Bluegrass Legend Ralph Stanley Endorses Obama: "We Need a Change"

In a new radio ad running in southwest Virginia, bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley speaks out on behalf of Barack Obama. "I think I know a little something about the families around here," he says. "We all need a change." The Grammy winner is so popular in his home state, bumper stickers proclaiming "Ralph Stanley for President" popped up in the 1970s, according to the Wall Street Journal. With his endorsement, Stanley joins a chorus of artists rallying behind the Democratic candidate, including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Kanye West, Stevie Wonder and the Grateful Dead.

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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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