- 5 months ago
Ever wondered why some artists dislike their own hit songs? From creative differences to overwhelming success, these musicians have openly criticized tracks that made them famous. Join us as we explore artists who've grown to hate their own creations despite fan adoration!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 artists that hate their own songs.
00:25Number 20, Vanessa Carlton, A Thousand Miles.
00:28A massive debut single can be a gift and a curse.
00:33This was especially the case for Vanessa Carlton, who turned into an overnight success with A Thousand Miles.
00:47Carlton created many follow-ups since that early 2000s hit, but none of them had the same lasting impact as this track.
00:53The singer grew to resent and even hate the song, as she was continuously asked to play it over her other music.
01:00After years of touring, the performer changed her tune about her masterpiece.
01:04The irony of the song is that there's something about it that is so unifying.
01:09Everybody likes that song.
01:11Considering that the piece overshadows her other efforts like Ordinary Day, it's easy to see why she didn't love her breakthrough release.
01:17You know I'd walk a thousand miles, I'm just saying yes.
01:26Number 19, Chrissy Hynde, Brass in Pocket.
01:30The Pretenders were one of the highlights of the new wave era.
01:33Singer Chrissy Hynde co-wrote many of the group's most well-known and successful tracks, including Brass in Pocket.
01:39Although the release brought a larger audience to the band, Hynde doesn't love being solely identified by it.
01:50It also reminds her of a time before she felt fully confident with her vocals.
01:59On top of that, there was a time when she didn't even want it set free at all.
02:04She was ultimately persuaded to let the song out for the general public.
02:07All of her trepidation didn't stop the tune from rising on the U.S. charts and becoming a radio hit.
02:20Number 18, Brian May, Don't Stop Me Now.
02:23Don't Stop Me Now exemplifies the best elements of 70s era Queen.
02:28Its carefree take on living life to the fullest also represented moments from singer Freddie Mercury's own reality.
02:37Years later, guitarist Brian May stated his apprehension about playing the song again.
02:47It represents a particular period of Mercury's, where he threw caution to the wind with drugs and relationships.
02:52That's why they call me Mr. Barentine.
02:55I'm trying to not the speed of light.
02:58I'm gonna make a supersonic woman of you.
03:00His experimental days inspired one of his best compositions, but May felt it could be irresponsible to encourage that lifestyle.
03:07With the singer's death, the group would go on to play it again and embrace its fun vibes.
03:12I'm driving at the speed of light.
03:15I wanna make a supersonic man out of you.
03:19Number 17, Lorde, Royals.
03:21When an artist hates their own song, it's usually because they've heard it one too many times.
03:34That's partly the case for Lorde, who doesn't love having to listen to Royals.
03:38Since the song represents a specific period in her life, the star now feels like she's partially outgrown the single sound.
03:45She's picked apart everything from her performance on the track to the production itself.
03:54Her harsh critiques might be the result of her having been a teenager upon its release.
03:59For that reason, we can't blame her for not being so crazy about it anymore.
04:09Number 16, Elton John, Crocodile Rock.
04:12If you hear Elton John play this one during a concert, he's probably not doing it for his own enjoyment.
04:19The singer doesn't love the song, which he feels is more of a fun sing-along than anything else.
04:32Lyricist Bernie Taupin even mentioned that it isn't even the kind of song he would personally enjoy.
04:36John went so far as to say that he'll probably have a celebration the final time he plays it.
04:45Crocodile Rock represented the artist at his most pop and accessible,
04:49which comes with pros and cons from his point of view.
04:52At the very least, he recognizes that his listeners want to hear it at shows.
04:56Number 15, James Blunt, You're Beautiful.
05:08As a true time capsule from the year 2005,
05:11James Blunt's You're Beautiful has its fair share of fans and haters.
05:15The ostensibly sentimental love story stands as a decade-defining hit
05:27that some felt sick of listening to over and over.
05:30Polls and commentators noted that the piece was among the most annoying of its kind.
05:35You're beautiful.
05:38You're beautiful.
05:40You're beautiful.
05:42It's true.
05:43One of these critics was Blunt himself,
05:46who came to recognize that the song was maybe too ubiquitous for its own good.
05:50The gifted songwriter, who enjoyed years of goodwill from the track,
05:53admitted that radio stations went overboard with playing it.
05:57I will never be with you.
06:02Number 14, Liam Gallagher, Wonderwall.
06:05Never one to mince words.
06:07Former Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher really doesn't like Wonderwall.
06:11Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you.
06:15Despite its importance in his music career,
06:18the performer says that singing it makes him sick.
06:21The song has become an anthem for people in and out of the UK regardless.
06:25It was so big that Gallagher even performed it at the London Olympics with his other band, BDI.
06:30Leaving both groups behind,
06:38the performer still finds himself playing the track as a solo artist.
06:42He sees it as an obligation,
06:44while many others feel it's essential that he continues to perform the Britpop opus.
06:49Number 13, Mandy Moore, Candy.
07:00As an actor and singer,
07:02Mandy Moore excelled far beyond the confines of teen pop stardom.
07:06This could be part of the reason she doesn't love looking back at her hit song, Candy.
