4 Famous Rock Songs That Almost Never Saw the Light of Day

In another universe, on another timeline, these four famous rock songs never came to be. It’s hard to imagine what that would even look like. I’ve laid facedown on the floor and listened to a few of these hits on repeat on more than one occasion during a particularly hard time. Surprisingly, that distant timeline could have been our own, as these songs came dangerously close to never getting released. Let’s dive in!

“Creep” by Radiohead

This is probably one of the most famous alternative rock tracks of all time. “Creep” by Radiohead has been covered hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It offered solace to a generation of young people who felt isolated and unable to fit in. 

And oddly enough, the song was not a favorite of Jonny Greenwood. He allegedly tried to sabotage the recording by being particularly abrasive with the guitar. However, that abrasiveness made the melancholy tune even better. Eventually, Radiohead was convinced by producers to release the track, and it’s now their signature song.

“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica

“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica is a standout track from Metallica’s iconic 1991 self-titled record. In fact, this particular song helped the band bridge the gap between their thrash metal beginnings and their arena-level rock star era.

When James Hetfield first wrote the song, he did not consider it for an album. He allegedly didn’t consider releasing it at all until Lars Ulrich heard it and encouraged him to work with it. If Ulrich wasn’t there, “Nothing Else Matters” would have never come to be.

“1979” by Smashing Pumpkins

This one’s a 90s classic, and it almost never got released. The Smashing Pumpkins’ hit record Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness is a grunge-era classic, as is the song’s best-known single, “1979”. However, when initially pitched to producer Mark “Flood” Ellis, he hated it and made Billy Corgan completely revise the tune before even considering it for the album. Imagine if Corgan gave up on it?

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana

This grunge classic on our list of famous rock songs ended up being a point of contention for Kurt Cobain, who got sick of playing the song live. And before the song even made it to Nirvana’s famed album Nevermind, the band was reluctant to release it at all. 

Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl were initially not too impressed with the pop-leaning song, and Grohl once said that he didn’t want to move forward with the tune because it sounded too similar to the band’s contemporaries, Pixies. Fortunately, the band released “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and they were catapulted to fame.

Photo by Roger Sargent/Shutterstock

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.