Everyone's hating on Nickelback

[Zombie_Fish]

First off, when did I say I hated Nickelback? I don't... I actually own one of their albums..... But I can admit that they are generic and not very high quality..... AND DID YOU WATCH THE VIDEOS I POSTED? Seriously..... It was of a band doing a blues standard, and then doing the same blues standard AGAIN but with different lyrics...... Hate everyone that does a 12 bar blues standard...... No offense dude but I know more about the blues than you could ever hope to...... I just can't help but find that accusation hilarious. I'm the guy who listens to Ledbelly on a regular basis for crying out loud..... Since you probably don't know who that is, here is a YouTube of him doing a cover ( and yes I said cover) of what has now become a rock standard.

Sorry for generalising you like that, but when you provided a link to a video regularly referenced by people who dislike Nickelback and had as commentary "THIS is what started the Nickelback hate", I happened to draw a quick conclusion.

But half a million bands can fit your definition of generic. I have already explained [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.395231-Everyones-hating-on-Nickelback?page=4#f1_f8c44] how different the two songs actually are; please explain why they are 'damn close'.

Also, I have two and a half hours of Leadbelly on my iPod, along with Muddy Waters, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie Johnson, four of the six volumes of the Anthology of American Folk Music and volume three of the Alan Lomax Southern Journey Collection. I'm happy to admit that you may know more than me on the subject, but don't patronise me on blues music.

I should also mention that when I went and saw Nickelback live (yes they guy you are accusing here actually went to one of their concerts) They played Someday, but it was very noticable that they DID NOT play How you remind me. I noticed the lack of one of their biggest hits, so did the group I was with, but they played Hero of all songs

And? Radiohead refused to play Creep live for years, as did Nirvana with Smells Like Teen Spirit and Rage Against The Machine with Sleep Now in the Fire. Bands often start refusing to play their most famous song live if it is the one song they are known for.

 

[Something Amyss]

Nickleback is the Nicolas Cage of music. That's why people hate them.

Yessssss...

You, sir, have finally put words to it.

Except, Nick Cage is kind of funny, and amusingly bad. Nickelback is just annoyingly bad.

Misquoted by accident, sorry.

Nickleback is the Nicolas Cage of music. That's why people hate them.

That's unfair. To nickelback, no less. Cage can't act, period. At least Nickelback know how to hit notes on their instruments.

he can act...just under certain circumstances...

have you seen city of angels? perfect example of mis-casting

my god...one of the early scenes is just so glouriously WRONG its amazing...she meets him at night in a hospital ward (he's an angel and surprised she can see him) whats SUPOSED to come across as endearing and mysterious is fucking creepy...seriously lady THIS MAN HAS OBVIOUSLY ESCPAED FROM THE MENTAL WARD call security!

That's more a case of "so bad it's good" and still not much different from "guilty pleasures."

Nick Cage is popular because he's so terrible. He's miscast in just about everything because he only has two modes "No pulse" and "scenery chewer."

Nickelback is popular despite being terrible, but they do have the benefit of having three different songs in their repertoire.

 

[MorganL4]

First off, when did I say I hated Nickelback? I don't... I actually own one of their albums..... But I can admit that they are generic and not very high quality..... AND DID YOU WATCH THE VIDEOS I POSTED? Seriously..... It was of a band doing a blues standard, and then doing the same blues standard AGAIN but with different lyrics...... Hate everyone that does a 12 bar blues standard...... No offense dude but I know more about the blues than you could ever hope to...... I just can't help but find that accusation hilarious. I'm the guy who listens to Ledbelly on a regular basis for crying out loud..... Since you probably don't know who that is, here is a YouTube of him doing a cover ( and yes I said cover) of what has now become a rock standard.

Sorry for generalising you like that, but when you provided a link to a video regularly referenced by people who dislike Nickelback and had as commentary "THIS is what started the Nickelback hate", I happened to draw a quick conclusion.

