Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Referencing numerous texts of a particular style or even genres, pastiches paint a colorful and explicit picture that makes us look deeper. They group information and project it in a clear and very understandable way so that the message is quickly conveyed. Nirvana’s rock song “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the band puts together a video along the lines of a “teen lifestyle” theme. Their video contains mainly cheerleaders, basketball players, and a large crowd. These are all symbols of the teenage surroundings in high school. These are the types of people that are classified according to the so-called species that live in the high school realm, which convey the teenage lifestyle. The cheerleaders also have anarchy signs on their red uniforms, which connotes that teens protest and always have some reason to rebel against systems or rules and regulations.  From a semiotic perspective, we can focus on the presence of a janitor, who is one of the elders in the high school world. He can possibly signify the view of the adolescents according to the future and how they envision the separate generations. By the crowd who is bobbing their heads at the same rhythm and the similar attire in this video, we can easily presume that this is a sign of conformity. Last but not least, there is a constant spotlight on Kurt Cobain’s face while he is signing. This shifts our attention from anything on the screen but himself, which is what young adults do. They strive for attention and like to be concentrated on, as if being the center of the universe. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is undoubtedly a pastiche because it mimics not only teen spirit, but also their way of life.