International Report: Live Earth Rio

WHO PLAYED:
Pharrell, Macy Gray, Lenny Kravitz, Guilherme Arantes, Xuxa, O Rappa, Marcelo D2, Jota Quest, Jorge Ben Jor.

HIGHLIGHT:
Macy Gray and her backing vocalists decked out in dresses stamped with political messages targeting racism, the crisis in Darfur and the war in Iraq. Her band also busted out live samples of "Give Peace a Chance" sprinkled with Jimi Hendrix riffs.

MOST UNEXPECTED MOMENT:
An ecstatic Lenny Kravitz jumped off the stage and joined the audience of 400,000 during "Let Love Rule." The crowd, unsurprisingly, went crazy.

From Rolling Stone Brazil

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  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
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  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
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  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
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  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

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.

More Song Stories entries »

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