# Which musical artist attains your highest score? (explanation in OP) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132 "2017-02-18T02:56:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/61 "2017-02-19T03:43:33Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Nice anecdote from NPR one time: There was a woman who found that she was one of two african americans at a Johnny Cash concert. The other one was Muhammed Ali. She went up and introduced herself and they had a little chat and she asked him why he was at a country music show and he said that he was from kentucky and they all like country music there. These days, Cash has an appeal far beyond the Country charts. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, I don’t sincerely think there is an artist that literally nobody hates, but the category is lowest percentage of people who hate them. Even if you, personally, hate Johnny Cash, I suspect the vast majority of music listeners across a wide spectrum of genres do not. I think he would score very very high in this regard. It just depends on where you put him at the #1 and #2 in your categories. Indeed. Cash _is_ cross-over appeal these days, and I doubt you’d find a lot of modern rock fans who _don’t_ like at the very least his cover of “Hurt”, if not more. It’s sad it only happened in his very last years. Anyway, as per the OP, The Beatles score the highest, in terms of fame, musical talent, and popularity, even taking into account the anti-Beatles people. They are, objectively, at the top of the heap on those combined metrics, or at least as objective as one can be about these things. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/62 "2017-02-19T05:08:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But what if you asked a hundred people who they would choose if they could bring back Bowie, Prince, Jackson, or John Lennon? Why? So he can crawl in bed with Yoko til she dies??? The other three would at least put out work. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/63 "2017-02-19T05:18:53Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Why? So he can crawl in bed with Yoko til she dies??? The other three would at least put out work. Harrison is also dead. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/64 "2017-02-19T05:54:14Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Harrison is also dead. Dale is referring to the other three mentioned (Bowie, Prince, and MJ), not the other three Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/65 "2017-02-19T12:28:24Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Dale is referring to the other three mentioned (Bowie, Prince, and MJ), not the other three Beatles. :smack::smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/66 "2017-02-19T12:39:04Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > And then I came up with my strongest entry yet: **Michael Jackson**. Popular? Damn straight. Talent in the stratosphere. And I don’t recall ever encountering anyone hating his work. Whether I hate his work depends on how much input he had into his music. I like the music on his first few albums until he starts singing. Those songs would be better with the same music but another person singing, so if that was his primary input then I’d say I hate his work (especially since I see nothing great about his post-thriller stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/67 "2017-02-19T13:00:54Z")
And if we’re talking about literally _anyone_ hating a musician, I know I’m not the only one who hates Sinatra. Back in college, the manager at my work-study job insisted on playing all Sinatra, all day. I can guarantee that all of us who were forced to listen to that for a whole shift couldn’t stand Sinatra by the end of a semester. Granted, listening to any one artist’s music all day is a tough bill to fill for anyone, but I think the Beatles just might be able to pull it off, as might some of the classical composers. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/68 "2017-02-19T19:49:16Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Indeed. Cash _is_ cross-over appeal these days, and I doubt you’d find a lot of modern rock fans who _don’t_ like at the very least his cover of “Hurt”, if not more. It’s sad it only happened in his very last years. When he swept the MTV Awards with the video for “Hurt”, message boards all over the Internet said, over and over again, “He should do ‘Head Like a Hole’ next!” Unfortunately, he didn’t get his chance because he died shortly afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/69 "2017-02-19T20:33:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But what if you asked a hundred people who they would choose if they could bring back Bowie, Prince, Jackson, or John Lennon? Prince for me. I think he was the most talented of the bunch because of his broad range. John Lennon would be dead last behind basically everyone on Earth besides Kim Jong Un because he was such an arrogant asshole and hypocrite. In fairness, Lennon had a broad range of his own. It encompassed everything from spousal abuse to child neglect. “Imagine” is one of the most hypocritical songs ever written when you realize that it was created by a multi-millionaire living in a luxury apartment in Manhattan. I think Mark Chapman should have just punched him really hard rather than shoot him but I can understand the sentiment. > **[You Don't Have to 'Imagine' John Lennon Was Abusive](https://www.vice.com/en/article/ypa9b5/you-dont-have-to-imagine-john-lennon-beat-women-and-childrenits-just-a-fact)** > > To celebrate the anniversary of the Beatle’s beloved album "Imagine," we recount some of the terrible things the famous asshole did during his life. