Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Becomes a Summer Pop Song in a Major Key
Going from a minor key to a major key can cause a song to feel the exact opposite of how it was written. Just listen to "The Imperial March" in a major key as an example. It no longer sounds ominous and of impending doom. Well, Sleep Good is a psychedelic pop band who has decided to mess with a classic grunge song. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the most famous song by Nirvana, and probably the most famous song from the grunge era. Kurt Cobain’s voice and simple guitar part are a perfect pair. When you listen to the song, it’s very angry and angsty. When you listen to Sleep Good’s version “Teen Sprite,” that all goes away and it sounds like a pop hit that could be a cousin to Hanson’s “MMMBop.” It’s scary what you can do when transposing music. Although with lyrics, this transposition creates a new level of irony as the counter-culture song is sung to a happy instrumental track instead of the dark angsty tone of the original. I still prefer the original, but it’s fun to see what the Internet will do. Which version is your favorite?