When Nirvana performed at The Reading festival in 1992, an amazing moment happened.  When Kurt Cobain started to sing the opening lines of “Lithium”, many of the voices, out of the thousands watching, began to sing along.  No one from the band said a word before starting the song, it just happened.

This simple moment explains why 20 years later people are still wearing Nirvana t-shirts and why their music is still played on the radio. Their music touches people, the song writing and singing of Kurt Cobain, together with the talents of bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl, speaks to the millions of people who have felt the feeling the band expressed.

The aggressive, razor-sharp music of Nirvana spoke with an immediacy and power that gave Cobain’s voice and songs an intensity that is hard to ignore. Their music expressed something people were feeling and when people heard Nirvana’s music they finally seemed less alone, less crazy for having these feelings.

They didn’t try to pander to an imaginary demographic, or try to follow the trends of the time.

Like that moment at Reading, they just let the music happen.

Last month was the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” and people may think back to the impact Nirvana’s music has had on the world, and people will have theories why their music sold well or why the band seemed to indicate a shift in culture in the 90’s. Nirvana’s music connected with people: it’s that simple. All the other stuff followed.

It may be naive, but I think that should be Kurt Cobain and Nirvana’s legacy, the power of the music that Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl created.  People will always think of the drama of Cobain’s life, his drug use and suicide.

People will think of the flannel, the changes in fashion and music culture. But what should be remembered is that all this change happened because bands like Nirvana gave people a way to express what people couldn’t express themselves.