Beatles Manager and Mentor Neil Aspinall Passes Away

Neil Aspinall, the Beatles' first road manager and head of the band's Apple Corps for four decades, passed away in New York at age 66. Considered by many to be "the real fifth Beatle," Aspinall was a childhood friend of George Harrison and Paul McCartney who left his job as an accountant to become the band's first roadie, driver, spotlight operator and confidante. Later, after Brian Epstein's passing in 1967, Aspinall became the head of Apple Corps, spearheading the marketing of the Beatles for forty years. Aspinall was most notably responsible for the wildly successful Anthology project and the recent Cirque du Soleil tribute show LOVE. In a statement today, McCartney, Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison said, "Neil's trusting stewardship and guidance has left a far-reaching legacy for generations to come. All his friends and loved ones will greatly miss him but will always retain the fondest memories of a great man."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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