4 Times Solo Acts Delivered Nasty “Diss” Tracks About Current and Former Bandmates

Nobody said that being in a rock band was supposed to be easy. Folks get on each other’s nerves. Tempers flare. Personal differences certainly rank right up there with artistic differences when it comes to reasons for group breakups. When a band member steps out on their own, they can occasionally air their grievances about bandmates, past and present, via “diss” tracks. Here are four of the most notorious examples of this phenomenon.

“Too Many People” by Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney had been listening to some slings and arrows in the press from John Lennon upon The Beatles’ breakup. He used the lead track off his 1971 album Ram, released as a joint venture with his wife Linda, to vent his frustrations. McCartney made his points without mentioning any names. But lines like “You took your lucky break and broke it in two” and “Too many people preaching practices” couldn’t be interpreted as anything other than jabs at Lennon. Macca even starts the song off with the words “Piss off, cake,” both a bit of wordplay and a message to his former bandmate. Take away the pointed message, and “Too Many People” is a propulsive track. Alas, it inspired some blowback.

“How Do You Sleep?” by John Lennon

“Too Many People” was an attack on John Lennon by Paul McCartney as a precision sniper. “How Do You Sleep?”, the rebuttal, resembled Lennon going after Macca wielding a machete. Lennon apparently grabbed some lines given to him by Allen Klein (a noted McCartney enemy) and Yoko Ono while penning the lyrics. Among the harsher assessments: “The sound you make is muzak to my ears” and “The only thing you done was Yesterday.” Lennon coaxed George Harrison into playing slide guitar on the track, which must have doubly stung McCartney. Ringo Starr, however, supposedly told Lennon that he’d gone a bit too far.

“You Don’t Move Me” by Keith Richards

Keith Richards fumed when Mick Jagger did a pair of solo albums in the mid-80s. He felt that members of The Rolling Stones shouldn’t be promoting their own work over that of the band. Along with the artistic and personal differences that had built up between the two, Jagger’s solo records pushed Richards over the edge. Not only did he decide to release his own solo LP, but he also included “You Don’t Move Me”, a thinly veiled takedown of Jagger’s character. Sample lyric: “What makes you so greedy/Makes you so seedy.” Ironically enough, by the time fans heard this on Richards’ 1988 album Talk Is Cheap, he and Jagger had buried the hatchet and were making a new Stones’ album.

“How To Be Dumb” by Elvis Costello

It’s always wise to remember that a songwriter who can put a record out at any time is going to get the last word. Bruce Thomas found that out the hard way when Elvis Costello released “How To Be Dumb” on his 1991 album Mighty Like A Rose. Thomas had served as the bassist for the Attractions, Costello’s backing band, since they originated in the late 70s. He wrote a book titled The Big Wheel that was published in 1990. Although the actual names weren’t used, one character included the leader of a band who was clearly modeled on Costello. As it turned out, this Elvis doppelganger wasn’t exactly portrayed in a flattering light. “How To Be Dumb” served as Costello’s savage response to Thomas.

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