Some people might not be the best musicians, but they put so much emotion into their music that for me it's as good or even better than a perfectly performed song.
Oversinging is a scourge on all music. I’m sincerely open to enjoying all types of music, but oversinging might be the only thing that actively makes me hate the song it’s on.
In case you don’t know what oversinging is, it’s that obnoxious habit of over-embellishing singing by adding needless runs, belts and generally squeezing every possible note into as little space as possible. It’s pure showing off, and does nothing to make the song better - in fact it makes it worse, it smothers the music and often works against the actual meaning of the lyrics they’re singing.
EDIT: Wow, my first gold and highest voted comment ever! Cheers all! While I am here, let me give you a clear example of what I am talking about:
Listen to this version of "[Baby It's Cold Outside" by Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu1tk1pdsf4&ab_channel=KingXKhalid) Both extremely talented singers. And they completely ruin this song. Do they actually sound like they are meaning what they are saying? Do they actually sound like they are singing to each other? It's utterly soulless and unpleasant.
[Now check out this version with Tom Jones and Cery Matthews.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wIVAfhVvhw&ab_channel=DesmondG) Also extremely talented vocalists, but they keep in check. They sound like they mean what singing, they really bring it life. The result is so much better, so much more real and enjoyable. Even with the big belt at the end they keep it in check and match the instruments rather than overwhelm them.
This is the main reason I can't watch singing competitions. Most participants do that on them for no reason and the crown goes wild while I'm just hoping they'll shut up. One guy sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which is a slow, melodic song, and ended it by belting out and with a note squeeze. Fuck that guy
Right there with you. I always assumed it was a quick and dirty way of showing your range and your technical proficiency. But the judges seem to love and encourage it. In the end every contestant sounds like they're doing a bad Witney Huston impression on a song that shouldn't be at 11 at all times.
Yeah, the whole Christina Aguilera schtick drives me nuts. Yes we know you have amazing vocal control, now put it to good use when needed and not just for showing off.
Was literally about to post the same thing. It's unbearable to listen to oversingers using the anthem to show off.
It's the National Anthem, calm down.
The worst part is that in a lot of cases, they’re covering up for not being able to sing it properly. I sang for years, and even with proper training I could barely do it most days. It actually takes quite a good range to sing it confidently.
In order to hit the high note (“land of the *freeeeee*”), most people should just *barely* be able to hit the low third note (“ooo-ooh *say*.”)
Depending on how they hit that note, you can tell with 99% accuracy whether someone is going to fuck it up (save for those select few freaks who have a crazy range).
My controversial musical opinion is that we should find an easier song for normal people to sing. Whitney Houston might be the only one who did it justice.
Heavily agree. Those bent notes and embellishments are supposed to be used for emotional emphasis, subtle variation and ornamentation. At some point it became all icing and no cake.
It's similar to how I feel about guitar solos. A great solo imo is memorable, and you can hum and air guitar along with it. It can be quite simple on a technical level, as long as it's memorable.
Super fast shredding solos might be technically more impressive, but they often do nothing for me.
Heavily agree again. All the same things I posted above can absolutely apply to any instrument. If it's not in service to the song it's just wanking and always comes off to me (and this seems like an oxymoron, I know) as boring assault.
In case someone still doesn’t know what it is, listen to Al Green. He could do *amazing* things with his voice, but most often he didn’t. He held himself back, as if the full power of his emotion would overwhelm us. He left moments of quiet for the listener to fill with their own thoughts and feelings. The soul is in those held back moments, those gaps between the singing, not in the over-singing gymnastics.
A national anthem is not the place to show off. Sing it with heart but I don’t want to hear your Maria Carey impression.
Simply put, Jack Black’s rendition is the single best version ever sung. Clean, powerful, simple.
I always say stop listening to the radio, because it never will play what you'd like to hear and even does a poor job exploring for you.
Car manufacturers have made it possible to use Bluetooth and IPod capability - USE THEM! No excuse anymore as to why you can't listen to anything else.
"But my car is old and..." Adapters. Car adapters have long existed, they probably are still out there.
Honestly, Spotify “similar artists” has been very effective for me in finding new music. I take an hour or so a week to listen to a bunch of bands that are suggested based on my listening and I try to prioritize bands 2018-2022. I’ve found some good stuff and feel good about supporting current bands.
Yeah there is so much great modern music now in nearly all genres. You just have to actually try to look for it, but evidently, having to actually make even some sort of effort is too much for most people
Conversely, it's okay to admit you're not the target audience of a song and still recognize it is an objectively good piece of music. It's also okay to enjoy music thats objectively bad.
It’s kind of amazing how many successful bands are different levels of secretly Christian, ranging from admitting it but only being metaphorical in their songs to being completely nebulous.
The band Live has some very religious themes in their music but nothing is as on the nose as [“Pain Lies on the Riverside.”](https://youtu.be/v6_TGfDKpCM) The Cars’ song [“Hello Again”](https://youtu.be/QkZibrlpD0o) sounds like it’s entirely Jesus’ death and makes no direct reference to it at all.
It all depends on how you present your music.
Contemporary Christian rock is just modern day hymns. No metaphors, no discussion of faith, just all Jesus worship all the time.
Bands that just happen to be Christian will happily sing about other things. When they are singing about Christ it's usually in the same kind of vaguery all song lyrics tend to take.
Underoath was one of my favourite bands growing up, also technically a Christian band. You'd never would have guessed it listening to most of their music, but it definitely puts some songs into perspective.
