We all have those songs that we just can’t stand. Most of the time, we’ll just avoid them. How many times have you skipped “Photograph” by Nickelback when it comes on, for example? Sometimes, though, there’s the opportunity to redeem the hated song. Here are three songs that I can’t stand and how I’m attempting to redeem them in my own opinion.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Summer Of ’69” — Bryan Adams
As a person and a musician in general, Bryan Adams is great. Lately, he’s grown on me as I’ve revisited songs like “Heaven” and “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”. I’ve also explored his newer songs like “Brand New Day” and “Kick Ass” and genuinely enjoyed them.
Still, there’s one Bryan Adams song that I’ve never been able to stand—”Summer Of ’69”. This song was so overplayed on popular radio, even in the 2000s, that it was completely ruined. To this day, I can’t listen to it; “Summer Of ’69” is an instant skip.
Bryan Adams is redeemed, however, because he did the soundtrack to my favorite horse movie, Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron. This is a soundtrack that consistently gives me chills with its sweeping, emotional composition bolstered by Adams’ husky, evocative vocals. The track “Get Off My Back” introduced me to the essence of rock and roll as a kid, planting the seed of my love for guitar bands. I may not like “Summer Of ’69”, but there’s no denying Bryan Adams as an artist.
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” — Billy Joel
Billy Joel created a masterpiece of a topical pop culture song, and as much as I love Fall Out Boy I have to admit that they made a grave mistake trying to bring it into the 21st Century. “We Didn’t Start The Fire” belongs in the 20th century; it lives between the lines of 1949 and 1989, and it should have stayed there.
As great as this song is, it was unfortunately ruined by my high school history teacher, who made the class listen to it on repeat for a week and analyze the various historical events. Maybe with more distance, I’ll be able to listen to it again, but it’s been more than a decade. When will I be able to stand “We Didn’t Start The Fire” again?
Billy Joel is redeemed, of course, by the sheer number of other hits he’s had. “Piano Man”, “Only The Good Die Young”, “Vienna”, “New York State Of Mind”, the list goes on. Basically the entirety of The Stranger, personally, as well as the majority of Glass Houses. Despite my personal issues with “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, Billy Joel remains one of my favorites.
“Free Fallin’” — Tom Petty
This might earn me some enemies, but I can’t stand “Free Fallin’”. Similar to “Summer Of ’69”, this song was so overplayed on the radio that it was essentially ruined. I can recognize Tom Petty as an iconic artist and songwriter, but “Free Fallin’” just doesn’t cut the mustard, so to speak.
However, what I do love from Tom Petty, personally, is his duet with Stevie Nicks, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”. Maybe it’s the Stevie element, but it’s still an all-time favorite. Notably, the music video showcases Stevie Nicks’ penchant for staring at men while she sings romantic songs at them (see: the 1997 live performance of “Silver Springs”).
Overall, Tom Petty is still deserving of his songwriting legend status, even if I don’t really like “Free Fallin’”. That just goes to show the power that radio stations have to ruin perfectly good songs forever.
Featured Image by Chris Walter/WireImage
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