Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z Lead Obama Swing State Drive

Many people consider this year's presidential election the most important in generations, so it's no wonder that a long list of musicians have stepped up to offer their support for the candidate of their choice. As election day draws closer, artists like Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, the Grateful Dead, Billy Joel and the Beastie Boys have organized special shows and tours through battleground states to raise awareness and encourage people to stand and be counted. "We want to be of as much use to the candidate as we can be," says Dead drummer Mickey Hart. "The stakes are so high." Click below for more on the slate of Obama support concerts, including reactions from the Obama campaign.

• Springsteen, Jay-Z Lead Obama Swing State Drive

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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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