“Smells Like Nirvana” is a song that was written and performed by Yankovic. The song was one of Yankovic’s best, having been nominated for a “Best Male Video” in the 1992 MTV Video Awards. It debuted at number 35 on Billboard’s top 100 as well as the Mainstream Rock Tracks. This song is a spoof of parody the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that was produced and sung by the band, Nirvana.

The music video for this song was shot by Jay Levey, who also happens to be Yankovic’s manager. The video portrays the artistes performing at a high school concert which turns to chaos. Yankovic appears on guitar as Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain while Krist Novoselic is represented by Steve jay on bass and Jon Schwartz is on the drums as Dave Grohl. In this video all the three Yankovic band members have dressed to look exactly like Nirvana in “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.

The parody was produced with Cobain’s blessings. He had, however hoped that the song would be about food, but it turned out not to be about food, it was just another usual song, the only difference here being that it was a parody.

Though a little controversial, Yankovic’s “Smells Like Nirvana” has apparently been very helpful to suicidal teenagers. There have been reports that some children who were suffering from depression and were contemplating suicide got a respite from listening to Yankovic music. The song has also catapulted Yankovic’s musical career. The group still performs the song, even after Cobain’s death. Yankovic’s Smells Like Nirvana has the same sets and extras as the song it spoofs, but it still is a great hit among fans of both Yankovic and Nirvana. The video itself was even nominated for an MTV Video award which it failed to capture.