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/70 "2017-02-19T22:15:15Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Prince for me. I think he was the most talented of the bunch because of his broad range. John Lennon would be dead last behind basically everyone on Earth besides Kim Jong Un because he was such an arrogant asshole and hypocrite. In fairness, Lennon had a broad range of his own. It encompassed everything from spousal abuse to child neglect. “Imagine” is one of the most hypocritical songs ever written when you realize that it was created by a multi-millionaire living in a luxury apartment in Manhattan. I think Mark Chapman should have just punched him really hard rather than shoot him but I can understand the sentiment. > > [You Don't Have to 'Imagine' John Lennon Was Abusive](https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/you-dont-have-to-imagine-john-lennon-beat-women-and-childrenits-just-a-fact) Ouch. What a hit job. I don’t disagree with the facts, but it is smarmy. They don’t even mention that John got Magic Alex to have an affair with Cynthia so _ **he** _ could sue _ **her** _ for adultery! But do these things matter in the score? I don’t literally hate him because of this. How could I hate my favorite songwriter? I feel very bad for Julian though. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/71 "2017-02-19T22:49:22Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Prince for me. I think he was the most talented of the bunch because of his broad range. John Lennon would be dead last behind basically everyone on Earth besides Kim Jong Un because he was such an arrogant asshole and hypocrite. In fairness, Lennon had a broad range of his own. It encompassed everything from spousal abuse to child neglect. “Imagine” is one of the most hypocritical songs ever written when you realize that it was created by a multi-millionaire living in a luxury apartment in Manhattan. I think Mark Chapman should have just punched him really hard rather than shoot him but I can understand the sentiment. > > [You Don't Have to 'Imagine' John Lennon Was Abusive](https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/you-dont-have-to-imagine-john-lennon-beat-women-and-childrenits-just-a-fact) OP stepping in to instruct that this is not what this thread is about. At all. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/72 "2017-02-20T00:05:21Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > OP stepping in to instruct that this is not what this thread is about. > > At all. > mmm It is a little. The topic was John Lennon. 1. Popularity - 5 (most people only know just a few songs if any). 2. Musical ability/talent - 9 (on par with somebody like Justin Timberlake today; Prince and Louis Armstrong are 10’s). 3. Lowest percentage of people who hate their work - 6. He was a talented person with huge baggage that happened to hook up with some other really talented people and rode the wave of the British Invasion. I don’t hear his work played very frequently except “Imagine” which is hopelessly tainted for the reasons I gave. I like the Beatles just fine but they would have been just as good with any semi-talented replacement for John Lennon and probably would have lasted longer as a band. What do I know though? Ringo is my favorite Beatle. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/73 "2017-02-20T00:15:32Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Prince for me. I think he was the most talented of the bunch because of his broad range. John Lennon would be dead last behind basically everyone on Earth besides Kim Jong Un because he was such an arrogant asshole and hypocrite. In fairness, Lennon had a broad range of his own. It encompassed everything from spousal abuse to child neglect. “Imagine” is one of the most hypocritical songs ever written when you realize that it was created by a multi-millionaire living in a luxury apartment in Manhattan. I think Mark Chapman should have just punched him really hard rather than shoot him but I can understand the sentiment. I never met John Lennon (although I do happen to know Mark Chapman). So while I won’t dispute any of the bad things he did on a personal level, I have to say it didn’t directly affect me. My relationship to Lennon was solely through his music so I judge him by that. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/74 "2017-02-20T00:20:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I never met John Lennon (although I do happen to know Mark Chapman). You should tell that story here sometime (in all seriousness). Associations with infamous criminals are always a big draw. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/75 "2017-02-20T01:46:02Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > OP stepping in to instruct that this is not what this thread is about. > > At all. > mmm > [@Shagnasty](#): > > It is a little. The topic was John Lennon. > > 1. Popularity - 5 (most people only know just a few songs if any). > 2. Musical ability/talent - 9 (on par with somebody like Justin Timberlake today; Prince and Louis Armstrong are 10’s). > 3. Lowest percentage of people who hate their work - 6. > > He was a talented person with huge baggage that happened to hook up with some other really talented people and rode the wave of the British Invasion. I don’t hear his work played very frequently except “Imagine” which is hopelessly tainted for the reasons I gave. I like the Beatles just fine but they would have been just as good with any semi-talented replacement for John Lennon and probably would have lasted longer as a band. What do I know though? Ringo is my favorite Beatle. No, it isn’t. The thread is about the _music_, not the _person_. Your post quoted above, however, does apply to the topic of the thread. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/76 "2017-02-20T04:15:05Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You should tell that story here sometime (in all seriousness). Associations with infamous criminals are always a big draw. Not going to happen. I’ve discussed my job in general terms but I don’t discuss specific individuals. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/77 "2017-02-20T05:10:19Z")
I just realized that we are leaving out Jimmy Buffet in this thread. Granted, he is not the best singer in the world but he has his own style and is a great songwriter. He can still more than sell out very large arenas well past middle-age. He is also an extremely good businessman but I am told that it is out of bounds for this thread. There is no other person that could turn a one-hit wonder (Margaritaville) into a business empire that spans decades. He also has a dedicated channel on XM radio and a chain of restaurants. That isn’t bad for someone that sings like a drunk uncle at a wedding reception (that isn’t a criticism - Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan can’t sing very well either). 1. Popularity - 9 2. Musical ability/talent - 8 (because of his songwriting and live performance experience) 3. Lowest percentage of people who hate their work - 10 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/78 "2017-02-20T06:04:44Z")
In the current pantheon I would guess Adele. I seem to be part of only a teeny tiny group who can’t stand her, everyone else seems to completely adore her. For other eras, I’d say The Beatles or Elvis. Their fans outweigh their detractors by a high ratio. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/79 "2017-02-20T09:50:31Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I doubt you’d find a lot of modern rock fans who _don’t_ like at the very least his cover of “Hurt” I fucking hate it. And I know that puts me in a club of 1 (even Reznor is excluded from said club) but I don’t care - I have no need to hear what sounds like a dying hobo doing NIN karaoke. And I like a lot of Cash’s own stuff. **Beatles** gets my vote, BTW, much as I don’t personally care for them all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132/80 "2017-02-20T13:43:58Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I just realized that we are leaving out Jimmy Buffet in this thread. Granted, he is not the best singer in the world but he has his own style and is a great songwriter. He can still more than sell out very large arenas well past middle-age. He is also an extremely good businessman but I am told that it is out of bounds for this thread. There is no other person that could turn a one-hit wonder (Margaritaville) into a business empire that spans decades. He also has a dedicated channel on XM radio and a chain of restaurants. That isn’t bad for someone that sings like a drunk uncle at a wedding reception (that isn’t a criticism - Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan can’t sing very well either). > > 1. Popularity - 9 > 2. Musical ability/talent - 8 (because of his songwriting and live performance experience) > 3. Lowest percentage of people who hate their work - 10 I agree with #!, but musical ability/talent an 8? Is Buffet’s talent regarded that highly? I personally think he is an average-to-below-average songwriter (but I only know the songs from his Greatest Hits CD). As for #3, I know he has created his own industry; even his fans have a name for themselves. But I think he has plenty of loathers too, me among them. His whole deal feels so (skillfully) manufactured to me. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-artist-attains-your-highest-score-explanation-in-op/780132.md?page=5)