But half a million bands can fit your definition of generic. I have already explained [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.395231-Everyones-hating-on-Nickelback?page=4#f1_f8c44] how different the two songs actually are; please explain why they are 'damn close'.

Also, I have two and a half hours of Leadbelly on my iPod, along with Muddy Waters, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie Johnson, four of the six volumes of the Anthology of American Folk Music and volume three of the Alan Lomax Southern Journey Collection. Don't patronise me on blues music.

I should also mention that when I went and saw Nickelback live (yes they guy you are accusing here actually went to one of their concerts) They played Someday, but it was very noticable that they DID NOT play How you remind me. I noticed the lack of one of their biggest hits, so did the group I was with, but they played Hero of all songs

And? Radiohead refused to play Creep live for years, as did Nirvana with Smells Like Teen Spirit and Rage Against The Machine with Sleep Now in the Fire. Bands often start refusing to play their most famous song live if it is the one song they are known for.

I guess in this instance we are BOTH at fault...

But as far as Nirvana is concerned, Cobain offed himself too soon after their rise to fame for that band to be used as a credible "long time" argument.

Now, I decided to go to Nickelback's offical youtube and play someday and How you remind me back to back, and you know what I found? How you remind me of someday is a hell of a lot closer to the truth than I originally gave it credit for.... Do what I did and hear for yourself why this is the case.

 

[AnarchistFish]

Maybe it's cos they're a bad band

maybe

not any more than your typical mainstream radio rock/pop though. I try to just ignore them as much as I can

Same with Linkin Park, recent Muse, etc

 

[templatetom]

Maybe it's cos they're a bad band

maybe

not any more than your typical mainstream radio rock/pop though. I try to just ignore them as much as I can

Same with Linkin Park, recent Muse, etc

Thats not a great view in terms of music and makes you sound like a stupid hipster. Music in the end is subjective. For example i get shit on a weekly basis for the fact that i am a fan of Marilyn Manson. One of my friend thinks Manson horrible while i think that the Melodic Death He listens to (Amon amarth for exmple) is horrible shit. I find no reason to the fact that some people like it. I look in a song for a memorable sing along chorus and interesting melodies or rhytms.
The hate on Nickelback in the end is ridicolous. The songs may sound the same but some bands do that and i think that a true fan can tell the difference. I cant tell Amon amarth songs from each other or even from bands in the same genre.

 

[AnarchistFish]

Maybe it's cos they're a bad band

maybe

not any more than your typical mainstream radio rock/pop though. I try to just ignore them as much as I can

Same with Linkin Park, recent Muse, etc

Thats not a great view in terms of music and makes you sound like a stupid hipster. Music in the end is subjective. For example i get shit on a weekly basis for the fact that i am a fan of Marilyn Manson. One of my friend thinks Manson horrible while i think that the Melodic Death He listens to (Amon amarth for exmple) is horrible shit. I find no reason to the fact that some people like it. I look in a song for a memorable sing along chorus and interesting melodies or rhytms.
The hate on Nickelback in the end is ridicolous. The songs may sound the same but some bands do that and i think that a true fan can tell the difference. I cant tell Amon amarth songs from each other or even from bands in the same genre.

What the fuck? I try to ignore music I don't like and focus on the music I do like and that makes me sound stupid? If I was actively insulting the fans of these bands like some people do I'd understand but get off your high horse.

Music isn't fully subjective. I know exactly why I don't like these bands. They're bland, they rehash the same sounds, they're overproduced, they're over reliant on hooks, they have no depth to their music (power chords, etc), the lyrics are uninteresting and the song structures extremely predictable. It's watered down, diluted scraps of melody intended to be as accessible as possible to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. It's shit. I used to listen to stuff like that until I started listening to other music and realised how homogeneous these bands are.
Fuck subjectivity. Music is scientifically analytic-able. The reason these bands are big is because all the focus is on the hook. They make no effort to create emotion and sound in innovative ways.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

So I was walking around the bush listening to Nickelback when I remembered, that lately, hating on Nickelback seems to be a trend. Now I get why people started getting all uppity about Justin Bieber when he became famous (because he's got more money and girls than you will ever have in your life) but Nickelback has been around for ages. I thought it might be because they suddenly became popular, which is why alot of people began a phase of hating Linken Park, but I haven't heard of them standing out lately.