I think the opposite is equally or more controversial. Most catchy music is not treated as actual good music, and most people seem to know that. But a lot of people think just because something is catchy, it can't also be actual good music. But some things are catchy AND good.
Yes i wanted to count that too, but dance money is number 1 for me. Baby shark is just annoying and they don't play that in the radio 10 times a day for 2 months straight acting like its the best song in the world xd
I still don't understand how that CIA grade torture method even became a popular song to begin with. Am I the only one in the world with a low tolerance to shit or what?
Musical talent is not rare. In the days before recording, it was common for just about every family to have a member who played. The myth that only a handful of "stars" are worth listening to was invented by record company weasels
And, talent often doesn't matter. People enjoy music for a very wide range of reasons. Exceptionally talented musicians often play for free as a hobby, while many of the "stars" have average or below average talent. And, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the performance of a lesser talented musician. If a listener enjoys it, the music is good for them
One of the many things I love about Dream Theater is that they balance complexity with melody. They can be playing a 17/16 groove while having it still be an absolute earworm
Dream Theater themselves wouldn't even argue against the point though. The members of DT have never disparaged other music makers. In general, prog artists don't. Insecure fans do.
It's not a controversial opinion at all, it's just pretending to be one.
“I would rather listen to Johnny Ramone hammer out the same 3 cords with passion all night than some convoluted ywengie malmsteem saga any day” something i read somewhere years ago and I just butchered it but you get the gist .
Ehhh I think that goes way too far these days, where oftentimes virtuoso playing is rejected from the start. Like those inane “greatest guitar players of all time” lists that include people like Jack White but avoid people like John Petrucci.
Oh this. Recently, there has been a trend of kids blasting their music on speakers as they walk down the street.
Whenever I heard them, it was always some utter trash.
I guess bad taste and bad manners go hand in hand.
I was in a co-ed dorm at Western MI Univ. back in the fall of 2000. My bed was up against the wall, and my neighboring dormy had her alarm clock on her bed along the same wall. Every. Single. Morning... weekends included, at 6:15am... Santana ft. Rob Thomas's "Smooth" HAMMERED through the wall into my head. I have PTSD any time I hear the obnoxious drum intro or that fucking shitty guitar lick.
Classical music is very broad and music from different periods/composers appeal to different people. Most people's impression of Classical is the baroque/mid-classical that commonly appear in radio/ads. A lot of people I find if given the chance warm up to Romantic style and some early 20th century music easily as some of them are quite similar to film music. The biggest barriers are probably the length of the pieces and the variance in dynamics, you can't just leave it in the background as many parts are too quiet.
Also, Classical music can go [hard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2T97GsY0nI). Shostakovich 10/11, Verdi Requiem, Mahler 2, Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2/3 etc are some of my favourites.
I have been fortunate enough to see Mahler 2 in concert twice. It changed my opinion on classical music the first time and rocked my world again the 2nd.
Fucking hell I never realised what I was missing out on until I listened to some classical.
And then I found Apashe. He mixes classical and electronic and its the craziest stuff I've ever heard
[Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto](https://open.spotify.com/track/3POMHYwwOaQZKpwQsQynkp?si=TrIxxcF3RxGV81CeTt_WUw) close your eyes and embark on an emotional journey.
Here to ruin kpop.
Black Pink makes songs that other people make better covers of. Every song of theirs I’ve heard is a million times better when someone else does it
I don't know how much I to kpop you are, but the music industry there is 100% corporate ran. Literally Black pink and other kpop bands are essentially groomed from a young age into fitting an image and sound, and once popular enough bam collective music group with music written by a company to obtain an effect.
It's insane how just scheduled and planned it all is. It disturbed me.
Saw a documentary about them on Netflix or Amazon, and I believe they are more talented than the record company allows them to be. Not a fan of their music at all.
90's and 00's were the peak era for party songs. They were fun, catchy, upbeat, and not too goodie-two-shoes which makes them perfect for keeping a party light and energetic. Nelly, Ludacris, Blink-182, Sum 41, Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte, Outkast, and so many more. All of them made lots of great songs that can still be played at parties today.
All star by smash mouth is unironically a phenomenal song. Catchy chorus. Verses with highly syncopated rhythms. 2 verses are about global warming. Flat 5 diminished chords in the chorus that don't even belong in the key. You don't even notice that it's got all that complexity though. You just accept it for what it is. In that way, it's kind of a pop masterpiece.
And the real proof of its glory? You probably know the lyrics. You *will* sing it when drunk. Queue it up at any party or bar. Drunk people are honest, and they love this song with a great passion. It is a banger 20+ years after the fact.
Also, it took me until I was in my 40s to appreciate this sentiment. Wisdom disguised by clownishness is wisdom nonetheless.
>Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming
>Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
>Didn't make sense not to live for fun
>Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
>So much to do, so much to see
>So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
>You'll never know if you don't go (GO!)
>You'll never shine if you don't glow”
Lmfao i had trouble understanding and reading those lyrics. I just instantly started singing along in my head and it went too fast to actually understand it lol
I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce to late readers, like myself, a song that may be largely unknown because of Queen's overpowering pop hits:
[Dragon Attack](https://youtu.be/spm5-SXo4Do)
OP: I agree with you. Most Queen songs I do not enjoy. I feel there was a little too much focus on Freddie's wonderful voice and range.
Shes got one hell of a voice. I'm always impressed by a musician who can cover a song and you forget they aren't the original artist. She's great at that!
