# Artists who hate their biggest hit **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874 "2009-07-31T15:33:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/101 "2009-08-03T22:56:23Z")
Edvard Grieg wasn’t fond of most of the Peer Gynt suite. Of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” he said > [@](#): > > And I have done something for the hall of the troll-king in Dovre which literally I can’t bear to hear, it reeks so of cow-turds, ultra Norwegianism, and to-one’s self-enoughness!" But he also added, > [@](#): > > But I am hoping that the irony will be able to make itself felt. which makes you think maybe he didn’t hate it all that much. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/102 "2009-08-03T23:56:26Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > As a side issue, does anyone know what a beguine is? A caribbean-inspired dance. And the the inspiration for one of my favorite songs: [Begin the Beguine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6BS4TrfFOI&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Jerseyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Jerseyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerseyman)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/103 "2009-08-04T00:40:27Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > Edvard Grieg wasn’t fond of most of the Peer Gynt suite. Of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” he said > > But he also added, which makes you think maybe he didn’t hate it all that much. If you want orchestral, Chaikovskiy (why the hell transliterate him in incomprehensible German as Tschaikowsky?) hated the ‘1812’ as a bit of overdone patriotic ‘Muzak’ he had the Tsar and the Church breathing down his neck to provide. It’s really the 1887 because it was commissioned to dedicate the church of Christ the Saviour near the Kremlin commemorating 75 years after Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow in 1812. Stalin blew the church up intending an indoor Olympic swimming pool but one way or another it was never covered over and an open-air swimming pool has its limitations in Moscow. A new church was built in the early 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/104 "2009-08-04T00:52:13Z")
> [@Jerseyman](#): > > Chaikovskiy (why the hell transliterate him in incomprehensible German as Tschaikowsky?) Probably because that “iy” is even more incomprehensible to English speakers. In America, at least, the name is usually spelled Tchaikovsky. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/105 "2009-08-04T06:25:33Z")
Joan Osbourne’s “One of Us”, which I have heard she sometimes sings with this line slipped in the chorus “Oh God, I hate this song”. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/106 "2009-08-04T14:12:28Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > I always wondered about that–how did Grace Slick, singer for Jefferson Airplane who did “Go Ask Alice,” wind up in that song?? I call “Kneedeep In The Hoopla” the “We’re Holding Grace Slick’s Family Hostage Until She Finishes Recording This” album. My own contribution to the thread: The Rembrandts rather famously HATED “I’ll Be There For You”, the theme from _Friends_. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/107 "2009-08-15T19:29:17Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I think The Who’s Pete Townshend kind of hated _Tommy_ for a while, although he got over it… I think it was quite telling that neither Pete or Roger made any kind of observance of the 40th Anniversary of Tommy’s release. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/108 "2009-08-15T21:59:03Z")
Tchaikovsky didn’t like Nutcracker, either. [The Nutcracker - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker) > [@](#): > > Tchaikovsky himself was less satisfied with The Nutcracker than with The Sleeping Beauty, his previous ballet. (In the film Fantasia, commentator Deems Taylor observes, very accurately, that he “really detested” the score.) ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/109 "2009-08-15T22:24:13Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Tchaikovsky didn’t like Nutcracker, either. From what I understand, Tchaikovsky was notoriously insecure and self-critical. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he had misgivings about most of his work. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/110 "2009-08-16T04:22:20Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Ronnie James Dio wanted to destroy the master of “Rainbow In The Dark” after the recording session, but was dissuaded from it by the rest of his band. When I saw him in 1996, he introduced the song as a “chain around my fucking neck”. I’m guessing his opinion of it did not improve with time. Huh. Between that and “Man On The Silver Mountain” that’s about the only 2 songs most casual rock music listener will recognize. ---
**Author:** ![TheFatKid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TheFatKid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFatKid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/111 "2009-08-16T04:27:54Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > Which other artists can’t stand their biggest hit? I don’t know if it was his biggest hit, but I heard John Mellencamp say in an interview that he hated having to play “I Need a Lover”. Also, Jethro Tull confessed on vinyl to hating playing “Living in the Past”. I saw Arlo Guthrie a couple times, and the first time he refused to play “Alice’s Restaurant”. The second time it was for a veterans’ benefit and he played it – said he hadn’t performed it in over 20 years. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![TheFatKid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TheFatKid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFatKid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/112 "2009-08-16T04:38:05Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I saw him in concert once, and he had this great bit of stage patter about the song. He acknowledged the responsibility to perform the song, because it’s many people’s favorite song, and might be the song couples in the audience fell in love to, so even though he’s tired of it, he owes it to them to do that song. But as a performer, he’s singing about loving someone he’s long divorced from, and his mind wanders: > > _Don’t go changing_ > (What will I have for dinner?) > _To try and please me_ > (Steak or chicken?) > _You never let me down before…_ > (I really should eat more fish…) Y’know, that’s really… I don’t know the word for it… around here we’d call it “sorry”. I mean, hey, you got the big houses and the cars and the good life. And you got it by playing songs. People who don’t have that