Legendary rocker Jimmy Page has had a lot to say over the years regarding Led Zeppelin’s smash hit “Stairway to Heaven.”
In 1988, the rocker told The New York Times that he’d “break out in hives” if he had to perform the song. Page has calmed down since then, but still confirmed to UCR yesterday that he simply “couldn’t relate to the track anymore.”
“Of course, it was a good song,” he said. “The construction of the song, the actual musical construction is very, very good.” But he noted that “lyrically, now, I can’t relate to it, because it was so long ago…I would have no intention ever to write along those abstract lines anymore.” Page is, of course, not the first artist to dismiss their critically acclaimed music. Over the years, some of music’s most successful acts have even grown to resent their biggest hits. Here is a collection of some surprising musicians who hate the songs you love so much.
Lorde
The young New Zealander told Fuse that she respects it, but in hindsight, can’t stand the sound of “Royals.” “I listen to people covering the song and putting their own spin on it–and I listen to it in every single form except the original one I put out–I realize that actually it sounds horrible,” she said. “It sounds like a ringtone from a 2006 Nokia…it’s disastrous.” Cut yourself a break Lorde, “Royals” is a smash.
Beastie Boys
“Fight For Your Right (To Party)” is one of the most iconic track’s of the 20th century, but the group hasn’t played the track in years simply because the irony of the song seems to be forever lost on their audience. “The only thing that upsets me is that we might have reinforced certain values of some people in our audience when our own values were actually totally different,” said Michael Diamond. “There were tons of guys singing along to [Fight for Your Right’] who were oblivious to the fact it was a total goof on them. Irony is oft missed.”
Miley Cyrus
“Party In The U.S.A.” is a go-to jam for any party or night out, but Cyrus has admitted to cringing at the songs mere existence. “That’s not who I am, that’s not where I want to sing, that’s not what I want to sing, and that’s not what I want my voice to sound like.”
James Blunt
The now irrelevant singer/songwriter can’t stand his one hit song. He recently told Hello! Magazine that he now resents the song. “[It] was force-fed down people’s throats and it became annoying,” he said. Meanwhile, the singer’s latest album, Once Upon My Mind has been called “agonizingly safe” and “beige,” among other accolades.
Lady Gaga
Despite an electric feature from Queen Bey herself, Gaga admitted to Time Out London in 2011 that she can’t stand “Telephone.” “I can’t even watch the ‘Telephone’ video, I hate it so much,” she said. “There are so many f****** ideas in that video and all I see in that video is my brain throbbing with ideas…I wish I had edited myself a little bit more.”
Frank Sinatra
While the reason remains elusive, Sinatra’s third wife Barbara claimed that the crooner despised his hit song “Strangers in the Night,” claiming he called it a “piece of s*it,” and “the worst f****** song I’ve ever heard.” Calm down, Frank, it’s not that bad.
Related Articles Around the Web
