This Day in Music
On September 10, 1991, Nirvana’s breakthrough single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” was released in the US. But the song, which appeared on their sophomore album, Nevermind, was not an immediate hit. It wasn’t until its accompanying music video – in which a high school pep rally breaks out into a riot – began to pick up traction on MTV that the song rose up the charts. By the end of the year, it had become an international sensation, landing in the Top Ten on the singles charts in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and across Europe. Dubbed an “anthem for apathetic” Gen X kids by TIME Magazine, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” also propelled Nevermind to the top of the charts, marking the moment when alternative rock (and particularly grunge) entered the mainstream.
In 1988, Guns N’ Roses scored their first US No.1 with “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The song came together in a surprising way, according to 2005 article in Q Magazine. During a jam session, drummer Steven Adler and Slash were noodling around, when the guitarist began to play a circus-style melody, trying to get Adler to crack a smile. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, however, saw the potential in the guitar line. Stradlin came up with some chords, Duff McKagan added a bassline, and Adler began playing a beat…The rest is history.
In 1974, The New York Dolls announced their split. While the group was only together for two years (during which they released two studio albums, 1973’s New York Dolls and 1974’s Too Much Too Soon) their influence would endure for far longer.
In 1964, Rod Stewart recorded his first single, a cover of Willie Dixon’s “Good Morning Little School Girl.” Future Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones played on the session.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 10
1898: Waldo Semon (Inventor of vinyl)
1942: Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night)
1945: Jose Feliciano
1949: Barrie Barlow (Jethro Tull)
1950: Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
1957: Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama)
1980: Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance)
1984: Matthew Followill (Kings of Leon)