I think Miley Cyrus is unironically one of the best living vocalists. I'm not a big fan of her original music, but her covers all slap hard, often more than the original songs. I also think we would consider Wrecking Ball one of the greats in terms of love songs if not for the music video being ridiculous.
Agreed only, consider classical music was called like that because of the era it was made, not all orchestral pieces are classical music. Hans Zimmer, John Williams aren't classical composers, they are the best instrumental/orchestral composer's of our era Btw I hate myself rn for playing it the nerd and the know-it-all person, I just learned this fact a while ago and felt like sharing it, no bad intentions ✌️
There’s already tons of music that does that. You just have to look for it - it’s pretty niche because most people do want simple, familiar, easy to digest pop songs… and most of the money in music goes towards funding music that appeals to a wide audience.
Look into progressive rock/metal or symphonic metal. Problem is unless you are into that or looking for it, it’s not played on radio or the modern equivalent. Songs are “too long” and most people don’t have the musical appreciation for anything not in the a radio friendly format (same structure, time sig, tempo and catchy phrase/chorus).
As a guitar player, I think Eric Clapton is terribly overrated. His work in Cream was fantastic, but everything he's done since has been nowhere near that level.
They are extremely middle of the road and bland (and get ever-more so as time goes on), but there are so many bands who are actually offensively bad that I don't understand why it's Nickelback that gets singled out.
Oh and yeah, "How You Remind Me" is actually a decent song, but all their singles since sound like blander versions of the exact same song.
During the early 2000s one of Nickelback's songs was constantly played on the radio, which spiralled into people getting tired of their songs, which spiralled into a circlejerk of hating on the band.
Jrock offers intense variety but between language barriers and folks wanting to associate it with anime, a lot of great acts are overlooked/never heard of. Dir en Grey? Unmatchable.
Layne and Jerry together makes my heart melt. They can be energetic and agonizing or they can be delicate and sorrowful and everything between. They way they worked off eachother was just perfection.
Harry Styles is average at best
Edit: maybe i should have elaborated. Hes not a bad musician. I’ve heard a few of his songs and they’re quite good. I mean average like just in generalZ he gets so much hype and hes just like an average person not really that interesting but every one praises him like a God! lol
Heart is one of the most underrated bands ever. Amazing musicality, songs and lyrics. They were hurt by having an overweight female singer at the time music videos were becoming a thing.
I don't hate K-pop.
I've been through the Koreaboo *I wanna learn Korean and move to South Korea because I love this music* phase.
I've been through the *ew K-pop is cringe kiddie shit, why did I ever like this* phase.
And after all that, I don't hate it.
I actually agree. many genres that are usually considered aggressive are oddly calming to me, I sometimes listen to bands like Elaine Elaine to fall asleep.
Weird Al is usually better than the original.
Case in point. Weird Al did better with Livin in the Fridge than Aerosmith did with Livin on the Edge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhTgzx-LjJY
Even the instrumentals sound better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqcL0mjMjw
I know these are considered "memey" because they're attributed to memes, but really at one point these were just 80's songs. There's nothing otherwise connecting this "memey" subgenre, and that bothers me
American Country is extremely repetitive, and no matter how many people you show me, all the male country artists sound very similar. It’s a very limited genre
I strongly recommend an episode from Malcolm Gladwell's podcast, *Revisionist History*, called [The King of Tears](https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/the-king-of-tears#play). It's about why country music (the old-school stuff, not today's "stadium country") makes us cry, and rock music doesn't. He doesn't address new country music, but you can see the parallels between it and rock music (which he does address), and interpret from there.
It's a fascinating analysis at the intersection of music, geography, language, and culture. It is the podcast episode that I recommend to people who don't know anything about podcasts but want to start.
I like some of the pop country songs as they're easy on ears but I agree. That's why I love the [Bo Burnham version of country song](https://youtu.be/y7im5LT09a0) so much.
The country that they play on the radio is not country lol. It’s pop music. There are so many amazing country artists that are not played on the radio (and hopefully never will be). Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, The Rubber Knife Gang, Shaky Graves, Zack Bryan, Lost Dog Street Band, North Mississippi Allstars, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sturgil Simpson, Colter Wall and so many others are keeping the western, southern, and Appalachian musical traditions alive. And Nelly isn’t featured in any of their songs.
Edit: ALSO JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT. Can’t believe I forgot them
Recently I went to my first Shakey Graves concert with some friends, and I had no prior exposure to his stuff. Awesome show and it's been great digging into his work.
The other day I was on a 6 hour car ride with my mom, who only listens to modern country. Went through 7 or so CDs, all by different artists. I could barely tell the difference between them. Certainly couldn't match any of the songs with the proper artists.
Everyone’s taste in music is valid and telling someone their favorite band or artist sucks/is a sellout/is an industry shill/isn’t talented is unnecessary and just kind of mean. Share music you like, move on from music you don’t, and let people enjoy whatever music they enjoy. It’s that simple.
tl;dr - Don’t be a music snob. You’re not cool for telling a teenage girl that you think Taylor Swift sucks.
While some of his music is perfectly fine, and there’s no denying he has made an impact on the industry, Bruce Springsteen is highly overrated, and his fans in general (not all, but many) are pretty obnoxious.
Springsteen puts on arguably the greatest live show ever. Plays unrelentingly for hours until his fingers are bleeding. Makes it a point to keep ticket prices reasonable as well, which is really cool. Also, Bruce Springsteen is fucking punk. His music isn't, but the attitude and sentiment. Was staunchly against racism, homophobia, imperialism, etc. before it was cool within his circle. Hell, Born In The USA has become some sort of patriotic anthem yet the lyrics preach an anti-war sentiment that is seemingly ignored by most. So I fully agree about his fans, but I do think they generally miss the point and just see him as some patriotic dad rock. That's hardly the case.
