Have you ever been listening to the radio (people still do that, right?) and thought to yourself “If I hear this stupid song one more time, I’m going to scream!”?
Well, if that’s how you feel — can you imagine what the musicians behind the music must think? Have a look and check out these 10+ songs that musicians actually regret recording.
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Radiohead – “Creep”
“Creep” is Radiohead’s most commercially successful song of all time. But according to Johnny Greenwood , it wasn’t the kind of notoriety the band was looking for.
Lead singer and frontman Thom Yorke once told a fan to [expletive]-off for even mentioning the song during a live performance.
Mandy Moore – “Candy”
Mandy Moore has said on multiple occasions that she wishes she could refund fans who bought her first two albums.
Her debut single ” Candy ” makes her teeth hurt. During an interview with Howard Stern, mandy admitted that even she didn’t know what she was singing about.
Beastie Boys – “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”
At the height of their fame and popularity, the Beastie Boys fell victim to the trappings of celebrity and slowly but surely became everything they once claimed to hate.
Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz said the music video for the track completely distorted the image and message of the group.
Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
Founding member and lead guitarist Slash has said that he always hated “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”
He thought that the song was too uptempo and that the only redeeming moment throughout the entire track was the guitar solo .
Miley Cyrus – “Party in The U.S.A.”
Don’t hear what Miley isn’t saying — it’s not that she isn’t grateful for everything that “Party In The U.S.A.” has given her.
Miley simply believes that isn’t the kind of music she’s interested in making anymore, nor does it properly encapsulate her sound.
Metallica – “Escape”
For many metalheads, Metallica’s Ride the Lightning is a near-perfect album, minus one track — “Escape.”
The band has shunned the song for most of their career, and according to drummer Lars Ulrich , it only appeared on the album because their label insisted.
KISS – “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”
Gene Simmons felt that the song was too effeminate ; he also hated the chorus. Despite his reservations, KISS recorded it anyway.
The track would go on to become one of the most successful songs in the band’s catalog — and Gene still hates playing it to this day.
The Who – “Pinball Wizard”
According to Pete Townsend, he believes that “Pinball Wizard” is the sloppiest song he’s ever written — he even wrote how he was embarrassed by the track in the album’s liner notes.
For my money (as well as legions of Who fans) ” Pinball Wizard ” is a timeless classic.
Led Zeppelin – “Stairway To Heaven”
If you ask most serious rock enthusiasts what they believe is the greatest song ever written, undoubtedly they’ll tell you “Stairway To Heaven.”
But according to lead singer Robert Plant , he feels that the lyrics are too esoteric and unrelatable.
Evanescence – “My Immortal”
During an interview with Undercover News, lead singer Amy Lee revealed that the version of “My Immortal” heard on the album is actually an old demo.
“I feel like I’ve grown so much now, I can’t listen to it, I hate listening to that song,” Amy said emphatically.
R.E.M. – “Shiny Happy People”
Those who love Michael Stipe, tend to love him a lot. But even diehard fans of R.E.M. have a hard time wrapping their heads around ” Shiny Happy People .”
Stipe himself has voiced his dislike for the song on several occasions, and even refused to include it on the band’s Greatest Hits album.
Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Kurt Cobain loathed “Smells Like Teen Spirit” because it was a studio track, forced down Nirvana’s throats by their label.
During an interview with Rolling Stone , Kurt said that he felt embarrassed every time the crowd began chanting for the song.
Foo Fighters – “Big Me”
One of the earliest success stories for the Foo Fighters came on the heels of the music video for their 4th single “Big Me.”
The video itself is actually a parody of several commercials for Mentos breath mints that were popular in the ’90s.
Shortly after the videos release, Foo Fighters began being pelted with Mentos at their live shows every time they played “Big Me.”
I was at the Foo Fighters show in London, ON years ago and Dave Grohl told this exact story .
Rest assured, no sooner had they struck the first chord of the song did the first Mentos begin to fly on stage.
Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
In an interview with GQ , Pharrell said he realized that some men used very similar language to that of “Blurred Lines” when they’re taking advantage of women.
He said that his mind was opened and made to realize how the song might make some women feel objectified.
16. Katy Perry – “Ur So Gay”
Katy’s breakout single was originally written about a straight man and was never intended to be hurtful or homophobic in any way, according to Katy.