07:10The debut single introduced the 15-year-old star to the world,
07:20but she's had more time to properly reflect on it in the decades since.
07:24The This Is Us star also said that if possible,
07:27she would even offer refunds to everyone who bought her initial releases.
07:30Considering her later and more refined work in projects like Tangled,
07:40Moore achieved far greater heights than Candy.
07:46Number 12, Frank Sinatra, Strangers in the Night.
07:50Most fans of Frank Sinatra would place Strangers in the Night among his greatest selections.
07:55Strangers in the Night,
07:57exchanging glances,
07:59wandering in the night.
08:02Decades of performing a fan favorite can wear down even the most elite singers, though.
08:07This track especially drew ire from Old Blue Eyes,
08:10who did not hold back his disgust for the tune.
08:12Two lonely people,
08:14we were strangers in the night.
08:17Not only did he dislike the song,
08:19he openly dissed it during concerts.
08:21No one should have put a hot mic near Sinatra
08:24unless they wanted to hear the absolute truth.
08:27Strangers in the Night might be your grandparents' favorite tune,
08:31but it definitely wasn't this performer's first choice.
08:34If anybody earned the right to despise one of his hits,
08:37it was this singing legend.
08:39Two strangers in the night.
08:46Number 11, Billy Joel, We Didn't Start the Fire.
08:50Billy Joel had his fair share of classic hits from the 70s and 80s.
08:53Near the end of his successful recording run,
08:56he released one of his last big tracks,
08:58We Didn't Start the Fire.
09:02Contrary to most of his other songs,
09:04this one involved an unorthodox writing process.
09:07He wrote it with the lyrics in mind,
09:09and left the music as an afterthought,
09:11leading to a lackluster melody.
09:16Most of the verses feature monotonous musical choices
09:19that Joel never felt particularly proud about.
09:22Other than the catchy trip through 20th century history,
09:25this piece works as more of a novelty for the singer-songwriter.
09:34Number 10, Janie Lane, Cherry Pie.
09:38It's the hard rock hit that's synonymous with the band Warrant,
09:41but band member Janie Lane wished he could take it back.
09:44The hair metal track signaled the last gasps of the genre
09:47on the eve of grunge music.
09:55According to Lane,
09:56the record label pressured him to write a big single to sell their record.
10:05He didn't have much time to deliver the song,
10:08which became an innuendo-laden story about anything but pie.
10:11The singer didn't appreciate that a last-minute writing job
10:14became his most famous statement.
10:16Cherry Pie sure is catchy,
10:18but we can understand the writer's frustrations
10:20with it becoming his legacy.
10:27Number 9, Miley Cyrus, Party in the USA.
10:31Miley Cyrus has had her fair share of famous songs since,
10:34but Party in the USA represents her peak as a teen pop star.
10:37Welcome to the land of fame, XS.
10:40Am I gonna fit in?
10:42The single might get the crowd hyped up to sing along,
10:45but Cyrus has been known to think less of it.
10:47The platinum hit isn't exactly the kind she chooses for her club playlist.
10:51Get to the club in my taxi cab,
10:53everybody's looking at me now.
10:55If the singer ever finds herself near a DJ,
10:57she reportedly asks them not to play this one.
11:01Not only does it harken back to her teen years,
11:03the track has also been overplayed
11:05and appropriated for many other reasons.
11:07With a life of its own, though,
11:09Party in the USA lights up any celebration,
11:11whether the star likes it or not.
11:19Number 8, Bob Geldof, Do They Know It's Christmas?
11:23Musician and activist Bob Geldof
11:25co-wrote this charitable venture with Mid-Jour,
11:28as well as organized the subsequent Live Aid concert.
11:31The holiday track raised funds for the Ethiopian famine,
11:39but failed to impress Geldof on a quality level.
11:43If it had been a one-off single that was never played again,
11:45he might not have developed such a distaste for the song.
11:48Pray for the other ones
11:51At Christmas time
11:54Instead of fading away,
11:56the singer has to endure the tune each December
11:58on a continuous loop.
12:00The performer really tore into the piece
12:02when he called it one of the worst ever written.
12:04You can commend him for his good intentions,
12:07but the artist might have a point
12:08about some of the odd lyrical choices.
12:10Musician and activist Bob Geldof
12:16Number 7, Pete Townsend, Pinball Wizard.
12:21A centerpiece of The Who's rock opera Tommy,
12:24Pinball Wizard doesn't stand high
12:26among Pete Townsend's list of favorites.
12:27Ever since I was a young boy
12:29I've made the silver ball
12:31From solo down to Brighton
12:33I must have played them all
12:35The band's chief songwriter
12:36would rather not play the classic anymore,
12:38but he often indulges concertgoers with it.
12:41Going on to write many other worthy singles,
12:43Townsend prefers almost any of the other tunes
12:46he's written for the band.
12:47Musician and activist Bob Geldof
12:48He finds the song to be a poor representation
12:54of his talents, and feels that its clumsiness
12:57was lost on everyone but him.
12:59Unfortunately for the guitarist,
13:01the track's place in pop culture ensures
13:03that it stays firmly within their most requested pieces.
