If you didn’t see it already trending on Twitter, then you are unaware that today February 20 would have been Kurt Cobain’s’ 53rd birthday.
To the man and band who showed me the heart of grunge, I write this with tears in my eye.
To the man who unrailed the music industry and helped underrepresented youth understand the hardships of life, we thank you. There is just something about the way Nirvana rolls off the tongue and sticks in our minds.
No matter your age, you have probably heard at least one song from Nirvana and it is probably Smells Like Teen Spirit. Released in 1991 as their lead single from their album Nevermind, would be Nirvana’s breakthrough moment shattering the entire music industry.
Their groundbreaking rif starts the song with exhilarating energy enticing anyone to bang their heads and jump up and down.
To the man who wrote, “here we are now, entertain us,” you showed the world who you were and in fact entertained them.
And now “I’ve been locked inside your heart-shaped box for” years. How could an artist who died before we were born be so influential? Since now I am “forever in debt to your priceless advice.”
Kurt Cobain has inspired millions to pick up a guitar and start jamming out, just as he did 30 years ago. The bands ability to establish an entirely new genre solely by creating music they were passionate about will continue to resonate with me for years to come.
The rise of the Seattle grunge movement was influenced heavily by known bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
To the men who have continued to shape our conception of “good” music, we thank you. If it wasn’t for these influential 90s bands, we would be unaware of the power of Nirvana and how the iconic smiley was embedded in our brains.
Although the smiley is now 30 years old, if we were to survey individuals on their knowledge of the iconic smiley I would imagine more than half would have a recognition as to who it belonged to.
Thank you to the band who embedded the iconic Nirvana smiley into our brains. Thank you for singing what we were all too afraid to scream about. And thank you for leaving us with a legacy to cherish forever and ever.
We are forever in your debt Kurt and someday we’ll hear you perform live in another life.
Jasmine's Blog 
Not a big Nirvana fan, although I will put the “Singles” soundtrack on my top ten.
If you haven’t seen that movie I highly recommend it…and the soundtrack IS Seattle, but when the movie is directed by Cameron Crowe (who is married to the lady from Heart) how can you NOT be Seattle
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Very well written. Being that I was a freshman in high school when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the whole Grunge movement came about, I was fortunate enough to have front row seats to witness a truly monumental time in music history. When Big Hair Bands suddenly transitioned to Grunge, and yes Nirvana was at the top of that movement, it changed everything. I am so glad to see younger generations with such passion about these moments, as It keeps them alive! Even 26 years after Kurt Cobain’s death, he still lives on. Not only in his lyrics and music, but in so many hearts ♥♥♥ RIP KB
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It really is such a shame what happened to Kurt. It’s always interesting to see how people disagree with how he died. He really did shape modern rock history. The Foo Fighters were my first ever concert and without Kurt, I never would’ve seen them perform. Really great piece about a legend. There was “Something In The Way” he sang that really made a lasting mark on me.
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I couldn’t agree more Alex!
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Jasmine, really hearing you come through with this blog post. You do a great job of talking about a musician who died before you were born still having a lasting influence on you. Good job here. BTW, heard an muzak/elevator music version of Smells Like Teen Spirit the other day.
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Awesome post! I 100% agree with the fact that Kurt and a band like Nirvana shaped my musical interest into what it is today. It introduced me to the bands that you mentioned such as Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. A period of time that included voices of angels. I have a feeling that the legacy that Kurt left behind will continue to rock the music world for years to come. There was one thing I never knew until watching a documentary about the Foo Fighters. It was that Dave Grohl played drums for Nirvana and would eventually start the Foo Fighters. Music is something that does magical things.
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