Top 20 Artists That Hate Their Own Songs 

Did we forget one of your favorite songs that performers hate? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 20 Best Pop Songs of the Century So Far: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ysV_dqs2unI.htmlsi=0kQa8os2EOrUDQ6g

Mandy Moore has recorded some beautiful music since her teen pop days. I saw her at a free outdoor show in Cambridge MA in 2007 after she released her record 'WIld Hope' which was lovely. There was hardly anyone in the crowd that day. Sweet as pie, Mandy excitedly askes the small gathering "does anyone have a request?!" to which someone calls out "Candy!" and her face instantly falls. "No" she says, "I mean from maybe this current record, or something from my covers album?" I felt so sorry for her in that moment. She seems like such a genuine and kind person. Every artist deserves to grow up and evolve.

At least Elton John didn’t refuse to play Crocodile Rock on the Muppet Show. Quite possibly the greatest all-around musical performance on the show.

Vanessa Carlton's problem is that her other songs weren't nearly as strong. Alicia Keys didn't have the Carlton problem because after "Fallin" she wrote better songs as a whole and took her fans on a journey. Even if the song didn't go to number one, the album sold extremely well.

It hurts to hear Pat Benatar disliking Hit Me With Your Best Shot. I used to enjoy the tune. Selena Gomez despises Come and Get It while Demi Lovato refuses to hear Give Your Heart a Break. At times, Avril Lavigne refuses to sing Complicated. Ariana Grande refuses to hear Put Your Hearts Up and Bang Bang.

Smells Like Teen Spirit. While that song has been played to death both on MTV and in the years after its release, nobody hated that song as much as Kurt Cobain. I believe he had his voice sung low during a live TV performance in the UK and he also threw his guitar in the crowd. It's a great song, but it's overplayed.

The mention of Sinatra and growing tired of singing a song brings to mind something Barbra Streisand said in her patter on her 2010 album, "One Night Only." She talked about how, as a singer, she gets so tired of singing songs like "People" and "The Way We Were" over and over again but she says she does it for her fans. She then tells a story of being in France and going to a Jacques Brel concert and she was so thrilled because she loved his song, "Ne me quitte pas" and, he didn't sing it. She said she was heartbroken but that stayed with her: How disappointed fans will be when you as an artist don't sing their favorites and so she'll sing those old songs because she knows what they mean to the fans. (I also attended a Norah Jones concert--I think it was around the time of her second album--and the couple sitting next to me were waiting to hear her sing "Nightingale" because it had been their wedding song. And Jones didn't perform it. I didn't ask them how they felt but I had kind of hoped Norah would sing the song. And, on another note, when I saw Heart in concert a few years back, I hadn't googled to see what their tour setlist featured but I was beyond thrilled when they started playing "Dog & Butterfly"--that is probably my absolute favorite song from the Wilson Sisters. I was probably the only person who stood up and screamed in delight when the song started.)

A Thousand Miles, Don’t Stop Me Now and Smells Like Teen Spirit are for me great songs. But I respect the artists who hate their own songs.

I appreciate any artist who continues to play a song that they hate. It shows an appreciation for the people who make it possible for you to have a career, and a realization that -- whether you personally like the song or not -- it's still a great thing to have people who love your work.

I get it for Mandy. totally agree. if I did want her to do a song that she did in the past, it’s gotta be when will my life begin, or at last I see the light. her vocals really were on point there.

It seems like most bands/artists hate that first big song. It's usually understandable, considering the amount of play they got.

#1 should be Billy Ray Cyrus "Achy Breaky Heart". He even had a show in Canada named "Doc" when he gets out of a cab and the song is playing he says "I really hate that song"

I saw Vanessa Carlton in Omaha when she opened for Stevie Nicks, and she actually messed up one of the verses for "A Thousand Miles". She said it was the first time that had ever happened.

So Vanessa Carlton hates A Thousand Miles because everyone likes it too much I mean, can she blame them? That song is awesome ❤ Of course, it's gonna receive more love than the rest of her songs

Anyway here's Wonderwall

Great video! I think Madonna hates Material Girl more than any other song she had because its her nickname.

Noticed Elton stood up and encouraged the audience to do the rest 😂 he must have played that song 1000s of times the whoo year at the end had me in stitches 😅

Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders are underrated, I grew up in the 80’s and I listened to them so much!

