3 Classic Rock Songs the Rock Bands Who Wrote Them Actually Hated

Have you ever heard a song way too many times and started getting sick of hearing it? Turns out, even our favorite artists feel the same, sometimes even toward their own work. There are plenty of songs in history that have gone on to become classics, beloved by many fans and critics alike — even across generations. However, a song can be so popular and overplayed that some musicians develop a love-and-hate relationship with their hit tracks. Some have even gone to the extent of actually resenting the song that brought them massive success.

Hating your own song isn't, in fact, a reflection of the artist themselves. Most of the time, they simply didn't want a particular hit to define their artistry or become the central focus of their entire oeuvre. This topic isn't new either, as many musicians have already disclosed their dislike of their most popular releases. However, these three bands stood out for being their own song's number one detractors.

"Creep" (1992)

Artist: Radiohead

Radiohead has delivered many great songs that could easily become their signature hit. That includes fan favorites like “No Surprises,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Let Down,” and the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack, deserving of the signature hit status: “Exit Music (For a Film).” However, “Creep,” off their debut studio album Pablo Honey, owns that recognition. The band’s debut single is widely credited for launching their career into greater heights, even if they didn’t initially plan on releasing it.

Over the years, the song itself has become its meaning too: a creep, or even a weirdo, among the band’s catalog — at least for Radiohead. It was stylistically different from most of their songs (both sonically and lyrically), even within Pablo Honey, and the song’s entirety wasn’t the route Radiohead was gravitating toward either. But it became so popular that, at one point, the band was considered a one-hit wonder early in their career, and it overshadowed many of their songs that they consider best represent them as artists. That led them to avoid playing the song live, though they sometimes offer it to fans, presumably for its nostalgic appeal.

"Wonderwall" (1995)

Artist: Oasis

Whether they like it or not, “Wonderwall” — from (What's the Story) Morning Glory? album — will always be synonymous with Oasis’ legacy. Despite the song’s immense success, even listeners grew to disdain it for overexposure in the years since its release. The Gallagher brothers (Liam and Noel Gallagher) aren’t the song’s biggest fans either, with Liam even going too far by saying “Wonderwall” makes him want to “gag.”

In an interview, Noel revealed that the song was one of his least favorites, and admitted that “it’s not finished,” adding, “If I could somehow twist time and go back there, I’d probably pick a different song for our calling card. Probably 'Some Might Say.'" But perhaps no one hates the song as much as Liam does. During the release of their seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, Liam didn’t hold back in expressing just how much he hated the song. He said, "At least there's no 'Wonderwall' on there. I can't f**king stand that f**king song! Every time I have to sing it I want to gag. Problem is, it was a big, big tune for us."

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991)

Artist: Nirvana

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is credited for launching Nirvana to public consciousness, and one that gave them massive mainstream attention — the very reason that made the late Kurt Cobain resent the song. As Nirvana’s fame skyrocketed, Cobain's enthusiasm for the song dwindled over time. While the song made them a household name, the frontman would eventually refuse to play it live: one, because it was written to be “the ultimate pop song,” and two, to make way for the rest of their music. He didn’t even play the song during what would become his final public performance. In a conversation with Rolling Stone, Cobain said:

"Once it got into the mainstream, it was over. I’m just tired of being embarrassed by it. I’m beyond that... The reason it gets a big reaction is people have seen it on MTV a million times. It’s been pounded into their brains. But I think there are so many other songs that I’ve written that are as good, if not better than that song, like ‘Drain You’. That’s definitely as good as ‘Teen Spirit.’ I love the lyrics, and I never get tired of playing it. Maybe if it was as big as ‘Teen Spirit,’ I wouldn’t like it as much."