Thursday, July 07, 2005

Overrated songs

Here's a fun one: what are some seriously overrated songs? I really agree with a lot of choices on this list (thanks to Fark for the link). Mind you, I might just be tired of hearing "American Pie" and "Light My Fire" over and over and over again, but then again I hear "Won't Get Fooled Again" plenty of times on Rock 101 (YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH - HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!) and I'm not so tired if it. But just the other day, I was thinking, you know what, I wouldn't mind if I didn't hear "Hey Ya" again for a year or three. And the fact that "Wonderwall" made me start playing guitar is a source of real shame for me. Their inclusion of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is one I have to disagree with, though.

It got me thinking: what are some songs that I just don't get? Songs that everyone loves but me, or were huge hits that I hated. I'm sure plenty more will occur to me later, but here are a few just off the top of my head:

  • The Beatles - Something

    Is it pretty? Sure, whatever.

  • U2 - Beautiful Day

    Come on, this was so boring. Pablum in music form.

  • The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night

    Honestly, if you had to pick one rollicking Kinks song for a road trip, who among us would pick this over "You Really Got Me"? They fill exactly the same purpose.

  • Coldplay - The Scientist

    Now... don't... get... me... wrong. I... like... that... album... a... lot. But... sometimes... it... can... be... a... little... zzzzzzzzzzzz

  • Kasabian - Club Foot

    "You wanna take control of me | You're messing with the enemy". That's not really a great lyric, and it doesn't really get much better from there. Other songs that sound cool at first but don't hold up to subsequent listens include The Bravery's "Honest Mistake" and Louis XIV's "Finding Out True Love is Blind", but I'm not really sure those have been overrated, since it seems most people realize this.

  • Keane - Somewhere Only We Know

    Like "Beautiful Day", only a power ballad.

  • Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side

    One cool bass lick, some mumbled vocals and some ham-fisted lyrics. No dice.

  • The Velvet Underground - Heroin

    Supposedly meant to mimic the feeling of a hit, which apparently consists of sitting there waiting for something interesting to happen.

  • Radiohead - Karma Police

    For my money one of the most unremarkable songs on the whole album, and yet it was a huge hit.

  • Tenacious D - My Biznitch is the Shiznit

    It's no "Wonderboy". It's not even a "Tribute". As far as I can tell most people only like it because of its admittedly awesome title.

  • Matthew Good Band - that song that was off the album that came before the one that had Apparitions on it, I don't remember

    The pride of Coquitlam. Hooray.

  • The Verve - Sonnet

    Since this was essentially a less eloquent "The Drugs Don't Work", I don't see what business it had being a #1 hit.

  • The Asbestos Concern - Rocky and Bullwinkle

    I really don't see what you all see in this song.

How about you? What are some songs you just don't get?

Current Music: The Doors - Touch Me

10 comments:

___________ said...

I think you're dead wrong about "All Day and All of the Night", "Karma Police", and "Rocky and Bullwinkle", but otherwise I agree with the list.

I'd also nominate just about every single R.E.M. has ever released (except that one), especially "Man on the Moon", "Everybody Hurts", and "Stand".

Anonymous said...

Rich... face it... Rocky and Bullwinkle is one of the cutest songs anyone will ever hear. The lick just makes everyone "awww" everytime. But it's great! Here's my addition: "Rock n Roll" by Led Zeppelin. Terrible song.
-Eric

Anonymous said...

This one's for you, Graham:

www.popaganda.com/press/images/one%20god.jpg

--VG

Anonymous said...

And of course, this one:

http://www.popaganda.com/press/images/billboard_JesusSUV.jpg

--VG

Dickolas Wang said...

I think my favourite part of that first picture is the spelling. I sure hope it was intentional.

___________ said...

Thems sounds like dissentin' words.

Anonymous said...

The Killers - Somebody told me

How can anyone take the lyrics seriously? Breakin' my back just to know your name, but heaven ain't close in a place like this? I mean, uh, bring it back down tonight.

As for REM, Nightswimming is one of their underrated songs for the occasional quiet listening moment.

Dickolas Wang said...

I almost put that one down myself, but I wasn't entirely sure that anyone actually rates it that highly. I'd lump it in with that The Bravery song and that Louis XIV song.

Anonymous said...

Aww, crap...are you one of those people who listens to music for the "intellectual lyrics?"

I really like The Killers. Somebody Told Me is definitely not the most lyrically sound song I've ever listened to, but it still ranks as a really catchy song that makes me bob my head. Better than most other stuff on the radio these days.

aShelteredTown said...

Go home, Steve.