Unpopular Opinions about Music

[Enigma X]

If it is not an instrumental arrangement, I usually don't like jazz. (Be-bop is the worst!)

[GaT]

I don't like John Legend's music, it's boring.

[Ohwell]

13 minutes ago, GaT said:

I don't like John Legend's music, it's boring.

Yes, truly boring.

[Silver Raven]

6 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I don't like Harry Connick Jr.'s singing either.

I don't like his personality.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I know this is un-American of me, but Janis Joplin's voice just hurts my ears. She just... yells.

[Sandman87]

I'll see your Janice Joplin, and raise you a Joe Cocker. He gives me a sore throat through my ears.

[proserpina65]

On ‎11‎/‎02‎/‎2016 at 2:50 PM, MaryPatShelby said:

How did I not know this thread existed til now?? Sigh. Here goes:

I hate Whitney Houston, and I hate singers who cover Whitney Houston. In fact, I pretty much hate all belters. Screaming isn't singing.

The other two performers that find me changing the station ASAP are Van Morrison (yes, even Moondance or whatever it's called) and Ed Sheeran. That "we (pause) found (pause) love (pause) right from the start" song sets me so on edge. 

I absolutely agree about Whitney Houston, but not liking Van Morrison is sacrilege. ;-)

[UYI]

I'm a 27 year old woman, and yet I unironically, and unapologetically, love the Statler Brothers. I have no idea why, I just do. 

[ennui]

I love the Statler Brothers! I grew up with "counting flowers on the wall, that don't bother me at all, playing solitaire til dawn, with a deck of 51 ... smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo." Good times! (If UYI is 27, she's probably never seen Captain Kangaroo.)

I came here to say ... I've always been neutral on Mariah Carey, but after this holiday season, I will forever hate her for "All I want for Christmas is You." Because a radio station is having a contest, and they play that song EVERY HOUR. And, no, I refuse to blame the radio station.

[UYI]

1 hour ago, ennui said:

I love the Statler Brothers! I grew up with "counting flowers on the wall, that don't bother me at all, playing solitaire til dawn, with a deck of 51 ... smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo." Good times! (If UYI is 27, she's probably never seen Captain Kangaroo.)

I came here to say ... I've always been neutral on Mariah Carey, but after this holiday season, I will forever hate her for "All I want for Christmas is You." Because a radio station is having a contest, and they play that song EVERY HOUR. And, no, I refuse to blame the radio station.

Nope, CK ended five years before I was born. My mom watched it, of course. 

[Bill1978]

I don't think Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas is the ultimate must have Christmas album. Except for a few tracks, the album to me is her screeching over a gospel choir. I feel there is very little actual Mariah Carey in the album. It's more Gospel Choir featuring Mariah Carey's adlibs. If I have to listen to a Marah Christmas album I much prefer the 2nd one Merry Christmas II You, cause at least she is front and centre of all the songs and not hidden behind a choir.

[Ohwell]

I think it's unfortunate that every friggin well-known singer feels that he or she has to put out a Christmas album.   Trust me, you don't have to.

[Enigma X]

I hate 90% of the Christmas songs that have been released pubicly.

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, Enigma X said:

that have been released pubicly.

Ouch; I bet those suckers hurt on the way out.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Bastet

[UYI]

On 12/19/2016 at 5:59 PM, Ohwell said:

I think it's unfortunate that every friggin well-known singer feels that he or she has to put out a Christmas album.   Trust me, you don't have to.

I think a lot of the time they DO have to, as part of contractual obligations to their record label.  I think that's a big part of the issue: if your contract says you have to put it out, a lot of the time it's going to sound uninspired because many of them probably don't really want to do it, but they have to at some point to fulfill their contract. And unfortunately, more often than not, it's pretty obvious that that's exactly what's going on. Mariah Carey is a good example of someone who actually enjoyed and put effort into her Christmas album, and it's not a surprise because she's always been upfront about how much she loves Christmas. 

Edited December 21, 2016 by UYI

[ennui]

I suspect that sometimes an artist has a contractual obligation to release a certain number of albums, and when they're getting close to the end, they think, fine, let's put out a Christmas album, and be done with it.

