Famous Classic Rock Songs I Can’t Stand (And It’s the Radio’s Fault)

So many great classic rock songs still slap today, decades after they first hit the airwaves. Some songs, though, have aged poorly. And some of those songs didn’t age poorly because of their subject matter or sound. Rather, they’ve become grating because of how often radio stations will play them. Let’s dive into a few of my picks of classic rock songs I can’t stand, purely because I have heard them way too often.

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1. “Hotel California” by Eagles

I get it. This was a revolutionary song back in the day. It’s The Eagles’ best tune, in many a fan’s opinion. However, “Hotel California” has been overplayed to hell and back. I still love that opening guitar riff and the storytelling in this song, but you won’t catch me listening to it in its entirety of my own free will.

2. “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin

This has to be the most overplayed rock song in the history of classic rock. Listen, I love Led Zeppelin as much as the next guy. Their discography spans decades and is quite rich. There are more Led Zeppelin songs out there outside of “Stairway To Heaven”. Has no one told classic rock radio stations this? What about “Whole Lotta Love”? Or “Kashmir”? I’ll even take “Walter’s Walk” over hearing “Stairway To Heaven” again.

3. “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

This is one of the most famously overplayed songs ever. There’s a reason why “Play ‘Freebird’!” became a meme of sorts for years. It’s Lynyrd Skynyrd’s biggest song (outside of maybe “Sweet Home Alabama”), and a lot of southern rock fans love “Freebird”. Still, it has been way too overplayed, both on classic rock music stations and even country music stations.

4. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana

This is a difficult entry on this list of classic rock songs that I can’t stand. I love Nirvana. I love grunge. But I’m so sick of hearing “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. I know that I am not the only fan who feels this way. Kurt Cobain himself said that he hated performing the song and had come to resent it. I definitely understand how he felt.

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