The world of pop music is often full of drama in one way or another. It’s like a car crash that you can’t look away from. And while we don’t condone the actions of many of these specific artists, we still think these iconic music feuds are as big of a part of pop culture as the music the parties involved produced. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Videos by American Songwriter
1. Taylor Swift and Kanye West
It was the iconic music feud of icon music feuds for a while, though that award interruption still has us scratching our heads. The beef between rapper Kanye West and pop star Taylor Swift started back in 2009 when the former interrupted the latter as she accepted her VMA award in front of millions of people.
Even though West “apologized”, he continued to drag Swift through the mud in interviews. Still, the two seemed to set their differences aside by 2015. But in 2016, West decided to reignite the beef again by dropping some vulgar lyrics about Swift in his song “Famous”.
2. Roger Waters and David Gilmour
Iconic music feuds often happen between band members, and this is probably the most well-known example of that. Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and David Gilmour butted heads while working on The Wall in the late 1970s. The two weren’t willing to compromise with each other.
That led to a years-long beef and Waters continuously firing shots at his former bandmate in interviews. When Waters left the band, he jumped straight into a legal battle with Gilmour to keep him from using Pink Floyd’s name.
3. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
For a duo that made soothing, beautiful folk tunes, they really didn’t like each other behind closed doors. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel of Simon & Garfunkel broke up multiple times throughout their careers, and the heart of their beef likey came down to creative jealousy.
Simon wanted to focus on his solo career, while Garfunkel wanted to focus on his academics. Despite the multiple times they got back on stage together, neither has successfully let go of the tension between them.
4. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
Another example of iconic music feuds between bandmates, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry had a pretty strong feud for a while. Nicknamed the “toxic twins”, these two rock stars butted heads often due to drug abuse, production disagreements, and even additional beefs between their wives.
Even through years on stage together, the two still butt heads today. Perry even talked smack about Tyler joining American Idol in the 2010s. Aerosmith is more or less retired now, so who knows if their beef will ever really die?
5. Paul McCartney and John Lennon
Iconic music feuds don’t get more iconic than this. Despite being part of the biggest band of the 20th century, these two legendary musicians constantly fought over creative differences and overall control of The Beatles. They penned numerous songs about one another, too, such as McCartney’s “Too Many People” and Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep?”
Lennon passed away in 1980, and the pair were allegedly making amends before his untimely death.
Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.