[Sandman87]

On Thursday, December 22, 2016 at 3:10 PM, ennui said:

I suspect that sometimes an artist has a contractual obligation to release a certain number of albums, and when they're getting close to the end, they think, fine, let's put out a Christmas album, and be done with it.

That's also how you get non-jam bands putting out more live albums that rehash the studio albums than they have studio albums, plus some "best of" albums and box sets.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 11/30/2016 at 3:56 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I know this is un-American of me, but Janis Joplin's voice just hurts my ears. She just... yells.

Late with this, and I don't know about un-American, but in all fairness Joplin had pretty much wrecked her voice by the time she passed away, and she was never the most polished singer to begin with.

Katy Perry is a better singer than Taylor Swift.

*mic drop*

[vibeology]

3 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Katy Perry is a better singer than Taylor Swift.

*mic drop*

Do people argue about that? I honestly think Swift is one of the weakest vocalists out there right now. Perry isn't Adele or anything but she's got a strong voice and is able to stay mostly on pitch during live performances. Swift, well- Mean isn't about a liar as much as Swift claims over and over in song.

[GaT]

2 hours ago, vibeology said:

Perry isn't Adele or anything but she's got a strong voice and is able to stay mostly on pitch during live performances. 

It's the "mostly" part that bothers me, I don't think she's a good singer at all, all her songs sound like she's straining to reach the notes.

[Silver Raven]

Quote

Katy Perry is a better singer than Taylor Swift.

 

Bob Dylan is a better singer than Taylor Swift.

[UYI]

The only person Taylor Swift can sing better than is Britney Spears...and even Britney could sing before she hit puberty. 

[27bored]

I came here to post a similar UO: Ariana Grande can't sing. There, I said it. She's got a pretty voice and has vocal range, but no ability to interpret or entertain. It's all pretty noises. There were teen girls like her on American Idol over the years -- pretty girl, pretty voice, utterly boring. Plus Ariana acts like English is a second language for her and she comes off kind of confused by what's going on on stage. I guess she makes nice pop tunes to keep her name out there, but I don't see her as a legend in the making.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I hate "Wind Beneath My Wings". What utterly disgusting, cloying, sanctimonious, self-aggrandizing pap that song is. You know what "Wind Beneath My Wings" really is? It's the ultimate humble brag disguised as an ode to gratitude and friendship. Think about it: the singer (Bette, Idina, doesn't matter, no one can make this song good) is mewling about how great this friend is, while at the same time discreetly boasting about "shining", "flying", and having "all the glory". The singer is the princess, the friend is the lowly lady in waiting whose only reward for being an unspectacular, spineless doormat is this nauseating backhanded compliment of a song."Thank you for all you do for me... now you keep being a nobody while I keep being a somebody, don't step on my cues or in my spotlight, and everything will be peachy (*condescending pat on the head*)".

And if anyone, and I do mean anyone, ever says to you something along the lines of "it must have been cold there in my shadow", you are within your moral and legal rights to pummel that person's face to glop with your ring fist. 

[GaT]

16 minutes ago, 27bored said:

I came here to post a similar UO: Ariana Grande can't sing. There, I said it. She's got a pretty voice and has vocal range, but no ability to interpret or entertain. 

She doesn't enunciate at all, I can't understand most of what she's singing.

1 minute ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

 "it must have been cold there in my shadow"

I'm sure there's a reason that the first person I thought of when I saw that sentence was Mariah Carey.

[Silver Raven]

2 hours ago, 27bored said:

I came here to post a similar UO: Ariana Grande can't sing. There, I said it. She's got a pretty voice and has vocal range, but no ability to interpret or entertain. It's all pretty noises. There were teen girls like her on American Idol over the years -- pretty girl, pretty voice, utterly boring. Plus Ariana acts like English is a second language for her and she comes off kind of confused by what's going on on stage. I guess she makes nice pop tunes to keep her name out there, but I don't see her as a legend in the making.

She seems to have learned enunciation lessons from Sia.

