3 Ways Pixies' Doolittle Shaped Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit

Kurt Cobain called Doolittle one of his favorite records and directly credited it as a major influence on “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

The song’s quiet verse/loud chorus dynamic was borrowed directly from Pixies’ signature song structure on Doolittle.

Cobain admitted he was trying to write a Pixies-style song, and the result was the breakthrough hit that defined grunge.