1992 : In the 1992 show , MTV requested Nirvana perform " Smells Like Teen Spirit " , while the band itself had indicated it preferred to play new songs " Rape Me " and " " . Network executives continued to push for " Teen Spirit " but finally offered the band a choice to play either " Teen Spirit " or " Lithium " , which the band appeared to accept . At the performance , Nirvana began to play , and Kurt Cobain played the first few chords of the song , " Rape Me " , much to the horror of MTV execs , before continuing their regular performance of " Lithium " . Near the end of the song , frustrated that his amp had stopped functioning , bassist Krist Novoselic decided to toss his bass into the air for dramatic effect . He misjudged the landing , and the bass ended up bouncing off of his forehead , forcing him to stumble off the stage in a daze
1992 show
1992 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Award