I love how Michael Stipe said on Space Ghost Coast to Coast of all places that he hates “Shiny, Happy People” 😂😂

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy. I heard he got REALLY tired of singing that song

The best thing to come out of so many of these was the Weird Al covers.

Pete Burns got sick and tired of “you spin me round (like a record)”. He even stated in interviews that he was tired of hearing it on the radio because it was played far more than Dead or Alive’s other hits.

I never realised that Billy Joel didn't rate "We Didn't Start the Fire" too highly. It's one of his most recognisable songs.

Forgot Kelly Clarkson, A Moment Like This.

Debbie Peterson of The Bangles has often stated that she hates "Walk Like An Egyptian." First, she was the only member of the band that didn't get to sing on the track. Second, the management and producers really wanted to focus on Susanna Hoffs, which started to cause a riff in the band, which later caused The Bangles to break up, at least temporarily.

Mandy's "Candy" is such an iconic late 90s & early 00s bop!

Pinball Wizard????? That is an amazing song Pete. I need to listen to it now! :)

None of us escaped the earworm that was 'A Thousand Miles', but I was never a fan of hers during that era. I have been a huge Vanessa Carlton fan since she released an album in 2011 called 'Rabbits on the Run'. I went to see her at a small club in Brighton MA soon after. There was this girl standing next to me who kept shouting out "ordinary! Play ordinary day!" over and over again. Finally, when it was clear that song would not be on the set list, the girl turns to her friend and says "I wonder if she hates that song" - lol. Yeah, honey. She does.

It makes sense for Lorde to outgrow "Royals", since it was early on in her career, and her music has evolved since then.

Eminem hates 1 of his biggiest hits, Cleanin Oit My Closet. When he wrote it, Eminem hated his mother and they weren't on speaking terms. Now that they are taking again, he cant stand the song and thats why he doesn't perform it anymore

In pop-up video, it was stated that NO ONE in REM liked Shiny Happy People. If I remember correctly, they were forced to write it to make the band more palatable to some parents who thought the band too dark. In one of the pop-ups, it stated they were instructed to wear their brightest clothes, and one member of the band wore a really dark purple that was almost black. He was the only one that didn’t have any fun while recording the video. My favorite in that video is still the little kid who forgot the dance move and then hurried to get back on beat. 😍

I love the song A Thousand Miles.

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart hate "All I want To Do Is Make Love To You" and regretted it almost immediately after recording it. They haven't played it since the 90's. Donna Summers hated "Baby To Love You Baby" and rarely agreed to perform it.

Of course i do. Happy friday afternoon, Rebecca. Take care and God bless you. Greetings from Colombia to you as well.

Renee Rapp-Too Well She wanted the song to be this hard revenge-sounding song but it came out a too Pop like and fluffy for her taste. But she still will perform it for her audience who loves it. Renee Rapp ❤❤❤

I would dispute the assertion that Madonna hates "Like A Virgin" more than "Material Girl". She's performed reinvented versions of LAV on most of her tours, as opposed to "Material Girl", which she tended to hate because of being referred to as such for decades afterwards. She didn't write either of these, unlike most of her output, so that may have something to do with it all as well. Additionally, "Fight for Your Right" came out in '86, not '87.

Don't we all wish we had this problem 🤭

I LOVE Strangers in the Night!!! My Gram loved Sinatra and she got me hooked on him.

For several of these, Weird Al did them better anyway...or Haley Reinheart. And Heart put Stairway back on the map...to Led Zeppelin's approval.

I understand the artists who are in their 30s and 40s and asked to sing songs they wrote in their teens. They are in a different period of life.

Nickelback Figured You Out (2003) Based On lyrics alone I can see why Chad Kroeger wants wipe that song from existence

Can you tell me what concert the 1st Elton John clip was from? A lady in the crowd looks like my late SIL... I'd love to get a hold of that concert!

Fun fact shiny happy people was supposed to be the theme to friends until I’ll be there for you

John Cougar Mellencamp Openly hates the Album version of Jack & Diane He said that they had trouble getting the band to Play on key & the Clapping, while only used to keep the beat, was keft in cause the song didnt work without it. He likes to play am Acoustic Version that he thinks sounds better

Eminem - My Name Is Bobby McFerrin - Don’t Worry, Be Happy Sisqó - In My Bed Imani Coppola - Legend of a Cowgirl

If Robert Plant doesn't want to sing Stairway any more, I'll be happy to pick up the mantle.:)

That’s sad about Vanessa Carlton and A Thousand Miles. It came out when I was 12~13. I had my first real crush and my family was getting ready to move across the country. I was so bummed I’d never get to see him again, and I always considered it my song to him. That said, that entire first album is gold.