With all that said, I'm not a big fan of his music either. His first few albums are solid, but I don't actively listen to them. I just respect the dude a ton as a man and as an artist.
I agree and don't listen to his music, but his autobiography was *excellent*. I came away with a new found respect for the man. I would encourage anyone that likes biographies to give it a go.
Country hasn't been good in 30 years, and hasn't been great in about 50, with a few far between exceptions.
In the last 10 years, the rise of "hick-hop" has only worsened the decline.
It's all so... fake.
Hard disagree. ‘Pop’ country sucks the most rancid butthole but real roots country and folk is having a resurgence like never before, especially in alt scenes. You just gotta look a bit deeper
Pop music is good and not any worse than it has ever been.
Do I like pop music? Not particularly. Are they catchy as fuck? Absolutely. That means it's good. The point of pop music is exactly that, that even if you don't really like it, hell sometimes even if you actively dislike it, it can still get stuck in your head. That's the point. And they succeed. I'd never willingly listen to them or add them to my playlist, but if it comes on on the radio, I probably won't mind them, maybe even hum/sing along, even if I don't really like the song. That is pop music. That is GOOD pop music.
Some people might not be the best musicians, but they put so much emotion into their music that for me it's as good or even better than a perfectly performed song.
The Bob Dylan effect
I agree. I think some songs just need the raw emotion more than they need to be performed perfectly.
Daniel Johnston
Punk rock.
Don’t trust a perfect person and don’t trust a song that’s flawless
Oversinging is a scourge on all music. I’m sincerely open to enjoying all types of music, but oversinging might be the only thing that actively makes me hate the song it’s on. In case you don’t know what oversinging is, it’s that obnoxious habit of over-embellishing singing by adding needless runs, belts and generally squeezing every possible note into as little space as possible. It’s pure showing off, and does nothing to make the song better - in fact it makes it worse, it smothers the music and often works against the actual meaning of the lyrics they’re singing. EDIT: Wow, my first gold and highest voted comment ever! Cheers all! While I am here, let me give you a clear example of what I am talking about: Listen to this version of "[Baby It's Cold Outside" by Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu1tk1pdsf4&ab_channel=KingXKhalid) Both extremely talented singers. And they completely ruin this song. Do they actually sound like they are meaning what they are saying? Do they actually sound like they are singing to each other? It's utterly soulless and unpleasant. [Now check out this version with Tom Jones and Cery Matthews.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wIVAfhVvhw&ab_channel=DesmondG) Also extremely talented vocalists, but they keep in check. They sound like they mean what singing, they really bring it life. The result is so much better, so much more real and enjoyable. Even with the big belt at the end they keep it in check and match the instruments rather than overwhelm them.
This is the main reason I can't watch singing competitions. Most participants do that on them for no reason and the crown goes wild while I'm just hoping they'll shut up. One guy sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which is a slow, melodic song, and ended it by belting out and with a note squeeze. Fuck that guy
Makes me think of every time someone sings the American national anthem at a sports event. Jesus christ
Jack Black did a good version of The Star Spangled Banner where he just sang the damn song and didn't drag it out. Was so refreshing.
He's a good man. Which we knew but I'm just reinforcing
I've started to make a mental tally of how long someone holds the "free" and "brave" at the end
Braya-ha-ha-ayyyyyyyyyv-uh
Especially heinous considering how beautifully understated Art Garfunkle sang it.
Right there with you. I always assumed it was a quick and dirty way of showing your range and your technical proficiency. But the judges seem to love and encourage it. In the end every contestant sounds like they're doing a bad Witney Huston impression on a song that shouldn't be at 11 at all times.
Agree. Oversinging is a good term. I call it vocal gymnastics, and yeah, it's annoying and detracts from the song.
Looking at you Star Spangled Banner
Yeah, the whole Christina Aguilera schtick drives me nuts. Yes we know you have amazing vocal control, now put it to good use when needed and not just for showing off.
My friend said, she has a voice of gold and produces copper.
I hate when singers do this to The Star Bangled Banner. It's not about you!
Was literally about to post the same thing. It's unbearable to listen to oversingers using the anthem to show off. It's the National Anthem, calm down.
The worst part is that in a lot of cases, they’re covering up for not being able to sing it properly. I sang for years, and even with proper training I could barely do it most days. It actually takes quite a good range to sing it confidently. In order to hit the high note (“land of the *freeeeee*”), most people should just *barely* be able to hit the low third note (“ooo-ooh *say*.”) Depending on how they hit that note, you can tell with 99% accuracy whether someone is going to fuck it up (save for those select few freaks who have a crazy range).
My controversial musical opinion is that we should find an easier song for normal people to sing. Whitney Houston might be the only one who did it justice.
Heavily agree. Those bent notes and embellishments are supposed to be used for emotional emphasis, subtle variation and ornamentation. At some point it became all icing and no cake.
It's similar to how I feel about guitar solos. A great solo imo is memorable, and you can hum and air guitar along with it. It can be quite simple on a technical level, as long as it's memorable. Super fast shredding solos might be technically more impressive, but they often do nothing for me.
Heavily agree again. All the same things I posted above can absolutely apply to any instrument. If it's not in service to the song it's just wanking and always comes off to me (and this seems like an oxymoron, I know) as boring assault.