So did I miss something? Did the group fly to Botswana and start torching children with flame-throwers?

Or did they not choose the "fag life" and don't say "***** nigga fuck monay titties ass" in every one of their songs like alot of rappers?

So please enlighten me Escapists, why does everyone hate Nickelback all of a sudden?

THIS is what started the Nickelback hate:

I.. actually.. like.. that..

Neither song particularly grabs me individually, but smash them together and it's not fucken bad! I don't hate Nickelback, they're just utterly generic and some of their lyrics are cringe-worthy.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

lately, hating on Nickelback seems to be a trend.

You're joking, right? This has been going on for several years now. Probably around a decade.

Wanna know why?

They're terrible musicians. It's just not well written, interesting, deep, nor does it sound enjoyable. I think the primary word that comes to my mind is "lazy".

Honestly there's probably no style of music that I hate more. In my opinion bands like this are just grunge imitators and sell outs.

NIRVANA RULES!!!!!

 

[Dead Seerius]

How You Remind Me is one of my top 25 favorite songs, and I enjoy quite a few other Nickelback singles.

To be honest, the hate seems kind of unjustified to me. So they're not your cup of tea? Cool. But there are PLENTY of other "musicians" out there that possess even less talent than Nickelback and are making bundles of cash as well, so why single out NB? Perhaps it's overexposure for some people, but that's just a guess.

I don't have a problem with them. Hell, I don't have a problem with Bieber, Gaga, or any other current pop musicians for that matter, even though I'm not a fan of their music. Just let people enjoy the music the like, goddamn.

 

[Ieyke]

I like Nickelback a little bit. Figured You Out is probably my favorite song by them.

They're not the most unique band in the world, but their songs are catchy as hell.

See, but that's a song from a decade ago when they didn't suck yet, and were actually kinda good.
Leader Of Men, Someday, How You Remind Me, Breath, and Too Bad are all good....but they're all from 2003 or earlier too.

They've never been ALL good. They used to be a mixed bag of songs that sucked and good songs. But, actually, I'd say that when their songs were good, they really were pretty damn good.
Right about 2004 they were suddenly mediocre across the board, and then after that....

well...

I very often say "The good music died circa 2005", and that's pretty generally true in regards to mainstream music, and it holds up as especially true for Nickleback.
I have no idea why, but right around 2004 they got real bland, and then after 2004 they just went DERP and then started to suck at life.

By and large it was like 2005 was the point where mainstream music suddenly began to go into a tailspin of ever-worse shit.
It's not necessarily a matter of all the good bands suddenly sucking (though occasionally that seemed to be the case *coughGreenDay/cough*), but rather a lot to do with wave after wave of bands that completely sucked ass being given the spotlight and simply drowning out the good stuff, thereby "becoming the mainstream".
I also think that DID hurt the existing good bands. By taking the spotlight and giving it to these shitty bands, the good ones had to try and adapt to reclaim the spotlight...and a lot of them sort of seem to have attempted to adapt to be a bit more like the new bands.


I'd say that the last two years or so has actually seen a HUGE improvement over the majority of the stuff put out from '05-'10.
Bands like Cage The Elephant, The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, and Kings Of Leon finally being given the spotlight starting around '09 really REALLY REALLY has helped.

(not to go all hipster, but I was listening to the Kings Of Leon back in '04, and I find it sad that they're not famous for the stuff on their first two albums - "Youth & Young Manhood" and "Aha Shake Heartbreak". Aha Shake Heartbreak, especially, is really damn unique and worth listening to.)