[UYI]

2 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I hate "Wind Beneath My Wings". What utterly disgusting, cloying, sanctimonious, self-aggrandizing pap that song is. You know what "Wind Beneath My Wings" really is? It's the ultimate humble brag disguised as an ode to gratitude and friendship. Think about it: the singer (Bette, Idina, doesn't matter, no one can make this song good) is mewling about how great this friend is, while at the same time discreetly boasting about "shining", "flying", and having "all the glory". The singer is the princess, the friend is the lowly lady in waiting whose only reward for being an unspectacular, spineless doormat is this nauseating backhanded compliment of a song."Thank you for all you do for me... now you keep being a nobody while I keep being a somebody, don't step on my cues or in my spotlight, and everything will be peachy (*condescending pat on the head*)".

And if anyone, and I do mean anyone, ever says to you something along the lines of "it must have been cold there in my shadow", you are within your moral and legal rights to pummel that person's face to glop with your ring fist. 

At the risk of getting shanked by you, baseball broadcasting legend Vin Scully once recorded a version of the song as a gift to his wife, and on his last calling Dodger baseball in September, the PA at Dodger Stadium played the song as tribute to him and a thank you to the fans. And he actually made it sound quite nice. 

[Jeebus Cripes]

On 6/13/2016 at 7:42 PM, roseha said:

I have never liked the Who.  I'm not really sure why - it may have something to do with their lyrics which strike me as rather contrived - but I saw them along with the Stones in the film Rock and Roll Circus and the Who still did nothing for me, even in their prime.

I can't abide any of their songs. No idea what irks me so, but their music sets my teeth on edge.

[Wiendish Fitch]

7 hours ago, UYI said:

At the risk of getting shanked by you, baseball broadcasting legend Vin Scully once recorded a version of the song as a gift to his wife, and on his last calling Dodger baseball in September, the PA at Dodger Stadium played the song as tribute to him and a thank you to the fans. And he actually made it sound quite nice. 

Hey, if anyone here likes "Wind Beneath My Wings", I'm not judging you, my ugly opinions are restricted to the song. The worst part is, the sentiment of the song (thanks for standing by me on my road to success, even if it wasn't always easy for you) is admittedly lovely; unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to express without sounding phony or condescending. 

[Ohwell]

15 hours ago, 27bored said:

I came here to post a similar UO: Ariana Grande can't sing. There, I said it. She's got a pretty voice and has vocal range, but no ability to interpret or entertain. It's all pretty noises. There were teen girls like her on American Idol over the years -- pretty girl, pretty voice, utterly boring. Plus Ariana acts like English is a second language for her and she comes off kind of confused by what's going on on stage. I guess she makes nice pop tunes to keep her name out there, but I don't see her as a legend in the making.

The funniest thing is that commercial where she's riding in the car singing and the girl driving kicks her out.  I would, too. 

[27bored]

Ariana singing "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera. I have to partially amend my comment. Here's Ariana at about 17-18 singing in front of her computer as a normal girl, and it's not...bad, but it's also what I said about her. She has a pretty voice, but no emotional depth. Just hitting her marks and going through the motions. If I'd seen this when she uploaded this, I would've thought, "oh, it's a pretty girl with a pretty voice". I might would've even subscribed to her. She seems more attractive here with the deep red hair than she does with all the pop star slap. Like maybe she has about ten more pounds on her than she does now. Her voice seems deeper. She does still have that "I was born here but my parents are from the same place as Melania Trump" thing, but she doesn't have the Elmer Fudd weird enunciation thing that she has now. It's just proof the music industry sucks all the humanity out of people.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 1/5/2017 at 7:35 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I hate "Wind Beneath My Wings". What utterly disgusting, cloying, sanctimonious, self-aggrandizing pap that song is. You know what "Wind Beneath My Wings" really is? It's the ultimate humble brag disguised as an ode to gratitude and friendship. Think about it: the singer (Bette, Idina, doesn't matter, no one can make this song good) is mewling about how great this friend is, while at the same time discreetly boasting about "shining", "flying", and having "all the glory". The singer is the princess, the friend is the lowly lady in waiting whose only reward for being an unspectacular, spineless doormat is this nauseating backhanded compliment of a song."Thank you for all you do for me... now you keep being a nobody while I keep being a somebody, don't step on my cues or in my spotlight, and everything will be peachy (*condescending pat on the head*)".