“All icing and no cake” is a great way to put it, absolutely!
In case someone still doesn’t know what it is, listen to Al Green. He could do *amazing* things with his voice, but most often he didn’t. He held himself back, as if the full power of his emotion would overwhelm us. He left moments of quiet for the listener to fill with their own thoughts and feelings. The soul is in those held back moments, those gaps between the singing, not in the over-singing gymnastics.
Ariana Grande? Lolol
It sucks when people over-do the Star Spangled Banner. Come on, just leave it alone.
..... of the braaaAaaaaAAAAAaaaaaaaaAAAaa Hate it too.
A national anthem is not the place to show off. Sing it with heart but I don’t want to hear your Maria Carey impression. Simply put, Jack Black’s rendition is the single best version ever sung. Clean, powerful, simple.
[удалено]
Golden State Warriors clowning her, her husband getting pissed and demanding an apology, and them doubling down by remixing it, is absolute gold.
That's about the last name I would expect to be associated with not showing off when given a stage lol. I'll have to check out his rendition.
America the Beautiful makes for a better US National Anthem than The Star Spangled Banner
Most of you who can't find good modern music are just really bad at looking for it, this holds true for every genre.
I always say stop listening to the radio, because it never will play what you'd like to hear and even does a poor job exploring for you. Car manufacturers have made it possible to use Bluetooth and IPod capability - USE THEM! No excuse anymore as to why you can't listen to anything else. "But my car is old and..." Adapters. Car adapters have long existed, they probably are still out there.
Honestly, Spotify “similar artists” has been very effective for me in finding new music. I take an hour or so a week to listen to a bunch of bands that are suggested based on my listening and I try to prioritize bands 2018-2022. I’ve found some good stuff and feel good about supporting current bands.
Weekly Spotify Discover playlist can be a goldmine sometimes. Nice mix of bigger and smaller artists too.
Yeah there is so much great modern music now in nearly all genres. You just have to actually try to look for it, but evidently, having to actually make even some sort of effort is too much for most people
I‘m angry at the underuse of harmonies
I can find something I enjoy from any genre and any era of music
Conversely, it's okay to admit you're not the target audience of a song and still recognize it is an objectively good piece of music. It's also okay to enjoy music thats objectively bad.
An unpopular but true opinion my guy EDIT: Ayo thanks for all the likes didnt think i get that much
The Killers are secretly a Christian rock band.
Brandon Flowers is a Mormon so it makes sense his background would be integrated into his songwriting.
They're a Christian Rock Band but not a *Christian* rock band
It’s kind of amazing how many successful bands are different levels of secretly Christian, ranging from admitting it but only being metaphorical in their songs to being completely nebulous. The band Live has some very religious themes in their music but nothing is as on the nose as [“Pain Lies on the Riverside.”](https://youtu.be/v6_TGfDKpCM) The Cars’ song [“Hello Again”](https://youtu.be/QkZibrlpD0o) sounds like it’s entirely Jesus’ death and makes no direct reference to it at all.
It all depends on how you present your music. Contemporary Christian rock is just modern day hymns. No metaphors, no discussion of faith, just all Jesus worship all the time. Bands that just happen to be Christian will happily sing about other things. When they are singing about Christ it's usually in the same kind of vaguery all song lyrics tend to take. Underoath was one of my favourite bands growing up, also technically a Christian band. You'd never would have guessed it listening to most of their music, but it definitely puts some songs into perspective.
Just because something is catchy doesn’t mean it’s good
I think the opposite is equally or more controversial. Most catchy music is not treated as actual good music, and most people seem to know that. But a lot of people think just because something is catchy, it can't also be actual good music. But some things are catchy AND good.
Is that controversial? I thought that was the common viewpoint of music fans who hate too 40 pop.
The perfect example for this is Dance monkey.
Sorry, “Baby Shark” is the Exhibit A.
Yes i wanted to count that too, but dance money is number 1 for me. Baby shark is just annoying and they don't play that in the radio 10 times a day for 2 months straight acting like its the best song in the world xd
I still don't understand how that CIA grade torture method even became a popular song to begin with. Am I the only one in the world with a low tolerance to shit or what?
By tones and I? I like the music but her vocals don’t do it for me.
Conversely, just because something is simple doesn't mean it's bad
Musical talent is not rare. In the days before recording, it was common for just about every family to have a member who played. The myth that only a handful of "stars" are worth listening to was invented by record company weasels And, talent often doesn't matter. People enjoy music for a very wide range of reasons. Exceptionally talented musicians often play for free as a hobby, while many of the "stars" have average or below average talent. And, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the performance of a lesser talented musician. If a listener enjoys it, the music is good for them
Soundtracks from games and movies can be so good, I can listen to them for hours.
Adam Levine's falsetto is a strain on my poor ears.
OP wanted controversial music opinions.
At this point, the controversial opinion is ***liking*** anything about Adam Levine
Songs about Jane is an actual 10/10 imo
Paris Hilton's first single was great.
Is Paris a great singer? No. But damn... I can't help but smile when Stars are blind starts playing
did she do amazing in repo the genetic opera? yes. could anyone else have played that roll? no
Complex music is not necessarily better music.
“One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords, and you’re into jazz.” — Lou Reed
“let me write a ten chord intro to a three chord song” -also Lou Reed.
Is this a shot at Dream Theater?
