Joan Jett & Nirvana

During Thursday’s class we listened to a number of punk artists. Out of the songs that we listened to I was only familiar with two of them, “Bad Reputation” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Even though I had listened to them a number of times before, I had never looked deeply at the lyrics or overall messages of the songs. In the song “Bad Reputation”, Joan Jett repeats the lyrics “I don’t give a damn ‘bout my reputation” consistently. Jett explains that she does not care what others think of her. She is only interested in what makes her happy and doing what she wants to do. Jett states that she isn’t afraid to do things that aren’t normal and isn’t afraid of the judgement and criticism she may get over it. The song addresses sexism and is about girl power. She explains that this is a new generation and era in which women have much more freedom and power than they once did. They shouldn’t be controlled in any way and are independent. Jett’s song, created in 1981, conveys her desire to break free of the stereotypes and expectations of women that were outdated. Women are no longer tied down to taking care of a household and can have a different lives for themselves.

The song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was sang by the band Nirvana is an angry way. Even while closely listening to the lyrics in class and then afterwards, it’s difficult to find the true meaning of the song through the words. After doing some research, I found that the song was about revolution. It spoke negatively about people who conform to the norms of society and do not think for themselves. I also found that the song was originally created as a joke. When analyzing this song, I was a little frustrated since the meaning was hard to identify for me and I'm sure for many other listeners. Considering that many people most likely did not know the true meaning of the song and the fact that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became so popular and is still a song played today shows that people listen to music based on its popularity and beat. People don’t look for something of meaning or lyrics that speak to them.