Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

'Smells like teen spirit' was filmed in 1991. It was aimed at 16-19 year olds who typically are romers who look to music for the purpose and meaning of life. The genre of the music is grunge rock. The music video follows the Goodwin's theory and is a performance. During the video there are many close ups and mid shots of the lead singer Kurt Cobain. This done as a way of establishing his 'star image' he is seen vigorously playing his guitar with intense facial expression. This makes him seen very talented and passionate. The star is presented as entertaining many young teens who are stereotypically head banging in the crowd the young audience related to the title of the song 'teen spirit'. The stereotypical image of teens being wild and violent is continued as at the end they are shown trashing the bands equipment. 

At the start of the video there is pan that shows cheerleaders which suggests that the video is shot at a high school pep rally.These cheerleaders appear transgressive as on their outfits is the circle-A which long predates the anarcho-punk movement, which was part of the punk rock movement of the late 1970's. This somehow puts across the representation that the band, and the punk rock/grunge music of that time, was somewhat of a great deal to teenagers. It represents the band as influential and powerful as they influence many teenagers with their music. This suggest that the band wanted to encourage teenagers to embrace their violent and rebellious nature. 

The music video is very fast paced this emphasises the intense and dramatic atmosphere of the music and the video. The illusive smoke paired with the low key lighting adds to the essence of rock and roll. The star of the video is dressed in normal baggy clothing and has love shabby hair. This image makes he easily relatable to other teenagers because they are able to identify with him. 


This concept is still being used by many bands and has become a conventional rock vidoe setting. A morden example is Sorry You're Not A Winner by Enter Shikari