Two that you’ve missed are “In The End” and “Crawling.” The only person in Linkin Park who disliked them was Chester Bennington. Even though these weren’t ones he hated, he just didn’t like them as much as the other ones. With “In The End,” he thought it was nice but didn’t like it as much as the other songs on the Hybrid Theory album, mainly because it wasn’t as heavy. Now with “Crawling,” he liked it at first but he just got sick of playing it for so long because in the chorus, it’s just one note over and over again until the second verse comes in or we’ve hit the bridge.

I had a friend in high school who absolutely hated "Shiny Happy People." One of my fondest memories from that time is of her ranting about that song. 😂

I once watched an interview here on RU-vid of Cher and she said she doesn't like any of her songs except for I Got You Babe that one is her favorite. The reason she said that she likes I Got You Babe is because after she recorded the song with her then husband Sonny Bono before their marriage ended in divorce and before he passed away there was still a part of her where she loved him very much after their divorce and after he passed away. She said that she doesn't like all of her other songs but she sings and performs for her fans not herself. I actually really admire her for that.

While I can understand artists getting tired of certain songs, unless there is a truly painful memory attached (such as Brian May witnessing Freddie Mercury's self-destructive behavior and death) refusing to play a popular song for fans that pay their obscene ticket prices seems like a privileged choice. Most of us have jobs that involve doing things we don't enjoy and don't reflect our talents fully. I can understand if they (privately) dislike a song that has been overplayed or doesn't reflect their best work , but most fans want to hear a mix of old and new songs that allow them to celebrate how the music has been part of their lives.

I love that Weird Al has parodied several on your list here :)

I can't here "Don't stop me now" without seeming the bar scene from "Shawn of the Dead" in my mind lol

The Wallflowers One Headlight. Green Day When September Ends

Love i can see the light 😊

I have a newfound respect for Billy Joel now because I’ve always felt that way about “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, lol.

I believe Britney Spears doesn't like "Sometimes". And I think I read somewhere that Jessy Nelson from Little Mix doesn't like "Black Magic".

Haha only time I liked strangers in the night was a taco bell comercial with the Chihuahua singing it going after a chalupa lol

Shiny Happy People is that song that I picture myself hearing in a warehouse store.. that must be self explanatory..

It wasn’t a big hit, but I’d add Chris Martin and “Green Eyes.” That song meant a lot to me because I have green eyes, but then I heard that Coldplay won’t perform it anymore because Chris doesn’t feel right about it since he wrote it about a former girlfriend. Kinda makes me wonder if he has similar feelings for songs he wrote for/about Gwenyth Paltrow.

Fun fact shinny happy people was almost the friends theme song

Warrant originally wrote Cherry Pie in 1989 under a different name, inspired by Guns n Roses Sweet Child o Mine and ripped off I Love Rock n Roll! The record company botched their original song and changed the theme! Jani Lane even had trauma from that song that it reminded him of his failed marriage with Bobbie Brown! Billy Joel also hates how We didn’t start the Fire has become too political and was mad that Fall Out Boy covered that song and reminded him of the original!

I’ve seen The Who in concert, and the song Pete Townsend really hates is “My Generation”. Before they started playing it, he not-so-jokingly called it a “little piece of s•••”. It’s like, dude, that was your first hit. It put you guys on the map. Most bands would kill for a song like that. Show some gratitude!

I love the one hit wonder people who "hate" their one song. Comes across as just trying to be too cool for school.

That’s sad that some singers don’t like there own songs especially like Creep and Wonderwall, We didn’t start the fire 🔥 and A thousand miles who I think are great songs 👍👍

You can add Gene Simmons ("I Was Made For Loving You"), Ann Wilson (All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You), and Cheap Trick (The Flame)

It's odd that you left Cher off of this list. Many of her most successful songs are ones she never cared for, not least of which is "If I Could Turn Back Time". I suspect there's something in her subconscious - something negative - and it's triggered by one or more elements in these songs.

