# Anyone else beginning to find Nickelback/Chad Kroeger whiny and tiresome? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582 "2003-01-09T19:44:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/1 "2003-01-09T19:44:45Z")
One of the local radio stations I listen to at work has started to play Nickelback’s “Never Again” in heavy rotation (like once every 2 hours). This song is an angry lament against an abusive father. Sample lyric: _He’s drunk again, it’s time to fight She must have done something wrong tonight The living room becomes a boxing ring It’s time to run when you see him clenching his hands She’s just a woman… never again_ And so forth. Hearing this song’s hackneyed cliches (lamenting about spousal abuse is kind of like saying “Gee, that Holocaust thingie sure was unfortunate, wasn’t it?” It’s restating/belaboring the obvious.) over and over again got me to thinking. I actually liked Nickelback’s first two hits, “How You Remind Me,” and “Too Bad,” but once I thought about it, I realized both of THOSE are angry laments as well. “How You Remind Me” is a guy bitching about betrayal by his girl: _It’s not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story This time I’m mistaken for handing you a heart worth breaking I’ve been wrong, I’ve been down, to the bottom of every bottle_ etc. And “Too Bad” is all about a poor family abandoned by its father: _You left without saying goodbye, although I’m sure you tried You call the house from time to time to make sure we’re alive But you weren’t there right when I needed you the most And now I dream about it… and how it’s so bad_ And then there’s Nickelback’s lead sing Chad Kroeger’s duet from the Spiderman" soundtrack, “Hero”: _Someone told me, love will now save us But how can that be Look what love gave us A world full of killing And blood spilling_ I guess the point of all this is, geez Kroeger, kill yourself already! You’re bumming me out! ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/2 "2003-01-09T20:09:49Z")
God, I loathe and detest Nickelback, especially “Never Again,” though I thought the song was about an abusive boyfriend/husband rather than an abusive father. I cringe every time Kroeger sings “She’s just a wooommmaaaannnnnn,” partly because it sounds like he’s in the midst of an excruciatingly difficult bowel movement but mainly because it’s blatantly sexist. And following the line “Haven’t you heard ‘don’t hit a lady’” with “Kicking your ass would be a pleasure” is unintentional comic gold. Thanks for taking the burden of female suffering and oppression upon your manly-man shoulders, Kroeger. I’m sure once they recover from their fit of swooning, brought upon by the shattering of their delicate feminine sensibilities, women everywhere will thank you. I’ll restate it: I loathe Nickelback. Kroeger sounds like a neanderthal. ---
**Author:** ![Dryga\_Yes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Dryga\_Yes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryga_Yes)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/3 "2003-01-09T20:13:25Z")
_beginning_ to find… ? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/4 "2003-01-09T21:50:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Treviathan \* > \*\*I’ll restate it: I loathe Nickelback. Kroeger sounds like a neanderthal. \*\* It’s funny you should word it like that, since I was thinking a few days ago that he _looked_ like one. I think Nickelback are an average band, but mainly a victim of overexposure. Rock’s been whinier, though. Look at Staind. Hell, even the _name_ sounds whiny. I think we can blame Nirvana for starting this trend, but at least Nirvana did it well. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/5 "2003-01-09T22:19:06Z")
Is Chad Kroeger channeling Art Alexakis and/or Billy Corgan? When did it become cool for lead singers to have issues with their fathers? (If that is indeed CK’s problem. Personally I think it’s just a misguided attempt at a PSA.) This past September, Nickleback played [WEND’s](http://www.1065.com/main.html) End of Summer Weenie Roast. The month prior to that, “Never Again” went into SuperDeluxeUltraExtreeeeeeemeHeavy rotation. The title of the song describes the number of times I want to hear it again. I felt very sorry for the deejays having to fawn all over themselves about how great this song was and what a fantastic band Nickleback is every time they played that song. Hate Nickleback. Hate. Although for some reason I still like “How You Remind Me”. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/6 "2003-01-09T22:24:59Z")
They’ve always been on the cutting edge of suckdom for me. ---
**Author:** ![abatha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@abatha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abatha)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/7 "2003-01-09T22:29:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dryga\_Yes \* > \*\*_beginning_ to find… ? 😉 \*\* some one beat me to it…as soon as i saw the topic that was my EXACT thought. nickelback, staind, “rock” bands like that don’t rock very hard and only have songs complaining about how their lives suck. THEY suck. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/8 "2003-01-09T22:44:58Z")
For the record, their first “hit” wasn’t “How You Remind Me;” they got some minor airplay on alternative stations with “Leader of Men,” which was quite a good song. I liked it. They persevered for quite a long time (they were formed in 1996) before hitting it rich, so I guess it’s all good… but still. I liked “How You Remind Me” but Jesus, that song was overplayed to an incredible amount. “Never Again” is just annoying, and the hero song… Oh god, the hero song is horrendous. One of my favorite bands just released a single; I hope to God the over-play that Nickelback recieved doesn’t happen to them. Once the deluge is over, they’ll just fade back into obscurity, the radio stations having eliminated every fan’s desire to ever hear the name Nickelback again. As for the subject matter of the song – would you really rather hear some testosterone laden version with all the lyrical content of that “let the bodies hit the floor” song yet _AGAIN_? For that matter, I’d rather the rock bands whine about abusive parents or relationships then yet another recital of how his girl done left him. ---
**Author:** ![LoN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@LoN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoN)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/9 "2003-01-09T22:54:39Z")
They added a sucky song to one of my favorite movies… damn them! ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/10 "2003-01-10T00:24:33Z")
