Why DO people hate Nickelback?

[Dusty Fred]

Okay, this was prompted by the latest episode of Feed Dump, but it's a question I've been wondering for a long time now.

People are entitled to their opinions and some things induce outright hatred, fine. But there seems to be a particularly keen hatred for Nickelback, so I assume there must be a reason or interconnected set of reasons.

I'm approaching this as a fan of them, I don't mind admitting that. They don't need my defence so I'm not here to have an argument with someone. Just curious as to why the have their own strain of visceral dislike...

 

[DannyJBeckett]

I think it's something to do with how successful they are despite their (in my opinion) phenomenal mediocrity.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Probably becuase they're a rock band with no distinguishable sound, whose songs all sound the same and appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Worse than freakin' Linkin Park, and that's something.

 

[Sparrow]

I can't speak for everyone else, but all my hate for them arises from that one song called Rockstar. For one, I didn't like the song much. The music video also kind of annoyed me. That I can stomach, though. It's the fact that I heard it fucking everywhere after that. The radio stations kept playing it, people who have some kind of allergy to headphones kept playing it on their phones and DFS did that one advert which popped up on EVERY DAMN AD-BREAK which featured it too. I involuntarily know every word to that song.

 

[ReincarnatedFTP]

-The singing is horrible
-The lyrics are more horrible
-The actual instrumental parts are okay but it seems like they never change things up. The word "cookie cutter" comes to mind.
-And I guess part of it is they're commercially successful somehow. The majority (but not all) of commercially successful music usually sucks.

Do you know people who classify guttural vocals as just plain screaming and metal as just banging on instruments?
I get the same perception/reaction from Nickelback.

 

[Furioso]

I never really cared about them until all their latest songs started coming out on the radio, the last 2 or whatever have both been about getting black out drunk, stupid stupid stupid stupid etc

 

[shrekfan246]

Okay, this was prompted by the latest episode of Feed Dump, but it's a question I've been wondering for a long time now.

People are entitled to their opinions and some things induce outright hatred, fine. But there seems to be a particularly keen hatred for Nickelback, so I assume there must be a reason or interconnected set of reasons.

I'm approaching this as a fan of them, I don't mind admitting that. They don't need my defence so I'm not here to have an argument with someone. Just curious as to why the have their own strain of visceral dislike...

I liked them back in . . . something like 2003, before every one of their songs on the radio was EDIT: obviously :EDIT about sex, parties, sex, rock, sex, drugs, and sex. Then they became a generic, mediocre band not worth my time. I don't hate them, and I won't hate people who like them, but I do question the musical tastes of people who think they're "amazing", just as I question people who won't listen to anything more than rap, or country, or the heaviest death metal they can find, or j-pop, or indie music. There's no reason to be so close-minded when there's so many talented bands out there. Oh, wait, I'm getting off topic here. Yeah, I don't care if people like them, but I make sure to be wary of people who think Nickelback is the "Greatest band EVAR!!!!11!!!1!"

 

[Lawnmooer]

I hate them because their music isn't very good, yet is annoyingly popular.

When the song "Rockstar" came out, every single music channel I watched had it playing every other song... With a normal amount of Nickleback's other songs playing aswell.

If it wasn't so damn popular or was at least approaching something somewhat decent then maybe I wouldn't dislike them so much.

 

[Dogstile]

I dunno, I only like saving me and if today was your last day, even then I still don't really like them, they're just listenable.

They're mediocre as hell and more successful than, say, skindred, which annoys the crap out of me because I like skindred better. I think that's most peoples reason to be honest, they don't think that nickleback deserves what they have over their favorite bands.

 

[CODE-D]

I used to like them but after Far away they turned country and of course country is awful
but at least we have
How you remind me
Far away
Savin Me
Someday

 

[ReincarnatedFTP]

I never really cared about them until all their latest songs started coming out on the radio, the last 2 or whatever have both been about getting black out drunk, stupid stupid stupid stupid etc

This is what I mean lyrically.
Nickelback has lyrics about equal with Kesha's "I brush my teeth with a bottle of jack" or whatever.
And their music is the same quality.

 

[Pompey71]

I think Nickelback are great-- and they'll be even more great once they learn ALL the possible chords!! (please note sarcasm as I violently hate their music)

 

[Snake Plissken]

I don't find their music to be much of anything other than bland and boring. Even their "heavy" songs are incredibly cliche.

However, I do find myself drawn to listening to them on occasion because one thing cannot be denied:

As a guitar geek, I've discovered that Chad and Mike Kroeger have the tone of GOD in their fingertips.
Seriously. I'm not kidding. The production quality on their records of the guitar parts are fucking AMAZING.

 

[AnarchistFish]

Because they've become massively successful using the same boring, unoriginal, homogenous formula for all their songs.

 

[HyperionToASatyr]

Because Chad Kroeger is a massive saltwater douche?

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

They've literally been making the same music for over a decade. Literally the same. If you think mainstream rap music is repetitive, than Nickelback can be used in an argument saying that rock music can pull the same crap.

 

[BX3]

I don't really get it myself. Hell, it's not like they're terrible.

I guess people hate them for the same reason I hate Cars 2. Not great, not horrid, but so painfully average that most people have no idea as to why they even exist in the first place. That's my theory anyway.

Me? Eh, I don't care for them, but I'd be lying out my ass if I said there weren't one or two songs by them I like.

 

[fenrizz]

I don't know to be honest, I guess people like to hate.
Music snobbery I reckon.

I like Nickleback, I honestly can't see what is horrible about them.

 

[Craazhy]

The sum-total of their music is mediocre, although I think their singer is talented. And at the end of the day I enjoy listening to their music, more so their older stuff as it goes with almost all bands. But it might have been because I associate their older music with my childhood.

And holy shit they are not worse than Linkin Park, that is the lowest a band can get. Those fuckers pick their lyrics out of a hat.

I believe that Nickelback receives BOTH more credit than they deserve and more criticism than they deserve.