4 of the Most Skippable Tracks on Famous Classic Rock Albums

Very few albums out there are truly perfect. Even the greatest records to come out of the golden era of classic rock still boast a few very skippable tracks. I find myself skipping the following four songs often, even though I think the albums they are part of are otherwise incredible. Let’s take a look! You might just agree with me on these.

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“Run For Your Life” by The Beatles on ‘Rubber Soul’ (1965)

This tune by The Beatles has not aged well. Rubber Soul is an incredible album, but I know I’m not the only one out there who skips “Run For Your Life”. Not only does the song take too much inspiration from Elvis Presley, but the theme of its lyrics is creepy. In the song, John Lennon croons about wanting to kill a woman if she leaves him for another man. It feels like an ode to domestic violence, and even Lennon said that he hated the song, too.

“I Spy” by Pulp on ‘Different Class’ (1995)

Different Class is a truly incredible Britpop release from the mid-90s. Sadly, though, “I Spy” is the most skippable track from that otherwise excellent release. Jarvis Cocker’s delivery is just sort of odd, and the lyricism of this song isn’t particularly on par with the rest of the songs on the album. It almost seems unfinished.

“Cars Are Cars” by Paul Simon on ‘Hearts And Bones’ (1983)

Hearts And Bones is a gorgeous solo effort from Paul Simon. Few would disagree with that. Simon was also particularly critical of himself, and famously said that Hearts And Bones was the first album where his songwriting chops started to become more interesting. While the song “Cars Are Cars” from that very album is certainly interesting, it always gets a skip from me. The songwriting is a bit backwards, and Simon fails to make clear his desire to promote equality.

“A Man Needs A Maid” by Neil Young on ‘Harvest’ (1972)

I know the (gorgeous) folk rock album Harvest by Neil Young came out in 1972. But even back then, the concepts in the song “A Man Needs A Maid” were outdated at best and downright misogynistic at worst. 

It’s probably the hardest Young song to defend, though some have tried. Some fans have said that this song was meant to empower female listeners by putting Young’s own shortcomings on full display. However, the song is just vague enough to make listeners think that Young is celebrating the need for a woman to take care of him while he offers nothing, really, in return.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns

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