And if anyone, and I do mean anyone, ever says to you something along the lines of "it must have been cold there in my shadow", you are within your moral and legal rights to pummel that person's face to glop with your ring fist. 

I would like this post 100 times if I could.

[Joe]

I happened to see a Justin Bibier video today and realised that I don't actually hate him. I don't like his music, mind you, just that he does things that are dumb but entertaining.

[KatWay]

I actually liked some of his new music but he seems like a trainwreck. I guess it was to be expected with becoming so famous so young, but he definitely doesn't have his life together. He's entertaining because he's unpredictable, I'll give him that. And considering how incredibly bland and boring a lot of the young popstar line-up are, I guess that's something.

[NutMeg]

I think Bieber has improved musically and some of his recent-ish songs are quite catchy and slightly innovate compared to the pack. I do think though that some of the new generation of singers are much more aware of their image than the previous generation was and are playing on that image. For instance, some may pretend to be trainwrecks/"rock and roll", but actually control the narrative very tightly. As an example, Miley Cyrus looked like she was going crazy in a rock-and-roll sense, but she's still behaving like a normal person apart from the few stories SHE engineered. Ditto for Bieber, whose worse behavior in a bad day is still tame compared to any 5 min of the Rolling Stones in their heyday. Adam Lambert is a sweet kitten pretending to be a feral kitty, etc. The best distraction IMO is Lady Gaga, who created a whole persona that she allowed to be as extreme as possible, which must have allowed her, when she shot up to fame, to walk around incognito because her persona as a performer was so different to what she really was. (Maybe Kiss did it before?) I think this evolution is good for the mental health of our performers because they seems less destructive than the Janis Joplin/Jim Morrison/ even Amy Winehouse, they control their image and narrative, are less likely to become a victim of it.     

[KatWay]

Quote

do think though that some of the new generation of singers are much more aware of their image than the previous generation was and are playing on that image. For instance, some may pretend to be trainwrecks/"rock and roll", but actually control the narrative very tightly. As an example, Miley Cyrus looked like she was going crazy in a rock-and-roll sense, but she's still behaving like a normal person apart from the few stories SHE engineered. Ditto for Bieber, whose worse behavior in a bad day is still tame compared to any 5 min of the Rolling Stones in their heyday. Adam Lambert is a sweet kitten pretending to be a feral kitty, etc. The best distraction IMO is Lady Gaga, who created a whole persona that she allowed to be as extreme as possible, which must have allowed her, when she shot up to fame, to walk around incognito because her persona as a performer was so different to what she really was. (Maybe Kiss did it before?) I think this evolution is good for the mental health of our performers because they seems less destructive than the Janis Joplin/Jim Morrison/ even Amy Winehouse, they control their image and narrative, are less likely to become a victim of it.

True, but the ones you mentioned are not boring, precisely because they are in control of their persona. And because they are very charismatic performers and have a personality, whether you like it or can relate to it or not. I'm not sure I'd include Justin Bieber in that crowd, Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga feel much more in control of who they are and with a clearer sense of it too, despite their images/personas evolving over the years. For a lot of the young popstar line-up, I feel like you can't evolve what isn't there in the first place. Sure, a few of them fancy themselves rebellious and edgy and yet are also entirely comfortable with staying in their tumblr approved lane. Justin Bieber screws up quite often compared to some of his peers, but he still comes across as bland, even though he's less careful with his image than some. I feel like a lot of the popstar we've got right now are more careful with being a blank slate for their fans to project on to instead of actually developing an artistic persona. Might lose instagram followers if you ever say or do anything even slightly controversial.

[GaT]

5 hours ago, Joe said:

I happened to see a Justin Bibier video today and realised that I don't actually hate him. I don't like his music, mind you, just that he does things that are dumb but entertaining.