Nickelback/Kroeger whiny and tiresome? Always and forever. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/11 "2003-01-10T04:05:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tanaqui \* > \*\*They persevered for quite a long time (they were formed in 1996) before hitting it rich, so I guess it’s all good… \*\* I dunno. Does 4-5 years count as “persevering for quite a long time”? I mean, didn’t it take _Bruce Springsteen_ longer than that to really hit it big? ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/12 "2003-01-10T04:22:19Z")
I appreciated “How You Remind Me” whenever it came on radio, though I never had the slightest desire to buy the CD. I could listen to “Never Again” when it came on the radio at work without wanting to take a baseball bat to the stereo. I can’t do that for “Too Bad” or “Hero.” ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/13 "2003-01-10T09:04:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tanaqui \* > \*\*As for the subject matter of the song – would you really rather hear some testosterone laden version with all the lyrical content of that “let the bodies hit the floor” song yet _AGAIN_? For that matter, I’d rather the rock bands whine about abusive parents or relationships then yet another recital of how his girl done left him. \*\* Just like the rock topics of previous times (drinking, babes, getting laid, hating your job, etc.) I’m sure the nauseating influx of whiny “defunctional” lyrics that had its popular debut with Nirvana (and has been carried to laughable extremes with Korn and Disturbed) are probably conceived with half a eye on the marketplace…“Hey, there’s a lot of disaffected kids out there who hate their parents, let’s write a song about how we hate _our_ parents! The sales will go through the roof!” ---
**Author:** ![longjohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@longjohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longjohn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/14 "2003-01-10T10:28:56Z")
“How you remind me” had been my first and only exposure to this shower of twats. I was really hoping that they’d turn out to be one hit wonders. I am saddened that it appears we will be hearing more from them. Unfortunately their music hits a rich vein. To quote Bart Simpson “making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel”. At least the Pumpkins and Nirvana were talented. The only noticeable thing about this band, apart from their ability to give me a migraine is the remarkable prognathous jawline of their lead caveman. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/15 "2003-01-10T11:22:08Z")
Ugg! Tor miss girlfriend! I get similiar desires to smack the lyricists for Blink 182 (you’re 30 and married! Stop singing about high-school!), Linkin Park (depression gets really boring), and to a lesser extent Nine Inch Nails (you’re a multibillionaire star in a genre you created! write something upbeat for once!). Mind you, that’s just the lyrics I don’t like, the music is good. Which is why I find it irritating, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/16 "2003-01-10T11:37:13Z")
(old fart voice)I haven’t heard a decent new rock band in 5 years.(/old fart voice) ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/17 "2003-01-10T14:12:19Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by SpazCat_ > Is Chad Kroeger channeling Art Alexakis and/or Billy Corgan? When did it become cool for lead singers to have issues with their fathers? I believe it was around the time Korn began using it as the subject matter for every single one of their songs/videos/album covers/bowel movements. At least Art and Billy could write about other stuff, and in the case of the latter, was actually good. > [@](#): > > originally posted by cuate (old fart voice)I haven’t heard a decent new rock band in 5 years.(/old fart voice) [/quote] Interpol, White Stripes, Moldy Peaches, Rocket Science, And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Modest Mouse, At the Drive In, The Strokes, Death Cab For Cutie, The Vines, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grinspoon, Bluebottle Kiss, The Devoted Few, Bright Eyes, The Get Up Kids, Magic Dirt, The Postal Service, Cursive, The Sleepy Jackson, Libertines, Liars and Wilco. To get you started. ---
**Author:** ![longjohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@longjohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longjohn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/18 "2003-01-10T16:36:35Z")
Gex gex, I think actually you’ll find that the strokes are massively overhyped trustafarians, who have influential daddies that managed to whip up a brief storm of interest around them and their crashingly talentless take on real NYC punk. I doubt they will be troubling the charts much again, the backlash must be about due by now. The other bands you mentioned (that i’ve heard of) i concur are great, and i’d add Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Queens of the Stone Age. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/19 "2003-01-10T18:36:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > I dunno. Does 4-5 years count as “persevering for quite a long time”? I mean, didn’t it take _Bruce Springsteen_ longer than that to really hit it big? Just barely that long. He was 23 when _Asbury Park_ was released. (I don’t count time spent in bands while in school ‘persevering’.) Hell, 4-5 years on the Doors’ timeframe probably gets you from the formation of the group to Jim Morrison’s death. And 4-5 years after George Harrison first started playing with Lennon and McCartney, they were bigger than God. (Or was it Rod? ;)) This whole spend-all-of-your-20s-paying-dues thing is, IMHO, another artifact of corporate control of the music biz. Makes for worse music too, IMHO: by the time a typical group finally signs a record contract, their creative years are behind them. ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582/20 "2003-01-11T02:36:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Silentgoldfish \* > \*\*…and to a lesser extent Nine Inch Nails (you’re a multibillionaire star in a genre you created! write something upbeat for once!). \*\* Don’t knock 'im! Grr! 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-beginning-to-find-nickelback-chad-kroeger-whiny-and-tiresome/147582.md?page=2)