3 Classic Rock Songs With Lyrics That Just Haven’t Aged Well

You know, making art is tough. You make something from scratch and you put it out there into the world and sometimes it becomes a timeless artifact. And other times, it becomes something you wish never had your name on it to begin with. Such is true for a meal you might cook on a Saturday night as it is some classic rock songs from some famous folks.

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Here below, we wanted to explore three such examples. A trio of tracks that in one way or another just didn’t age well. Maybe they were sour from the get-go—that’s not for us to judge here. But over time, they certainly lost their luster and then some. Hey, it happens. These are three classic rock songs that just haven’t aged well.

[RELATED: No Skips: 4 Classic Rock Albums You’ll Never Have to Fast-Forward]

“Walk This Way” by Aerosmith from Toys in the Attic (1975)

Look, there are a lot of songs from past decades that feature problematic age discrepancies between the singer and the subject (see: “Christine Sixteen” by KISS or “Seventeen” by Winger). But there is just something about the opening to this song that seems off. OK, perhaps the “speaker” is not supposed to be lead vocalist Steven Tyler, himself. But for a song to talk about “a real young bleeder” as a sex object is tough to hear. There are some interesting family dynamics at the end of the verse, too, when it comes to that romantic relationship. As Tyler sings,

I met a cheerleader
Was a real young bleeder
Oh, the times I could reminisce
‘Cause the best things of lovin’
With her sister and her cousin
Only started with a little kiss

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid (Single, 1984)

Oh boy. Where do you begin with a song like this? I guess, let’s point out the good things. The intention with this song is good—to raise money for famine victims in Ethiopia. The performers’ hearts are in the right place. But the song, itself? Just wildly condescending—title included. Big oof. But even more than that, it’s just a badly written tune. The lyrics read like those written by a kindergartner between snack times. With a collection of artists from Bono to George Michael to Phil Collins, this is what they came up with,

Bring peace and joy this Christmas to West Africa
A song of hope they’ll have is being alive
Why is comfort deadly fear
Why is to touch to be scared
How can they know it’s Christmas time at all
Here’s to you
Raise a glass to everyone
Here’s to them
And all their years to come
Can they know it’s Christmas time at all

“Ur So Gay” by Katy Perry from Ur So Gay (2007)

OK, we know Katy Perry, at her core, is about shock and surprise. And while this song was released on her debut EP of the same name, which was likely meant to draw eyes and ears more than resemble great transcendent art, it still is, despite all that, a super rough listen. It’s just … it’s just real rough. For example, she sings,

I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf
While jerking off listening to Mozart
You bitch and moan about LA
Wishing you were in the rain reading Hemingway
You don’t eat meat
And drive electrical cars
You’re so indie rock it’s almost an art
You need SPF 45 just to stay alive

You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys

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