Iron sharpens iron, after all, so what’s wrong with a little competition? To most, there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with a little healthy battle. And frankly, it has amounted to some incredibly phenomenal music. However, it is a fair possibility that if it wasn’t for a bit of rivalry, the music created could potentially have come across as mediocre. There would have been no fire held to the feet of the artist or the artists in question.
Videos by American Songwriter
With that in mind, the music industry has seen its fair share of healthy rivalries. Whether it was between bands or individuals didn’t matter, as all the parties in question stepped up their game and created some groundbreaking music. That being said, here are three pairs of musical acts who constantly competed during their careers!
Michael Jackson and Prince
Given their shared styles and fanbases, Michael Jackon and Prince were always competing against one another. Regarding their competition, Jackson once stated, per Smooth Radio, that Prince “feels like he’s my opponent. I hope he changes because, boy, he’s gonna get hurt.” He also said that Prince was “one of the rudest people I’ve ever met.”
Comments are comments, but the only thing proving the result of this feud are the numbers. On a surface level, it seems Michael Jackson was more “successful” than Prince simply because he has eight more no. 1 hits. However, there is far more information to take into consideration when sizing up this musical competition.
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
The Beatles and the Rolling Stones‘ images clearly contrasted each other. From the beginning, there was an intrinsic battle between the two. However, there was no apparent animosity between the two groups. Rather, it was simply a healthy, productive, and friendly competition.
Concerning their competition, Keith Richards once said per Guitar.com: “We were just envious, too, man. I mean, they’re doing what we wanted.”
Statistically speaking, The Beatles do surpass the Stones. However, the debate as to who is the better band is both incredibly subjective and, ultimately, futile.
Oasis and Blur
Oasis has always been a very direct and outspoken band. And they never had anything nice to say about their contemporaries and rivals, Blur. Both groups were constantly fighting for the top spot in Britain’s ’90s rock scene. Consequently, words were traded and insults were often thrown.
Oasis and Blur shared some unkind words on several different occasions. However, the most notable instance is when Noel Gallagher stated that he hoped a member of the band would “catch AIDS and die,” per Pubity. Gallagher denied that he made the comment. But nonetheless, there was still a competition of mass proportions between the two groups.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.