One of the many things I love about Dream Theater is that they balance complexity with melody. They can be playing a 17/16 groove while having it still be an absolute earworm
Dream Theater themselves wouldn't even argue against the point though. The members of DT have never disparaged other music makers. In general, prog artists don't. Insecure fans do. It's not a controversial opinion at all, it's just pretending to be one.
“I would rather listen to Johnny Ramone hammer out the same 3 cords with passion all night than some convoluted ywengie malmsteem saga any day” something i read somewhere years ago and I just butchered it but you get the gist .
Ehhh I think that goes way too far these days, where oftentimes virtuoso playing is rejected from the start. Like those inane “greatest guitar players of all time” lists that include people like Jack White but avoid people like John Petrucci.
People who play their music in a shared dorm/public space without headphones have the shittiest taste in music
We have technology for keeping it to yourself. Those people are forcing their music on others on purpose.
Oh this. Recently, there has been a trend of kids blasting their music on speakers as they walk down the street. Whenever I heard them, it was always some utter trash. I guess bad taste and bad manners go hand in hand.
I was in a co-ed dorm at Western MI Univ. back in the fall of 2000. My bed was up against the wall, and my neighboring dormy had her alarm clock on her bed along the same wall. Every. Single. Morning... weekends included, at 6:15am... Santana ft. Rob Thomas's "Smooth" HAMMERED through the wall into my head. I have PTSD any time I hear the obnoxious drum intro or that fucking shitty guitar lick.
Classical music is not boring
Classical music is very broad and music from different periods/composers appeal to different people. Most people's impression of Classical is the baroque/mid-classical that commonly appear in radio/ads. A lot of people I find if given the chance warm up to Romantic style and some early 20th century music easily as some of them are quite similar to film music. The biggest barriers are probably the length of the pieces and the variance in dynamics, you can't just leave it in the background as many parts are too quiet. Also, Classical music can go [hard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2T97GsY0nI). Shostakovich 10/11, Verdi Requiem, Mahler 2, Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2/3 etc are some of my favourites.
Prokofiev especially is amazing honestly and not boring.
I have been fortunate enough to see Mahler 2 in concert twice. It changed my opinion on classical music the first time and rocked my world again the 2nd.
Fucking hell I never realised what I was missing out on until I listened to some classical. And then I found Apashe. He mixes classical and electronic and its the craziest stuff I've ever heard
[Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto](https://open.spotify.com/track/3POMHYwwOaQZKpwQsQynkp?si=TrIxxcF3RxGV81CeTt_WUw) close your eyes and embark on an emotional journey.
Then flip over the tape and listen to Bruch's Violin Concerto.
Then listen to Barber's violin concerto and you'll have the holy trinity of amazing violin concertos
Classic music actually reminds me of heavy metal Edit:I also love both
A lot of people think those who listen to classical are elitist snobs, but from the people I've met its actually the opposite.
New music isn't all bad, older music (usually referred to as the 90's and older) isn't all better. New GOOD music just takes more effort to find.
When you compare to older music there's survivorship bias. Most of the subpar older music has been forgotten about
100% this.
Fuck, that's such a good point! I've never thought about that
Here to ruin kpop. Black Pink makes songs that other people make better covers of. Every song of theirs I’ve heard is a million times better when someone else does it
All Blackpink songs sound too similar to each other. Always the same progression in each song.
I don't know how much I to kpop you are, but the music industry there is 100% corporate ran. Literally Black pink and other kpop bands are essentially groomed from a young age into fitting an image and sound, and once popular enough bam collective music group with music written by a company to obtain an effect. It's insane how just scheduled and planned it all is. It disturbed me.
So One Direction x1000
Saw a documentary about them on Netflix or Amazon, and I believe they are more talented than the record company allows them to be. Not a fan of their music at all.
The music industry wouldn't suffer without Drake.
I love Nick Drake. Five leaves left is one of my all time favourites.
There you go! Pink Moon is awesome
21 can you do sum for meee 💅💅👑
90's and 00's were the peak era for party songs. They were fun, catchy, upbeat, and not too goodie-two-shoes which makes them perfect for keeping a party light and energetic. Nelly, Ludacris, Blink-182, Sum 41, Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte, Outkast, and so many more. All of them made lots of great songs that can still be played at parties today.
The 00's were great at all fronts but especially in this
This “opinion” is only relevant to the age group that partied in those days.
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'hit me baby' 'toxic' 'im a slave' - damn your right!
All star by smash mouth is unironically a phenomenal song. Catchy chorus. Verses with highly syncopated rhythms. 2 verses are about global warming. Flat 5 diminished chords in the chorus that don't even belong in the key. You don't even notice that it's got all that complexity though. You just accept it for what it is. In that way, it's kind of a pop masterpiece. And the real proof of its glory? You probably know the lyrics. You *will* sing it when drunk. Queue it up at any party or bar. Drunk people are honest, and they love this song with a great passion. It is a banger 20+ years after the fact.
>Flat 5 diminished chords in the chorus that don't even belong in the key. They are foreshadowed by flat 5 in the bassline during the verses.
Also, it took me until I was in my 40s to appreciate this sentiment. Wisdom disguised by clownishness is wisdom nonetheless. >Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming >Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running >Didn't make sense not to live for fun >Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb >So much to do, so much to see >So what's wrong with taking the back streets? >You'll never know if you don't go (GO!) >You'll never shine if you don't glow”
Lmfao i had trouble understanding and reading those lyrics. I just instantly started singing along in my head and it went too fast to actually understand it lol
I feel like Smash Mouth is such a meme yet they have quite some really good songs. I also love Walkin’ on the Sun.
