It’s Dave Grohl‘s 47th birthday today and while most of you have probably forgotten to get him a gift, an Ethiopian school has picked up your slack covering Nirvana‘s Smells Like Teen Spirit for Grohl.
Peace Corps volunteer Matt Westerberg taught the Yechila Secondary School in northern Ethiopia the lyrics to the song as a way to help them practice their English. The whole thing seems to have become more than just a lingual exercise though as they’ve also crafted a grungey video that Grohl himself would surely be proud of.
“Special birthday wishes to legendary drummer Dave Grohl,” the caption for the video on YouTube reads.
It’s not an easy song to learn for those who are trying to brush up on the English language. The song features words like “libido” and “mulatto” – not exactly the first words you lock into your memory bank when you’re first learning English. Regardless the kids do a valiant job.
This isn’t the first time they have covered rock royalty. The school took on Pearl Jam’s Even Flow last year which was used initially as a learning tool. As NME reports Westerberg said in September last year, “At first it was all just a joke, but after awhile, the students began to really build confidence through learning the song.”
Watch both covers below.
Watch: Nevermind Bieber, Ethiopia Smells Like Teen Spirit
https://youtu.be/o1U17hpoJ7s
Watch: Ethiopia covers Pearl Jam’s Even Flow
https://youtu.be/bRW4MeU_Umg
