Even the biggest rock hits can be controversial now and then. Success isn’t always the greatest marker for the wide array of opinions on a song. For proof of that statement, find three rock songs below that are both loved and hated the world over.
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1. “Wonderwall” (Oasis)
There are two camps when it comes to “Wonderwall.” The first moans and groans the minute someone whips out a guitar and starts playing this Oasis fumble. The second revels in the celebratory spirit of this 1995 staple. Whichever side of the aisle you stand on, no one can deny “Wonderwall” has an enduring quality to it. In our humble opinion, no song hits harder in a drunken stupor than this crowd-pleaser.
Today is gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw it back to you
And by now, you should’ve somehow realised what you gotta do
I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now
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2. “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” (Kiss)
We can’t deny that there is something a little funny about watching Kiss–in all their glam rock glory–sing such a blithe pop hit as “I Was Made For Lovin’ You.” If you switched out the artists, we venture to say this song could have been a primo dance anthem. Even with Kiss behind the wheel, it found success in that vein. Even so, some Kiss fans found their move to disco a little less than palatable. Anytime an artist tries to switch up their sound, there will inevitably be some naysayers that are holding on to what is comfortable.
I was made for lovin’ you, baby
You were made for lovin’ me
And I can’t get enough of you, baby
Can you get enough of me?
3. “Ebony and Ivory” (Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder)
By today’s standards, “Ebony and Ivory” feels a little schmaltzy. The kind of sincerity Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder issue out here almost reads as a little trite. Though the message behind this song is more than worth the effort both artists put in, the end result falls a little flat for some reason. Perhaps it’s the musical direction taken, perhaps it’s the relatively simple lyrics, but “Ebony and Ivory” isn’t the universally loved anthem they likely hoped it would be.
We all know that people are the same whereever you go
There is good and bad in ev’ryone
We learn to live, when we learn to give
Each other what we need to survive, together alive
(Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage)
