Top Rated Interpretation

2006-01-25 17:20:42

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This song may have no real meaning... none of us REALLY know what went through Kurt Cobain's mind when he wrote it. It could've been the drugs, that's true... or it could have a deeper meaning.

Either way, it has taken on meaning far beyond what he maybe even expected, as an anthem of apathy and, well... "teen spirit".

Has anybody stopped at looked at how "teen spirit" could be a play on "team spirit"? Because, while teams focus on the collective goals of a group, many teenagers (particularly from Cobain's generation, Generation x) are focused more on themselves and their own goals. This isn't always nessesarily a bad thing, after all for many people adolescence is a reflective, often troubled time. Teens are usually trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into the greater puzzle that is life, the world, and the society they live in.
At any rate, in this song we see a very strong theme of apathy and sarcasm- "load up on guns, bring your friends/ it's fun to lose, and to pretend" is not encouraging any kids to actually commit violent acts, like some other people have suggested. It's actually sort of sarcasitcally commenting on how adults tend to assume when teens are together (or alone for that matter) outside of adult supervision, they've got to be up to no good. There has been a persistent stereotype (especialy prevalent in the early 90s) of young people being primarily troublemakers and violence-prone. (Today's stereotype of young people, now in 2006, in contrast, is that they are primarily troubled, self-centered, and are in this state because they have been screwed up by society).
So, by describing this "little group" that we only know consists of "a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido", who seem to be largely hanging around in the dark doing whatever (sex, drugs, or maybe just hanging out), he's pointing out the tendancy of teens to hang in such groups.
Obviously, "libido" is a reference to sex, and possibly also "with the lights out, it's less dangerous", but once again this is sort of pointing out how teenagers are widely considered to be over-sexed and full of "raging hormones" that cause them to basically try to screw everyone and everything they can- and how, of course, this view is ridiculous.
And "here we are now, entertain us" is a reference to Generation X and how it was the first one to seem to demand constant entertainment.
"I feel stupid and contagious" could be both a reference to
"peer pressure", that mirage-like condition that can cause people to do stupid stuff with their friends they otherwise would never do, and the pressures of conforming to a group, and this could also be a subtle reference to sexually transmitted diseases, and how teens are constantly lectured about the dangers of unprotected sex (and sex in general) and how they will probably contract an STD and die or something.
The whole "whatever, nevermind" thing could be considered an allusion to ADD and how it leads to short attention spans, or how when teens try to communicate with adults and are misunderstood, they often end up just saying "whatever" or "nevermind...". It could also be a reference to Nevermind, which I think may have been an album they put out, but since I am not a giant Nirvana fan I don't know for sure.
It also could be about apathy and just blocking out things you don't understand, which could tie to in the whole "with the lights out, it's less dangerous" thing, which could be maintaining that knowledge is dangerous and apathy is considered by some to be the best way to go.

In general, the last poster said this song could be summed up as "Generation X" and I think she was right.
This song is sort of a commentary on Generation X in it's teenage years (most of the people from this generation are hitting their thirties by now) and how they forever re-defined being a teenager in America, but how some things remain the same and are pretty much universal themes of adolescene, while at the same time poking fun at various conventions, myths, and stereotypes.

Or it could just be the drugs talking.
It's up to you as an individual to decide.