It’s been nearly a decade since Katy has performed the song publicly.
Taylor Swift – “Picture To Burn”
The original lyrics to “Picture To Burn” read “So go and tell all your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy. That’s fine, I’ll tell mine you’re gay .”
Taylor was only 16-years-old when she first wrote the song and decided to amend the lyrics.
Lady Gaga – “Do What U Want (With My Body)”
In light of the sexual assault charges that were brought against iconic R&B singer R. Kelly, Lady Gaga took to Twitter to issue an official apology for releasing the track.
Lady Gaga also had the song subsequently removed from Spotify and all other streaming platforms.
The Beastie Boys – “License To Ill”
Adam ”Ad-Rock” Horovitz wrote a letter to Time Out New York to apologize on behalf of the band for incredibly homophobic lyrics .
The Beastie Boys’ first album “License To Ill” was originally going to be called “Don’t Be A [expletive].”
Black Eyed Peas – “Let’s Get Retarded”
It seems horrible to think but it wasn’t all that long ago that the R-word was thrown around freely and without regard.
In light of the pushback and out of a desire for more radio play, the band released a re-recorded version of the song called ” Let’s Get It Started .”
Iggy Azalea – “D.R.U.G.S.”
Iggy had to apologize for her racist lyrics after she referred to herself as a ” runaway slave master ” in her song “D.R.U.G.S.”
This line was supposedly in response to a Kendrick Lamar verse from the track “Look Out For Detox.”
Katy Perry (again) – “I Kissed A Girl”
Katy said during an interview with Glamour that if she could re-write one song, it would be “I Kissed A Girl.”
“If I had to write that song again, I probably would make an edit on it. Lyrically, it has a couple of stereotypes in it,” she said.
Lil Wayne – “Karate Chop Remix”
Lil Wayne’s verse on Future’s “Karate Chop (Remix)” originally referenced the killing of Emmet Till .
The hip-hop legend issued a statement apologizing to the Till family and assured them that he would have the song removed from his catalog and no longer perform it live.
Lorde – “Royals”
Lorde is happy that her peers called her out for appropriating Black culture in her lyrics to “Royals.”
She said that when she initially wrote the song, she knew very little of the real world or how to differentiate pop from hip-hop culture.
Eminem – “Fall”
Eminem didn’t take too kindly to Tyler, The Creator, and the Off Future crew personally attacking his music. In response to Tyler’s comments, Eminem rapped a verse and called him the F-word .
Marshall later recanted, saying he realized that in his attempt to hurt one person, he was really harming a much larger group.
Drake and J. Cole – “Jodeci Freestyle”
Shortly after the release of “Jodeci Freestyle,” Drake and J. Cole came under fire from the autistic community and their allies.
The 6 God released a statement saying “Individuals with autism have brilliant and creative minds , and their gifts should not be disparaged or discounted.”
Paramore – “Misery business”
Lead singer of Paramore, Hayley Williams, was accused of slut-shaming in her lyrics for “Misery Business.”
In the years that followed, Hayley has spoken about the song several times and views it as a teachable moment for herself and a milestone in her personal growth.
Lana Del Rey – “Ultraviolence”
When Lana released her major-label debut “Born To Die,” an abusive relationship was the only kind that she had ever known. She wasn’t condoning physical abuse , but rather expressing her own experiences.
Lana says that she still performs the song live but has since changed the lyrics.
Queen – “Don’t Stop Me Now”
For many Queen fans, “Don’t Stop Me Now” is a staple track, and one of the most jovial energetic rock songs of all time.
It’s mindboggling to think that Queen guitarist Brian May absolutely despised the song, claiming that it was encouraging of Freddie Mercury ‘s over-the-top lifestyle.
Jay-Z – “Big Pimpin'”
The influence of Jay-Z is immeasurable and for better or worse, his anthemic song “Big Pimpin'” helped define the sound of the new millennium.
Yet in a recent interview with The Source , HOVA says that he’s ashamed to have written such inherently harmful lyrics.
Oasis – “Wonderwall”
If you’re sick of hearing “Wonderwall,” can you even begin to imagine how sick Liam and Noel Gallagher are of playing it?
Noel has said that he hated playing the song because he felt that the band could never get it right for live performances.