 

[repeating integers]

Linkin Park, I don't like them, and it's not about the music, either. The music is fine. I'm having issues with their lyrics. Granted, I haven't heard their latest album, but I remember, even when listening to Hybrid Theory, I kept thinking, I wrote better angsty lyrics back when I was 13 and still cut myself. Just my opinion, tho. I'd never judge anyone on whether they like certain bands or not.

Linkin Park's lyrics have actually improved quite a lot since the "CRAWWWLIIING IIN MY SKIIIN" beginning.

<youtube=kh_YCSW5lPc>

<youtube=RRGSHvlu9Ss>

 

[templatetom]

Maybe it's cos they're a bad band

maybe

not any more than your typical mainstream radio rock/pop though. I try to just ignore them as much as I can

Same with Linkin Park, recent Muse, etc

Thats not a great view in terms of music and makes you sound like a stupid hipster. Music in the end is subjective. For example i get shit on a weekly basis for the fact that i am a fan of Marilyn Manson. One of my friend thinks Manson horrible while i think that the Melodic Death He listens to (Amon amarth for exmple) is horrible shit. I find no reason to the fact that some people like it. I look in a song for a memorable sing along chorus and interesting melodies or rhytms.
The hate on Nickelback in the end is ridicolous. The songs may sound the same but some bands do that and i think that a true fan can tell the difference. I cant tell Amon amarth songs from each other or even from bands in the same genre.

What the fuck? I try to ignore music I don't like and focus on the music I do like and that makes me sound stupid? If I was actively insulting the fans of these bands like some people do I'd understand but get off your high horse.

Music isn't fully subjective. I know exactly why I don't like these bands. They're bland, they rehash the same sounds, they're overproduced, they're over reliant on hooks, they have no depth to their music (power chords, etc), the lyrics are uninteresting and the song structures extremely predictable. It's watered down, diluted scraps of melody intended to be as accessible as possible to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. It's shit. I used to listen to stuff like that until I started listening to other music and realised how homogeneous these bands are.
Fuck subjectivity. Music is scientifically analytic-able. The reason these bands are big is because all the focus is on the hook. They make no effort to create emotion and sound in innovative ways.

It actually kinda is. Majority of the people care about the hook so that is the most important part of music to them. So thats the truth in the end. A 45 minute hi-hat solo can be made to sound unique and emotion provoking but it will still be shit to most people. And you do sound like hipster because u try to make bands that are bland and boring. You know why you dont like them that is your point of view. Your musical preferences maybe shit to someone else no matter how technically or structrally interesting they are but if they dont have a cathcy hook its shit to some people. Nickelback in the end aint a band band theyre a very very middle of the road and they even may be bland but bad no. Your just acting atm like an elitist and someone who doesnt give a shit about people who dont give a flying fuck about structure or complex insert musical terms here. Some people just want a hook asshat. I suggest you gtfo from your high fucking horse and start apreceting free motherfucking will and the truth that your opinion doesnt allow you to make the assumption that something is bad because i has nothing you look for in it. Nickelback in the end is a very successful band and that is only because of catchy hooks. Money is opinion.

 

[dex-dex]

I do not hate nickleback... I hate oasis!
Nickleback just does nothing for me and there are much better Canadian bands out there that are not getting the reconition they deserve.
Canada offers much better music than nickleback.
If you want to listen to better Canadian bands listen to CBC radio three online.

 

[thejackyl]

Nickelback isn't bad... But it also isn't good.

There is really NOTHING appealing about them to make you want to listen, but on the opposite end, there really isn't anything really bad about them.

They are more or less the definition of mediocrity. Though I haven't heard anything of theirs since "Photograph", so there's that.

 

[Madara XIII]

So please enlighten me Escapists, why does everyone hate Nickelback all of a sudden?

EDIT: Ok the bit about rap was a bit uncalled for, it's just what my friends and their friends tend to listen to then when I ask em why they bash every other genre and artist out there they just cry "gay" or something like that.