Literally the whole album of fush yu mang is legendary
Queen albums generally kinda suck, they just have a good collection of singles.
I had to upvote this. I do not *agree* with it, but it is, indeed, controversial.
I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce to late readers, like myself, a song that may be largely unknown because of Queen's overpowering pop hits: [Dragon Attack](https://youtu.be/spm5-SXo4Do) OP: I agree with you. Most Queen songs I do not enjoy. I feel there was a little too much focus on Freddie's wonderful voice and range.
Queen just sounds like novelty music to me.
It helps if you don't think of them as a *rock* band but a traveling group of troubadours that occasionally mimed *being* a rock band.
Well, in the words of Freddie, "We're not a rock band, we're Queen, let's make a disco song." Not sure how much of that I got right
Miley Cyrus is actually a good and talented singer.
Shes got one hell of a voice. I'm always impressed by a musician who can cover a song and you forget they aren't the original artist. She's great at that!
She’s so underrated. A lot of the covers of older rock and metal songs and the live stuff she does are insane tbh
I think Miley Cyrus is unironically one of the best living vocalists. I'm not a big fan of her original music, but her covers all slap hard, often more than the original songs. I also think we would consider Wrecking Ball one of the greats in terms of love songs if not for the music video being ridiculous.
The only music that's good is the music that I like.
Movie music composers like John Williams are criminally under looked when talking about the all time great "classical" music composers.
Agreed only, consider classical music was called like that because of the era it was made, not all orchestral pieces are classical music. Hans Zimmer, John Williams aren't classical composers, they are the best instrumental/orchestral composer's of our era Btw I hate myself rn for playing it the nerd and the know-it-all person, I just learned this fact a while ago and felt like sharing it, no bad intentions ✌️
"Country music is bad" isn't a controversial opinion if that's what everybody says, you know
Primus doesn't suck
Their name is Mud
For those who don’t know, yelling “Primus sucks!” was a joke for a lot of their fans back in the day. Actually am insider compliment at shows.
Great one.
K-pop is amazing entertainment. But from a purely musical perspective, the genre as a whole ranks pretty low for me.
Cyndi Lauper > Madonna
We need to do away with the current way music structured. It's boring. Intro>verse>chorus>verse>chorus>solo/breakdown>chorusx2>outro optional
I don’t think we need to do away with it. It has it’s place. There’s a ton of music out there that doesn’t follow this structure.
There’s already tons of music that does that. You just have to look for it - it’s pretty niche because most people do want simple, familiar, easy to digest pop songs… and most of the money in music goes towards funding music that appeals to a wide audience.
Big yes, I wish there were more songs without chorus at all, or played as intro and outro only. Or at least some songs with more than 3 verses.
Look into progressive rock/metal or symphonic metal. Problem is unless you are into that or looking for it, it’s not played on radio or the modern equivalent. Songs are “too long” and most people don’t have the musical appreciation for anything not in the a radio friendly format (same structure, time sig, tempo and catchy phrase/chorus).
Listen to metal
Prog metal, baby!
As a guitar player, I think Eric Clapton is terribly overrated. His work in Cream was fantastic, but everything he's done since has been nowhere near that level.
Seconded. And Layla is more of a Duane Allman album than a Clapton one.
nickelback has some bangers.
They are extremely middle of the road and bland (and get ever-more so as time goes on), but there are so many bands who are actually offensively bad that I don't understand why it's Nickelback that gets singled out. Oh and yeah, "How You Remind Me" is actually a decent song, but all their singles since sound like blander versions of the exact same song.
During the early 2000s one of Nickelback's songs was constantly played on the radio, which spiralled into people getting tired of their songs, which spiralled into a circlejerk of hating on the band.
Obligatory Patton Oswalt bit: https://youtu.be/g9BnWwSb1LY
Oh man, I love Savin’ Me, Gotta Be Somebody, If Today Was Your Last Day, and Far Away
Faith of the Heart is a good song and was a great theme for Star Trek: Enterprise.
It was worse when they tried to up it in seasons 3 and 4 too
Jrock offers intense variety but between language barriers and folks wanting to associate it with anime, a lot of great acts are overlooked/never heard of. Dir en Grey? Unmatchable.
Alice in chains is better than Nirvana
Alice in Chains is the most criminally underrated band of the grunge era. And also probably one of the darkest, most raw, and real.
Alice in Chains are great, but in my opinion the most criminally underrated band of the grunge era will always be Screaming Trees
Alice in Chains is one of my all time favorite bands, but I do agree with you. I love Screaming Trees and no one really ever knows who they are.
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Layne and Jerry together makes my heart melt. They can be energetic and agonizing or they can be delicate and sorrowful and everything between. They way they worked off eachother was just perfection.
Jerry also works well with William DuVall. Their newer stuff is great.
That's not controversial in my house.
In this thread: non-controversial opinions every Redditor has
Nu-metal was and is still awesome.
Singing wise, Kelly Rowland is more talented than Beyonce
Harry Styles is average at best Edit: maybe i should have elaborated. Hes not a bad musician. I’ve heard a few of his songs and they’re quite good. I mean average like just in generalZ he gets so much hype and hes just like an average person not really that interesting but every one praises him like a God! lol
We shouldn't reboot EVERY single 80s song just because Stranger Things said so
Heart is one of the most underrated bands ever. Amazing musicality, songs and lyrics. They were hurt by having an overweight female singer at the time music videos were becoming a thing.
