Everyone's hating on Nickelback

[Nazulu]

There is a million of these threads, and 99% of the comments are people saying they are over-exposed and just bland. There are bands that try to be original and try new things on each album, and then there are many more that don't try at all to be different and mainly create pop to be commercial and make easy money. Is it really that hard to understand why these pop bands get the hate?

My favourite thread is when they said they were against Guitar Hero because it's slowing down the rock industry. Funny because it's a decent message, but it's coming from them out of all bands.

Spoiler: funny thread

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/87589-Nickelback-Wants-You-To-Stop-Playing-Guitar-Hero

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

I despise Nickelback because I see it as the sort of lowest common denominator sludge that a 42-year old balding tax accountant would play while driving home from work and think they're so rebellious.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

So I was walking around the bush listening to Nickelback when I remembered, that lately, hating on Nickelback seems to be a trend.

Hating Nickleback is not a trend. They've been hated throughout their entire career. That's what happens when you start off as a blatant Nirvana rip-off and go on to make the most generic music on every album.

Dark Horse is an OK album but Nickelback has the same kind of problem that Taylor Swift has. Taylor Swift (besides not being able to sing live) only sings about 2 things. Breaking up with a guy, or falling for a guy. Nothing else. This is why Kanye West interrupting her was the best exposure that girl will ever have in her career.

Nickleback makes nothing but generic music that sounds like a knock off of lots of other bands. That's why they are hated.

 

[SextusMaximus]

Yes, stereotypical rap is definitely what Escapist users enjoy. Senseless violence, misogyny and drugs? YES PLEASE.

plenty of us love rap...and not the typical gangsta bullshti eather

That's what I'm saying, when rap is done well it's good, but you have to wade through a loooot of shit to get to the good stuff.

 

[thiosk]

. Nickleback used to be pretty GOOD....like 11 years ago.....

What struck me back then was how desperately the bush frontman wanted to be Kurt cobain, and how desperately nickel back wanted to be bush.

 

[Zombie_Fish]

Yes, I am well aware that it is slightly off, its not exactly hidden very well....

The point is that when I first heard Someday it was playing on VH1 ( at one point that channel showed music videos on occasion) I was in the process of walking to the fridge ( was gonna make a PB&J) I heard the opening and started singing How you remind me, but you know what? Same band new song different lyrics..... The songs do not line up perfectly we all know that, but they are damned close..... At least when good bands want to rip themselves off they don't hide it...

Out of a seven album discography over seventeen years, two songs sound kind of similar.[footnote]And note that this is a very liberal definition of 'kind of': The songs are in different keys, have different chord structures, different pre-choruses, post-choruses and bridge sections and different instrumentation. But hey, they have the same tempo and a similar-ish rhythm.[/footnote] Right. Are you going to use the same reason to hate every artist who has ever used the twelve bar blues more than once in their career? Or how about artists who re-use the I, V, VI, IV sequence mocked so much by Axis of Awesome [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I]?

 

[Tipsy Giant]

cos they are boring, repetitive and shallow as a paddling pool

 

[Fumbles]

Nicklelback are the very definition of generic rock music.

Generic lyrics, generic sound, there's just nothing genuine about the music either, on the one hand they sing about fucking shit up, then on the other, they're saying we all need to stand together to make the world a better place.

I hate the term 'sell out', but they're right up there with Linkin Park.

"Sell Out"? Linkin Park didn't sell out. If anything they did a Radiohead and voluntarily sacrificed hugeness to do the music they want. Respected 'em more ever since A Thousand Suns (beautiful Floydesque album, btw).

OT: Nickelback are way overhated IMO. Far from the worst band around right now - just a sort of average one. I'm fine with them really, their songs are catchy an' all. Also, Rockstar has a tad more smarts to its name than people give it credit for.

So Linkin Park didn't make a track exclusively for the release of Medal of Honour?


Wait, they did ¬_¬

You know Linkin Park gets knocked for this, but I dont understand why.

Lame Ass Avenged Sevenfold actually got modeled and sang a song in Blops2... who "sold out" more?

 

[Sight Unseen]

Because:

a) almost every one of their songs sounds the same to me
b) their lyrics are crude, offensive and HORRIBLE
c) fuck anyone who thinks that the lyric "this shit is bat shit crazy" is a good idea.

There is a million of these threads, and 99% of the comments are people saying they are over-exposed and just bland. There are bands that try to be original and try new things on each album, and then there are many more that don't try at all to be different and mainly create pop to be commercial and make easy money. Is it really that hard to understand why these pop bands get the hate?

My favourite thread is when they said they were against Guitar Hero because it's slowing down the rock industry. Funny because it's a decent message, but it's coming from them out of all bands.

Spoiler: funny thread

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/87589-Nickelback-Wants-You-To-Stop-Playing-Guitar-Hero

They also have many songs of their own playable in Rock Band now... Much to the dismay of all.

 

[MorganL4]

Yes, I am well aware that it is slightly off, its not exactly hidden very well....

The point is that when I first heard Someday it was playing on VH1 ( at one point that channel showed music videos on occasion) I was in the process of walking to the fridge ( was gonna make a PB&J) I heard the opening and started singing How you remind me, but you know what? Same band new song different lyrics..... The songs do not line up perfectly we all know that, but they are damned close..... At least when good bands want to rip themselves off they don't hide it...

Out of a seven album discography over seventeen years, two songs sound kind of similar.[footnote]And note that this is a very liberal definition of 'kind of': The songs are in different keys, have different chord structures, different pre-choruses, post-choruses and bridge sections and different instrumentation. But hey, they have the same tempo and a similar-ish rhythm.[/footnote] Right. Are you going to use the same reason to hate every artist who has ever used the twelve bar blues more than once in their career? Or how about artists who re-use the I, V, VI, IV sequence mocked so much by Axis of Awesome [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I]?

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.



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

I should also mention that one of my favorite songs is actually Santana's Into The Night which features one Chad Kroger

 

[sXeth]

They've prettymuch tapped out whatever songwriting talent they have. Theres some argument that if someone else wrote stuff for them (and they played it), they might improve (see Kroeger's appearance on whichever Santana album)

The other factor in both their massive success and contrasting hatedom, is guitar distortion aside, they basically follow all the tricks of your general country bands. Its the same old drink your beer, think about your last woman, kick some guys ass, etc. With your obligatory "We all stand as one" ballads.

 

[jpoon]

They're the definition of a band that exists just to exist. They really have no sound that is their own, they're just...bland, boring, and seem like total tools.

 

[Dascylus]

What are they supposed to stand for? Isn't it just about music to enjoy?
Do we really need bands to stand for some great rebellion?
My friends laud out the same hate on Papa Roach.

Tell you what, I'll replace my christmas playlists with Nickelback for a couple of days and get back to you.

 

[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.