These 5 hit songs disliked by their songwriters are a true study into human nature. You wrote a song, it became a massive hit, and now you hate it? That’s right! It happens more often than you’d think.
Most of the time, the song becomes so massively popular that it creates expectation. What expectation? Well, you have to play it at every single concert or appearance you make. In the most extreme cases you become Mrs. or Mister “insert hit song title here”. Yup, superstars get tired of this very quickly. Here are 5 hit songs disliked by their songwriters.
All I Wanna Do – Sheryll Crow
This is the hit that put Sherryll Crow on the map. Funny enough, she wanted to remove it from the album before it was even released as a single. In other words, Crow disliked the song before it was even released. Her record label advised her against removing it from the album. This ultimately proved to be the right decision as All I Wanna Do became one of the biggest hits in Sheryl Crow’s illustrious career. And yes, audiences expect to hear it every time Crow picks up a guitar.
Creep – Radiohead
This is a tough one. I mean, nobody wants to be known as ‘Mr. Creep”. However, that’s exactly what happened to Tom Yorke. Radiohead’s frontman quickly grew tired of this massive hit and decided to play it sporadically through the years. Understandable as it may be, it is still a paradox. After all, a legitimate argument can be made for Creep being the reason Radiohead even has a career to begin with. This song was a massive success that became an era-defining hit of the ’90s. Creep is still among one of those songs people love to learn and play for fun. Still, Yorke continually refuses to play it. But why? Well, he did state “I’m a creep”.
Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
A gigantic 80’s hit for superstar Billy Joel. He wrote this beautiful song for his then-wife Christie Brinkley. However, later on, Joel decided to stop playing Uptown Girl at his concerts. Why? Well… a bitter, nasty and very public divorce might have something to do with it. Yes, Uptown Girl cemented Billy Joel’s superstar status. At the same time, he probably wanted to move on and the song might have reminded him of his ex. Still, it’s a fantastic song that fans still demand.
Shiny Happy People – REM
In a 2016 interview with the BBC, REM frontman Michael Stipe called Shiny Happy People a “fruity pop song written for children.” Well, he wrote it, but now hates it! Stipe also stated that if there was one song that was sent into outer space to represent R.E.M. for the rest of time, he would not want it to be ‘Shiny Happy People.’” I guess he’s not so happy or shiny after all.
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
Smells Like Teen Spirit started an extremely powerful music revolution. The music industry moved from Los Angeles to Seattle, and rockers ditched the makeup and permed dyed hair for flannel shirts and disheveled looks of grunge. It became a massive worldwide hit that defined a generation and made Nirvana gods overnight. However, frontman and guitarist Kurt Cobain got sick of Smells Like Teen Spirit. He could barely get through it during shows. Eventually, he decided to stop playing the song. Talk about disappointing fans.
These 5 hit songs disliked by their songwriters might leave some scratching their heads. However, it is also understandable. Imagine if you had to always walk around with the picture of your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. Are you proud of everything you have ever said? Well, songs are no different. These writers felt something when they wrote these songs, but then stopped feeling that. It’s human nature to change. Hell, sometimes I’m embarrassed about some articles I’ve written. Hopefully, this is not one of them. Mic drop.
