Sheryl Crow, New Orleans Bluesmen Launch Rock-Heavy DNC

Packed with more live music than perhaps any other political gathering in history, the Democratic National Convention unofficially opened Sunday night with Barack Obama supporter Sheryl Crow changing the words of "A Change Would Do You Good" to "A Change Would Do Us Good" at Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver. Crow, Sugarland and a morose Dave Matthews, grieving after last week's death of his band's saxophone player LeRoi Moore, performed acoustic sets for a private "Green Sunday" convention kick-off amid environmental speeches by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. Meanwhile, at the Fillmore Auditorium near downtown, a huge, raucous coalition of New Orleans bluesmen and funkateers, including the re-formed Meters and pianist Allen Toussaint, partied until 2 a.m., pleading for assistance to the damaged city's levees, marshes and swamps. Oscar-winning pianist Randy Newman sat in for two songs, including his eerily Katrina-predicting "Louisiana 1927," complete with solos from trumpeter Terence Blanchard.

Related Stories:
• Sheryl Crow Exchanges Free Album Download For New Voters
• John Popper, Steve Lillywhite Remember DMB's LeRoi Moore
• Team USA Soundtracked by Sheryl Crow, Nelly

• 
  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  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 »

Twitter