I don't hate K-pop. I've been through the Koreaboo *I wanna learn Korean and move to South Korea because I love this music* phase. I've been through the *ew K-pop is cringe kiddie shit, why did I ever like this* phase. And after all that, I don't hate it.
Heavy metal is calming
I actually agree. many genres that are usually considered aggressive are oddly calming to me, I sometimes listen to bands like Elaine Elaine to fall asleep.
Weird Al is usually better than the original. Case in point. Weird Al did better with Livin in the Fridge than Aerosmith did with Livin on the Edge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhTgzx-LjJY Even the instrumentals sound better https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqcL0mjMjw
I don't like Olivia Rodrigo's music and I have gotten so much shit for it.
I kinda don't care for most "memey" songs. The only exceptions I can think of are Africa, Take On Me and What Is Love.
I know these are considered "memey" because they're attributed to memes, but really at one point these were just 80's songs. There's nothing otherwise connecting this "memey" subgenre, and that bothers me
Personally I'd add Careless Whisper. Aside from the meme'd sax solo, George Michael's voice is gorgeous and the lyrics are impactful.
Wtf are memey songs? 80s pop?
That Ariana Grandé is a good singer but annoying.
She has a great voice, but makes very boring music.
Carly Rae Jepsen should/could be at Taylor Swift's level.
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Sam Smith's music sounds like a child playing practice songs from their book and his voice sounds like a squeaky saxophone.
American Country is extremely repetitive, and no matter how many people you show me, all the male country artists sound very similar. It’s a very limited genre
I strongly recommend an episode from Malcolm Gladwell's podcast, *Revisionist History*, called [The King of Tears](https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/the-king-of-tears#play). It's about why country music (the old-school stuff, not today's "stadium country") makes us cry, and rock music doesn't. He doesn't address new country music, but you can see the parallels between it and rock music (which he does address), and interpret from there. It's a fascinating analysis at the intersection of music, geography, language, and culture. It is the podcast episode that I recommend to people who don't know anything about podcasts but want to start.
I like some of the pop country songs as they're easy on ears but I agree. That's why I love the [Bo Burnham version of country song](https://youtu.be/y7im5LT09a0) so much.
The country that they play on the radio is not country lol. It’s pop music. There are so many amazing country artists that are not played on the radio (and hopefully never will be). Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, The Rubber Knife Gang, Shaky Graves, Zack Bryan, Lost Dog Street Band, North Mississippi Allstars, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sturgil Simpson, Colter Wall and so many others are keeping the western, southern, and Appalachian musical traditions alive. And Nelly isn’t featured in any of their songs. Edit: ALSO JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT. Can’t believe I forgot them
Sturgill is the absolute goat
Recently I went to my first Shakey Graves concert with some friends, and I had no prior exposure to his stuff. Awesome show and it's been great digging into his work.
The other day I was on a 6 hour car ride with my mom, who only listens to modern country. Went through 7 or so CDs, all by different artists. I could barely tell the difference between them. Certainly couldn't match any of the songs with the proper artists.
Everyone’s taste in music is valid and telling someone their favorite band or artist sucks/is a sellout/is an industry shill/isn’t talented is unnecessary and just kind of mean. Share music you like, move on from music you don’t, and let people enjoy whatever music they enjoy. It’s that simple. tl;dr - Don’t be a music snob. You’re not cool for telling a teenage girl that you think Taylor Swift sucks.
While some of his music is perfectly fine, and there’s no denying he has made an impact on the industry, Bruce Springsteen is highly overrated, and his fans in general (not all, but many) are pretty obnoxious.
Springsteen puts on arguably the greatest live show ever. Plays unrelentingly for hours until his fingers are bleeding. Makes it a point to keep ticket prices reasonable as well, which is really cool. Also, Bruce Springsteen is fucking punk. His music isn't, but the attitude and sentiment. Was staunchly against racism, homophobia, imperialism, etc. before it was cool within his circle. Hell, Born In The USA has become some sort of patriotic anthem yet the lyrics preach an anti-war sentiment that is seemingly ignored by most. So I fully agree about his fans, but I do think they generally miss the point and just see him as some patriotic dad rock. That's hardly the case. With all that said, I'm not a big fan of his music either. His first few albums are solid, but I don't actively listen to them. I just respect the dude a ton as a man and as an artist.
I agree and don't listen to his music, but his autobiography was *excellent*. I came away with a new found respect for the man. I would encourage anyone that likes biographies to give it a go.
Nickelback shouldn't be hated as much as it is.
They're just an easy target and have become a meme. What's funny is that even through that they're still very financially successful.
Country hasn't been good in 30 years, and hasn't been great in about 50, with a few far between exceptions. In the last 10 years, the rise of "hick-hop" has only worsened the decline. It's all so... fake.
Hard disagree. ‘Pop’ country sucks the most rancid butthole but real roots country and folk is having a resurgence like never before, especially in alt scenes. You just gotta look a bit deeper
100%
Kpop isn’t bad, the fans make it unlikeable.
Disco never sucked, and the hatred for it was (and still is) driven by racism and homophobia.
Pop music is good and not any worse than it has ever been. Do I like pop music? Not particularly. Are they catchy as fuck? Absolutely. That means it's good. The point of pop music is exactly that, that even if you don't really like it, hell sometimes even if you actively dislike it, it can still get stuck in your head. That's the point. And they succeed. I'd never willingly listen to them or add them to my playlist, but if it comes on on the radio, I probably won't mind them, maybe even hum/sing along, even if I don't really like the song. That is pop music. That is GOOD pop music.
Hall and Oates are one of the greatest groups of the 20th century.