirvana cover). (2001). YouTube. Retrieved 22 April
2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKllfSfgB4k