13:07He's my favorite TV, he's gonna beat my best
13:10Number 6. Madonna
13:15Like a Virgin
13:17Like a Virgin might be one of Madonna's first major hits,
13:20but the artist wishes it would go away.
13:23Somehow I made it through
13:25The pop sensation may or may not reserve
13:28a special place in hell for this early single.
13:31Given that the singer reinvented herself many times,
13:33she would rather stick to performing
13:35her later recordings.
13:36Musician and activist Bob Geldof
13:38Next to Material Girl,
13:43this might be the piece she regrets the most.
13:46It's not a track without its faults,
13:47but we think the Queen of Pop
13:49might be a little too harsh on this tune.
13:51If she never plays the song again,
13:53it will still hold a charm
13:55that fans will forever cherish.
13:57Musician and activist Bob Geldof
14:00Number 5. Robert Plant
14:06Stairway to Heaven
14:07With some of the best pipes in music,
14:10Robert Plant performed the classic
14:12Stairway to Heaven over many years
14:14as a member of Led Zeppelin.
14:15And she's buying a stairway to heaven
14:19The track's status as an overplayed masterpiece
14:22prompted the vocalist to reconsider the song.
14:25After the group disbanded,
14:26he looked back less fondly on the piece
14:28as something best left in the past.
14:30It's whisper that soon
14:33If we all call it you
14:36It represented a specific time in his life
14:39that he feels much less connected to.
14:41His solo career and post-Zeppelin output
14:44clearly shows how much he wishes to depart
14:46from his early folk and hard rock stylings.
14:49Whether or not you're sick of hearing
14:50the famous guitar riff,
14:52Plant has moved on
14:53and made peace with it.
14:54The fipers calling you to join you
14:57Entering the 90s with mainstream success
15:04and a huge record called Out of Time,
15:06R.E.M. had an early decade hit
15:08in Shiny Happy People.
15:10Meet me in the crowd
15:12People, people
15:16Singer and co-writer Michael Stipe
15:19never felt particularly fond of the song
15:21beyond its initial entry on the charts.
15:23He considers it to be bubblegum pop
15:25that's mostly nonsensical.
15:27Even the track's satirical lyrics
15:29don't provide additional meaning to the performer.
15:31Oh, silver shine
15:33Stipe doesn't hate all of the pop rock
15:38that the group created during that period,
15:40but this particular single sticks in his craw.
15:43Shiny Happy People definitely signifies
15:45one of the most debatable R.E.M. releases.
15:55Number three, Beastie Boys.
15:57You gotta fight for your right to party.
15:59Seminal hip-hop group Beastie Boys
16:01rocketed to fame with their debut album
16:03Licensed to Ill.
16:05You gotta fight for your right to party
16:06was one of their big and audacious hits
16:08from the record.
16:15Meant as an ironic take on frat boy culture,
16:18the track found an audience
16:19that didn't see the irony in its lyrics.
16:22Along with its place in their
16:23less sophisticated material,
16:25the trio stopped playing the single
16:26at their live shows.
16:31It both represented an audience
16:35they didn't want
16:36and didn't have much else
16:38apart from a catchy beat.
16:39While the song still shows up at parties,
16:41it doesn't bring the same joy
16:42to the original writers.
16:44You gotta fight
16:45for your right
16:47to party.
16:54Radiohead's debut single Creep
16:55put them on the map
16:56in the early 1990s.
16:58It might have started off their career,
17:00but the band had no interest
17:01in living off the song's success.
17:11They arguably spent the rest of the 90s
17:13trying to escape the anthem's
17:15lingering influence.
17:16Tom York in particular
17:18avoided the song,
17:19and the band didn't play it
17:21for many years during live shows.
17:22I wish I was special
17:25while he made peace with the track,
17:33he still refuses to let it define
17:34his group's ever-changing sound.
17:36Considering their eclectic
17:38and experimental output,
17:39it's fair to say that the band
17:40successfully left behind Creep
17:42and its shadow
17:43by the early 2000s.
17:44I don't belong here
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18:05Number 1.
18:06Kurt Cobain
18:07Smells Like Teen Spirit
18:09For all of the success
18:10that he garnered with Nirvana,
18:12Kurt Cobain struggled
18:13with the fame
18:14that came with hits
18:15like Smells Like Teen Spirit.
18:20The sheer amount
18:21of attention
18:22the song generated
18:23left the singer worried
18:24that his band
18:25would only be associated
18:26with the single,
18:27mixing alternative instrumentation
18:29with a great hook.
18:30It represented
18:30a slightly more popular aesthetic
18:32that welcomed
18:33a worldwide audience.
18:34Hobain worried
18:43that his anti-establishment
18:44and punk background
18:45was being stifled
18:46with the track's
18:47high chart placement.
18:48With that in mind,
18:49he spent the rest
18:50of his life
18:50writing music
18:51that was far less polished
18:52and inviting
18:53than Smells Like Teen Spirit.
18:54Did we forget
19:03one of your favorite songs
19:04that performers hate?
19:06Let us know
19:06in the comments below.
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