The Guardian has a series called Honest Playlist where they ask musicians/artists 12 questions about music, one of which is “the song I can no longer listen to.” It came up in the context of Moby complaining about The Kink’s song “Lola” over in the Ray Davies and Moby get into it over Lola thread.
But enough about them. What’s your song? It might be a song that hasn’t aged well, or you’re sick of, or became associated with bad memories.
Mine is “Equal Rights” by Peter Tosh. I was a fan of him in college, had the album, and listened occasionally. Then a psychotic roommate moved in and really loved the album. He played it constantly. It became the soundtrack to late night rants of “it was your turn to buy the fucking paper towels!” Or I’d come in the apartment, and he’d be just sitting on the couch with a creepy grin on his face, listening to the song on repeat.
Great song, but it has been forever ruined for me.
“Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz. I was attracted by the energy and the topic matter, but the instrumentation is just sooo pat and conventional. I rate my songs here on a 1-5 * scale, and after starting off at 4 stars, it slowly dropped down until one day I just unceremoniously removed the last star. I haven’t played it since I got my current machine 3 years ago.
As discussed on the thread definitely Under My Thumb. I’m a huge stones fan but will not listen to that. It’s a nasty mysognistic song that at best is aspiring to being an abusive controlling arsehole (at worst admitting to it)
I’d actually give an honorable mention to Lola itself. Not because of the song itself but for a long time it reminded me too much of my deceased dog. By a very circuitous route: my (one eyed) dog was called Leela, so I would jokingly sing her the version of Lola sung by Captain Zap Brannigan in Futurama, where he replaced Lola with Leela (because I’m weird).
I’d also add Alright by Supergrass and Around the World by Daft Punk. I find both of them just incredibly irritating jarring songs that put me off both bands for a long time
There are so many examples of songs I’ve gotten sick of, but the #1 example is Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” It’s been so overplayed on classic rock stations, TV shows, sports events, etc. that I can’t stand listening to it anymore. Other lesser contenders include “I Love Rock & Roll,” “Old Time Rock & Roll,” and “Living on a Prayer.”
For me my top one is Paradise By The Dashboard Light. Pretty much from the first time I heard it I hated it. Since it is considered a classic, it gets played when you least expect it. It is one of my few “gofer” tunes: when it comes on, I gofer the knob!
Freeze Frame by J Giles is number two. Just hearing “FREEZE FRAME!” makes me move like a Matrix agent and gofer the knob. I hate that because it is insipid, but more to the point, was overplayed so much it wore a permanent groove in my head.
While there is really nothing inherently wrong with Zep’s Fool In The Rain, hearing it 300 times a week for four years of college ruined it. That many listenings and every note starts to grate.
The Stones song that bugs me more is Brown Sugar. I think it is much worse than Under My Thumb, but it’s so darn catchy.
Speaking of the Stones, one my inner Moby worries about is Some Girls, with its infamous comments on girls of all races, but especially Black girls, and what they want. Should I really be liking this one?
Not exactly associated with bad memories, per se, but:
I’ve told the story before about hearing “When She Loved Me,” from Toy Story 2, on the car radio not too long after my mother died. The lyrics reminded me so strongly of my mom that I had to pull the car over because I was starting to cry.
To this day I can’t hear that song without being reduced to a blubbering mess.
“Just a city boy / born and raised in South Detroit…”
Sure, guys, you were trying for a gritty urban character, but what’s south of Detroit? Canada, Lake Erie, ritzy suburbs…
Anyhow, given all the misogynist Stones songs, I’d add “Run For Your Life” by the Beatles.
Jeez. I heard that song once, when I saw the movie, and that was enough for me forever. I can’t imagine hearing it under your circumstances.
I’m trying to come up with a more specific response to this thread, but I’ve gotten to where I can barely tolerate anything that comes on the radio. And I’ve got Sirius XM!
“Jack and Diane” got so overplayed in the 80’s that it may have been the very first tune that I ever actively hated. It was fine for the first few years, but they Just. Wouldn’t. Stop…
I feel like “songs you can no longer listen to” implies that I once liked them, is that right? Rather than instantly hated.
In this category, I actually liked Billy Joel for quite a while, but suddenly - like small doses of poison suddenly toppling over into toxicity - all his songs make me want to hit my head on the table. Do you need a specific one? “She¡s Always A Woman To Me.”. Man, I dislike that song.
I can’t think of any songs I once liked that lost favor with me because of my changing attitude, discovering the “real meaning,” etc. I have plenty I’m just sick of, and they can be terrific songs, but enough already.
I really don’t need to hear “Behind Blue Eyes” again, for example…
I’m the exact opposite with Joel. I didn’t care for his music back in the 90s when his stuff would come on the radio, but now I enjoy a lot of his stuff. Michael Jackson, on the other hand, had gone the other direction for me. I loved his music back in the late 80s, but now I can’t listen to almost anything of his. The only one I still enjoy is Human Nature.
Agree. And when I read your post, I realized that for me, the artist whose “small doses of poison toppled into toxicity” is Pat Benatar. No more Pat forever, thank you! Specific song: Love is a Battlefield. (Hell Is For Children doesn’t count because I hated it right away).
I don’t understand this complaint. Why can’t there be a south ANYTHING? Detroit covers a lot of area. There’s an east part, a west part, a north part, so why not a south part?