All of a SUDDEN?! Hell I've been subjected to them since they first came out and found absolutely nothing appealing about their music. Which is what bothers me. This whole "Everyone Hates Nickleback because its cool". I'll be reasonable and say the only song I ever liked by them was Hero which was used in the first Spiderman movie, but that's as far as they've ever gone to sounding good in my opinion.

But to me they just sound, bland, uninspired (You can see this in their lyrics) and Chad Kroeger's voice makes me want to commit horrible atrocities everytime he sings. I can only handle so much of it before I get fed up with even trying to find anything good left in that band.

 

[zenoaugustus]

So I was walking around the bush listening to Nickelback when I remembered, that lately, hating on Nickelback seems to be a trend. Now I get why people started getting all uppity about Justin Bieber when he became famous (because he's got more money and girls than you will ever have in your life) but Nickelback has been around for ages. I thought it might be because they suddenly became popular, which is why alot of people began a phase of hating Linken Park, but I haven't heard of them standing out lately.

So did I miss something? Did the group fly to Botswana and start torching children with flame-throwers?

Or did they not choose the "fag life" and don't say "***** nigga fuck monay titties ass" in every one of their songs like alot of rappers?

So please enlighten me Escapists, why does everyone hate Nickelback all of a sudden?

EDIT: Ok the bit about rap was a bit uncalled for, it's just what my friends and their friends tend to listen to then when I ask em why they bash every other genre and artist out there they just cry "gay" or something like that.

Their music blows. They're sellouts who admitted they only care about money. Their music blows. And for the record, this hate has existed for longer than just 2012. They've sucked for years. Oh yeah, and their music is shit. You ought to get your ears checked.

 

[AnarchistFish]

Maybe it's cos they're a bad band

maybe

not any more than your typical mainstream radio rock/pop though. I try to just ignore them as much as I can

Same with Linkin Park, recent Muse, etc

Thats not a great view in terms of music and makes you sound like a stupid hipster. Music in the end is subjective. For example i get shit on a weekly basis for the fact that i am a fan of Marilyn Manson. One of my friend thinks Manson horrible while i think that the Melodic Death He listens to (Amon amarth for exmple) is horrible shit. I find no reason to the fact that some people like it. I look in a song for a memorable sing along chorus and interesting melodies or rhytms.
The hate on Nickelback in the end is ridicolous. The songs may sound the same but some bands do that and i think that a true fan can tell the difference. I cant tell Amon amarth songs from each other or even from bands in the same genre.

What the fuck? I try to ignore music I don't like and focus on the music I do like and that makes me sound stupid? If I was actively insulting the fans of these bands like some people do I'd understand but get off your high horse.

Music isn't fully subjective. I know exactly why I don't like these bands. They're bland, they rehash the same sounds, they're overproduced, they're over reliant on hooks, they have no depth to their music (power chords, etc), the lyrics are uninteresting and the song structures extremely predictable. It's watered down, diluted scraps of melody intended to be as accessible as possible to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. It's shit. I used to listen to stuff like that until I started listening to other music and realised how homogeneous these bands are.
Fuck subjectivity. Music is scientifically analytic-able. The reason these bands are big is because all the focus is on the hook. They make no effort to create emotion and sound in innovative ways.

It actually kinda is. Majority of the people care about the hook so that is the most important part of music to them. So thats the truth in the end. A 45 minute hi-hat solo can be made to sound unique and emotion provoking but it will still be shit to most people. And you do sound like hipster because u try to make bands that are bland and boring. You know why you dont like them that is your point of view. Your musical preferences maybe shit to someone else no matter how technically or structrally interesting they are but if they dont have a cathcy hook its shit to some people. Nickelback in the end aint a band band theyre a very very middle of the road and they even may be bland but bad no. Your just acting atm like an elitist and someone who doesnt give a shit about people who dont give a flying fuck about structure or complex insert musical terms here. Some people just want a hook asshat. I suggest you gtfo from your high fucking horse and start apreceting free motherfucking will and the truth that your opinion doesnt allow you to make the assumption that something is bad because i has nothing you look for in it. Nickelback in the end is a very successful band and that is only because of catchy hooks. Money is opinion.

