Live at Rolling Stone: Jamey Johnson Covers Kris Kristofferson

Rolling Stone is always thrilled to capture a young star covering a legend's work, and that's exactly what happened when onetime Breaking artist Jamey Johnson stopped by our studios for an acoustic rendition of Kris Kristofferson's "A Moment of Forever." Kristofferson was also the subject of a recent RS story: an epic profile by Ethan Hawke in Issue 1076. Check out Hawke's guide to the outlaw poet's essential tracks and click above to watch Johnson's performance.

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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.

More Song Stories entries »

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