Smells Like Thirtysomething Spirit

If you were of an age to smell like teen spirit when Nirvana hit with their song of the same name, then you’re in your thirties now.  That’s because exactly 20 years ago today, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” peaked at number 6 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. 

The song was the biggest hit for the band that became synonymous with grunge rock in the early 1990s and whose lead singer, Kurt Cobain, has been considered by some to be the voice of the Generation X generation.  Like a lot of rock bands, Nirvana’s success came more from album sales than singles, and so they only hit the top 40 one more time–later in 1992, when “Come as You Are” peaked at number 32.