Never said things had to be technical. Never talked about musical terms. It just has to be interesting and innovative.

If all you want is a hook, you're just a casual listener. You like that, fine, but if the music doesn't conjure up something where you can listen deeply for all the details and interactions between the musical parts then it's nothing special. It's just a product for consumption.

Well done for reverting to insults though. You lose.

Example of something simple but incredibly effective and emotional.

 

[Ljs1121]

I don't hate them, but I don't particularly like them, either. They're just not my type of music.

That being said, I actually do like some of their songs.

 

[Something Amyss]

Excuse me, did you ever see Leaving Las Vegas, Lord of War, or Adaption?

Two of three. And they reinforce my statement.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

So I was walking around the bush listening to Nickelback when I remembered, that lately, hating on Nickelback seems to be a trend. Now I get why people started getting all uppity about Justin Bieber when he became famous (because he's got more money and girls than you will ever have in your life) but Nickelback has been around for ages. I thought it might be because they suddenly became popular, which is why alot of people began a phase of hating Linken Park, but I haven't heard of them standing out lately.

So did I miss something? Did the group fly to Botswana and start torching children with flame-throwers?

Or did they not choose the "fag life" and don't say "***** nigga fuck monay titties ass" in every one of their songs like alot of rappers?

So please enlighten me Escapists, why does everyone hate Nickelback all of a sudden?

EDIT: Ok the bit about rap was a bit uncalled for, it's just what my friends and their friends tend to listen to then when I ask em why they bash every other genre and artist out there they just cry "gay" or something like that.

Oh joy. Its a fallacy forest. Lets start logging.

1. Why is justin beibers money/poon level relevent. Is that a "LOLS YOUR JUST WELL JELL" argument? No. We are not 12. Please dont stoop so low. We are not jealous. We just dont enjoy the music. I cant understand hate for BIEBER himself though. Art and artist separation and all that.

2. I cant personally hate a band for being "Unskilled" or "Weird sounding" because subjectivity and all that. I can hate the music for the sound but to hate the people or feel dislike for them is silly.

3. No its nothing like the rap thing. Stop being a hypocrite. "Everyone keeps mocking the thing I like, is it because they didnt become SHIT ASS FUCK TERRIBLE like the things YOU like hehheheheh". Seriously be mature about this or just dont bother.

There is a reason i dont like nickleback, personally as a band. Its because they are boring. They bore me. The world is interesting, theres a million things to sing about and as such there is NO EXCUSE to be boring. I dont mean the music sound, as musicians on a pure skill basis they are not the worst band ever. In terms of boring lyrics and songs they are. Tell me a story. Make me feel something i never felt before. I want to be TOLD something. Nickleback is the musical equivilant of the taste of oxygen. Its bland. Its boring. Its just a series of stereotypes that tragically reveal a poor understanding of what they are trying to copy. "Lets get drunk and not care about anything cus we are SUPER EDGY SEX AND DRUGS WHOOOO TEENAGERS!" and "We care about the world, lets get all preachy, lets all stand together". It doesnt feel sincere. It feels boring. It doesnt feel like the band is trying to emote anything at all. Even the tiniest thing. I think they even admitted they dont write anything from the heart, its ALL for the money.

Kroeger is successful because, in the words of the guitarist of My Darkest Days, a band he works with, he has ?applied 100 percent corporate efficiency to rock ?n? roll.? While that might seem exceptionally sleazy, it might also be the reality of what sells in rock today.

You have an excuse for being bad at playing your instrument. You have an excuse for being bad at rhyming lyrics or writing notes. You have NO excuse for being boring. There is FAR too much inspiration to try and sell me boring unthoughtful crap.