The song was written by all three members of Nirvana. It was written to sound like a song that the Pixies (a band that Kurt Cobain enjoyed) wrote. It was originally a much faster song than the final version was. The title "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came from when Cobain's friend Kathleen Hanna spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his wall. "Teen Spirit" was the name of the deodorant that Cobain's girlfriend Tobi Vail wore. But Cobain thought it was a symbol for a "revolutionary" song or a "punk rock anthem."