I love , a thousand miles. And party in the USA that song always makes me wanna get up and dance , royals is my jam

For all the artists out there that dislike one or more of their songs just because they were young when they released them, I just want to point out that Kip Winger is in his 60s and is still singing "She's only 17," and he was 27 when he released it. Trust me, your teenie-bopper songs haven't reached that level of cringe...

I’m confident that that nirvana performance wasn’t 2009

Smells like teen spirit, creep, shiny happy people. Like this whole video is pretty much my playlist 😂😂

"You'r beautiful" is also not ment to be romantic and just how people missunderstanding it freaks him out!!!

They missed Mr. Jones. Though I love that song.

9:45: If you consider the crude definition of cherry and of pie, “Cherry Pie” by Warrant has everything to do with pie. 😁🍒🥧

Has anyone seen the shot of the dad James Blunts You're beautiful on the radio and the little girl just singing along it's so funny 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.

Ironically , Shiny Happy People is the best song of the REM for me and could be the Friends Theme song 😮

Now I see why Lorde was ok with Matt & Trey making fun of her on Soufh Park when Randy played Lorde . I also don’t blame Miley Cyrus I HATE Party In The USA . I also see why Michael Stipe was ok with Mike Judge having Beavis and Butthead make fun of “Shiny Happy People”

I'm really surprised you didn't put Paramore and misery business on here.

Funny how i've always felt the same way as Gallagher about Wonderwall, since it was released. I really hate it and i can't even explain why :')

with Warrant, it's Sometimes she cries, and I Saw Red, thise were my teachers

Britney Spears hates "Cinderella" and "Bombastic Love" from Britney (2001), albeit both are fan favourites. 😂😅

Britney Spears, Gimme More.

I feel like you did a list like this.

I agree with Pete Townsend on Pinball Wizard! Not my favorite song from The Who! Tommy was great, but Quadrophenia is the better concept album.

Idk if Sir Paul McCartney hates “Wonderful Christmastime” or not, but he definitely should.

I think I've heard that Warren Zevon came to hate "Werewolves of London." It was fun and unique, and was the only song of his that many people knew - but it was far from his best work.

Thank you for the list

Don’t blame me. I love their songs and music.

I once witnessed Duncan Sheik refuse to play Barely Breathing at a festival and then proceed to rant about how much he hated the song. I feel like he should definitely be on this list.

Eminem mentioned in his 2013-14 song Headlights that he hates Cleanin Out My Closet and mentioned he cringes when it comes on the radio! Headlights was an apology to his mother!!! Cleanin Out My Closet by Eminem should've been on this list!!!

You forgot longview by Green Day. The singer gets a fan to sing it for him.

The Beastie Boys made a song that sounded like it was something they endorsed, not something they were poking fun at. With the lyric "Your mom busted in and said, what's that noise? Aw, mom you're just jealous it's the Beastie Boys!" It appeared they were endosring the content of the song.

He knew his reputation as a trailblazer would be destroyed, but because of his contractual obligations, Elvis was forced to record songs he loathed, especially the ones written for, as he called them, "stupid movies."

Don't know if this really qualifies, but Eric Clapton evidently refuses to play either Tears in Heaven or My Father's Eyes anymore, sayibg that they're both time capsules from a time he's since moved on from. He doesn't hate them per se, but he has no wish to revisit the times in his life that they represent.

I heard the lead singer for Foreigner Lou Graham hated "I Wanna Know What Love Is" I believe he thought it was too sappy.

OK, Miley should not hate party in the USA because it is genuinely a fantastic single and one of the most memorable catchy songs of the last 20 years. I don’t care how much hate it gets, that is a great pop song. Vanessa Carlton should be grateful that 1000 miles is as beloved as it is because many artists don’t even get that. Maybe the reason people are always wanting to hear that song is because your other songs suck, Vanessa. and for the narrator to say it’s easy to see why these artists don’t like the song because people always request them, at least they’re requesting a song by them and not walking away and ignoring them. Talk about problems of the privileged.

Most artists hate at least one of their songs. That's just how it goes I think when you do things repeatadly some things tends to become tedius, embarrasing and hated.

We didn't start the fire Is a song that needs to pass to new artists every 30ish yrs Like FOB's version

I like shiny happy people

There's one you missed, Pat Benetar doesn't sing Hit Me With Your Best Shot anymore...