Nirvana’s Success as an Element of Grunge

As I listen to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” I recall the very first time I heard the song in my year in Israel. A group of friends and I had spontaneously decided to skip a whole afternoon of studies in Yeshiva, though I had hardly ever skipped class before, and never a whole afternoon. I had been maintaining an obedient attendance record merely to live up to my Rabbis expectations; I had felt an obligation to maintain an acceptable image for them. However, that day I felt a desperate need to unwind from the very demanding ten-hour days in Yeshiva, six days a week. I had tagged along with friends unknowing that that evening would forever influence my uneasy attitudes.
My friends and I ended up going into town, and lounging around outside a coffee shop. I can recall a moment of concern overcome me as we all sat outside socializing in the unnerving scene of Ben Yehudah. But as the vigorous bangs of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” grabbed my attention I remember this...