life pay you good money to hear you perform. And you’re gonna ruin it like that? That’s the most selfish thing I ever heard of. Do your job. Play it. And play it like you love it. If you’re not willing to do that, get off the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/113 "2009-08-16T05:34:43Z")
Frank Sinatra hated “Strangers In The Night.” I don’t know if it was his biggest hit, but I’ve read that it was his first million selling record (and after twenty-five years in the music business, at that). He is said to have hated what he felt was the sing-song nature of it, which he mocked at the end with his doo-be-doo-be-doo outro. I recall his performance of it during his televised (on cable) _Concert For The Americas_ performance. Before he sang it he mentioned that he didn’t often perform it but that he was going to sing it due to a very special request. After the song was over the crowd was cheering and applauding loudly but you could still hear him laughingly proclaim as he walked back toward the orchestra: _“I hate that fucking song!”_ 😃 Good ol’ Frank! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/114 "2009-08-16T05:56:29Z")
He didn’t hate it but Beethoven didn’t understand the popularity of the Moonlight Sonata. He said. “Surely I’ve written better things than that.” to which I replied. “Yes you have and quit calling me Shirley.” ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/115 "2009-08-16T08:33:48Z")
Judging from her quick speed-thru-it rendition in a live performance, Sarah McLachlan doesn’t think highly of “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy”. ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_Winepuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4da419/32.png) [@Josh\_Winepuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_Winepuck)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/116 "2009-08-16T13:56:50Z")
Daniel Johns of Silverchair has repeatedly expressed his dislike of their first album, _Frogstomp_. Although they did perform _Israel’s Son_ at the Silverchair/Powderfinger concert last year. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/117 "2009-08-16T20:09:26Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I think it was quite telling that neither Pete or Roger made any kind of observance of the 40th Anniversary of Tommy’s release. Considering Pete’s recent brush with pedophilia allegations (which were total B.S. IMO) he probably wants to distance himself from the lyrics _“See me, feel me, touch me…”_ ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/118 "2009-08-16T21:32:12Z")
Peter Noone ( & probably the rest of Hermans Hermits) hated the novelty songs \*\*I’m Henry the VIII & Mrs Brown, you’ve got a luvly daughter \*\*where Noone was instructed to “play up” his English accent. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/119 "2009-08-16T22:48:17Z")
> [@TheFatKid](#): > > About “I Love You Just The Way You Are” > Y’know, that’s really… I don’t know the word for it… around here we’d call it “sorry”. > > I mean, hey, you got the big houses and the cars and the good life. And you got it by playing songs. People who don’t have that life pay you good money to hear you perform. And you’re gonna ruin it like that? > > That’s the most selfish thing I ever heard of. > > Do your job. Play it. And play it like you love it. > > If you’re not willing to do that, get off the stage. To be fair, you’re not doing the song hundreds of times a year. And, he did a great version of the song that evening. There are few creative acts that can be repeated over and over again with the same joy as the first time. That’s like expecting every time you make love to be as astonishing as the best you’ve ever had - even in a situation as intimate as that, engaged with someone you presumably care deeply about, you’re sometimes going to go through the motions. Now imagine making love on stage in front of 20,000 people. And doing that 200 times in one year. You’re asking that Billy Joel be a prostitute, and you’re demanding further that he moan like he means it. Some concerts are better than others. This is why people who see lots of concerts talk about particular shows. I’d love it if favorite artists could perform my favorite songs with every bit of passion that went into the original creation, but that is too much to expect. Instead, I can reminisce with other fans about specific tours where the song in question was fresh in the artist’s mind and the passion of the performance floored us. Remembering Todd Rundgren’s performance of his song “Only Human” on the tour supporting the album “Swing To The Right” can still, 27 years later, raise goose bumps on my arms. I’m sure he couldn’t pull the song out of the sock drawer and create the same experience for me. ---
**Author:** ![TheFatKid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TheFatKid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFatKid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874/120 "2009-08-17T00:10:48Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > To be fair, you’re not doing the song hundreds of times a year. And, he did a great version of the song that evening. There are few creative acts that can be repeated over and over again with the same joy as the first time. That’s like expecting every time you make love to be as astonishing as the best you’ve ever had - even in a situation as intimate as that, engaged with someone you presumably care deeply about, you’re sometimes going to go through the motions. Now imagine making love on stage in front of 20,000 people. And doing that 200 times in one year. You’re asking that Billy Joel be a prostitute, and you’re demanding further that he moan like he means it. > > Some concerts are better than others. This is why people who see lots of concerts talk about particular shows. I’d love it if favorite artists could perform my favorite songs with every bit of passion that went into the original creation, but that is too much to expect. Instead, I can reminisce with other fans about specific tours where the song in question was fresh in the artist’s mind and the passion of the performance floored us. Remembering Todd Rundgren’s performance of his song “Only Human” on the tour supporting the album “Swing To The Right” can still, 27 years later, raise goose bumps on my arms. I’m sure he couldn’t pull the song out of the sock drawer and create the same experience for me. Yeah, I know, but to me, that’s just taking it too far. It’s no fun running a press every day either, but people do it for a lot less money. I like Dylan’s approach. He rearranges, often quite drastically, so it doesn’t get old. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-hate-their-biggest-hit/504874.md?page=7)