 

2 hours ago, KatWay said:

I actually liked some of his new music but he seems like a trainwreck. I guess it was to be expected with becoming so famous so young, but he definitely doesn't have his life together. He's entertaining because he's unpredictable, I'll give him that. And considering how incredibly bland and boring a lot of the young popstar line-up are, I guess that's something.

Nope, the day he peed in a bucket in a restaurant kitchen was the day he went from "bratty little kid with too much money" to "absolute asshole who should die & stop sucking up the oxygen other people need"

[27bored]

I don't know if it just means I'm getting older or what, but I can tolerate a gimmick a lot more if I feel like the person has talent underneath the bullshit. Like somebody mentioned Adam Lambert. Adam can wear all the glamazon feathery leathery whatever getups he wants; when he gets on stage, the boy sings his ass off. I think even non-fans can respect the need to be interesting if they can detect some actual talent. With a lot of today's popstars, it feels like it's just bullshit. Even people like Miley and Biebs -- who were both charismatic in their teens but fake-ratchet and exhausting as young adults -- they wouldn't feel so cloying if you could consistently see some measure of talent and drive. If you catch Miley in an unguarded moment, she seems like a fairly mature young women with an interesting voice. Not blow-your-socks-off great, but strong and expressive, like a younger, deeper Stevie Nicks. But: good luck finding those moments. Biebs' post-puberty voice is soft and vulnerable, like maybe he's a sweet kid. But that's because he's only used to singing love songs.

[PrincessEnnui]

Two. I like Pitbull, he comes across as a down to earth, but fun loving guy. I read up on his background and it seems like he's matured over the years, so I don't get the hate. And I hate Johnny Cash's? cover of Hurt. Hurt isn't even a good song, but he doesn't even sing it. Just singsong it.

[Ohwell]

I like Pitbull too.  

I also like Coldplay and..........Nickelback.

[AimingforYoko]

6 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I also like Coldplay and..........Nickelback.

Other than that poster who agreed with Liam Gallagher, this might be the boldest take on this thread.

To me, Nickelback is like Papa John's pizza. It's pizza, so I like it fine, it's just that I can get better at about ten different places in my area.

[Ohwell]

Yeah, I know that was a bold statement! 

[Jeebus Cripes]

5 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

To me, Nickelback is like Papa John's pizza. It's pizza, so I like it fine, it's just that I can get better at about ten different places in my area.

This analogy is spot-on! 

[CaughtOnTape]

On 1/8/2017 at 0:39 PM, GaT said:

 

Nope, the day he peed in a bucket in a restaurant kitchen was the day he went from "bratty little kid with too much money" to "absolute asshole who should die & stop sucking up the oxygen other people need"

Mmmmm little harsh.  All he did was pee in a bucket.  

I think it's fairly clear he's in the middle of a Britney Spears circa 2007 breakdown and it's kind of sad to see no one do a thing about it.  I keep waiting for the headlines saying he's either killed himself or he's entered some kind of rehab facility.  The only thing that saved Britney was her dad stepping in.

Nickelback is like Donald Trump to me...they're popular but I don't understand how since no one I know claims they like them or enjoy their music.

[navelgazer]

I liked Nickelback, but that's not the worst.  I liked Limp Bizkit back in the day.  Break Stuff is one of my top ten.  

[cpcathy]

I didn't buy the albums or anything but I liked Limp Bizkit as well. Nooky is a surprisingly catchy tune.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I still love the song "Hero" from the first Spider-Man movie. I'm just a sentimental old fluff.

[GaT]

10 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I still love the song "Hero" from the first Spider-Man movie. I'm just a sentimental old fluff.

Me too! It's been on my iPod since the first time I heard it, & I listen to it all the time.

[janie jones]

On 1/10/2017 at 5:33 PM, PrincessEnnui said:

And I hate Johnny Cash's? cover of Hurt. Hurt isn't even a good song, but he doesn't even sing it. Just singsong it.

Every time I've heard a song that has a Johnny Cash version and a someone-else version, the someone-else version has always been multiple times better.

[Jeebus Cripes]

10 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I still love the song "Hero" from the first Spider-Man movie. I'm just a sentimental old fluff.

Not gonna lie, I dig that song.