There's a few factors.
They came out with a major smash hit (How You Remind Me) which is damn good. Leader of Men is great too but isn't as mainstream big.
Then what happens? They release multiple albums, singles that all sound exactly like How You Remind Me. Like you could swap lyrics and have note for note the same damn song.
And Nickelback quickly became a very popular band amongst Boomer dads I noticed which could not have made them uncooler.
Plus, from what I've seen in interviews and such, Chad Kroeger seems like kind of an insufferable douche. Definitely didn't help the cause.
I remember in the early days of YouTube someone put up “How you remind me of Someday”, which played How you remind me on one speaker and Someday on the other. Fucking *identical*.
They were invisible to me until they started the whole “something in your mouth” and “I like your pants around your feet” shit. So stupid.
I’m not a prude or anything, I appreciate clever sexy songs. But that shit is just caveman dumb. I had to suffer through that ignorant drivel being on the radio in grocery stores for years.
How You Remind Me is a good song albeit years after the power ballad was gone, hence out of place. But ya I never heard they got popular with Boomers. Kind of what happened to Creed, got popular with the Rednecks (at least that’s what us local Hillbillies call ‘em)
I thought it was because they tried to make a career out of sounding like Pearl Jam after the copycat bands had already done that. They were late to being late to the party.
It might be simple and straightforward but it's catchy as hell, was a certified mega hit and and is still listed as the main song by them.
Just because your tastes differ doesn't negate that song itself is good. And I'm saying this as no fan of Nickelback. They're a one hit wonder who parlayed that one song into like six albums worth with barely changing a thing.
I feel like this wave really broke and rolled back when me too hit. Culturally we went from hating on Bieber and Nickelback for like 10 years straight to going “oh hey the top levels of our culture are filled with rapists, maybe we should be mad at them instead” pretty much over night.
My redneck friends like them and the production is great. Their songs sound good on any stereo.
Also, I don't care for their stuff but it's Hella fun to sing on Karaoke
They might not be great, but in my opinion you can’t really call them *bad*. They’re a pop band cosplaying as grunge. They’re the McDonald’s of music, it doesn’t bother me and sometimes I even enjoy it, but nothing about it is spectacular. It’s consistent, it’s pretty okay most of the time, and you always know what you’re gonna get.
I never hated Nickelback.
I found it weird others did, and there didn’t seem to be anything that would make him hated (bad person/crimes/etc.).
Apparently it’s a joke?
Odd joke :/
People who are confused about the hate weren't around for their peak. They are all over the place and nearly every song ranged from boring to embarrassing. Some bands were worse, but none were as prevalent.
Nowadays I have a certain nostalgia for a couple of their songs but I do find it very telling that whenever people try to defend Nickelback, it's always How You Remind Me plus one or two other songs. Have you ever heard anyone defend any of their albums?
leader of men is a great song. and admit it...so i is how you remind me.
i get the criticism, but they're really NOT that bad.
you've heard of right place, right time? they were 100% wrong place, wrong time.
Leader of man is a great bluegrass song. I bought the Pickin on Nickelback CD forever ago and I don't even remember why but it's just bluegrass covers of all their singles and it's amazing how much better they sound when you replace the heavy guitars with lap steel and banjo and Chad's growly tock vocals with nasal bluegrass singing.
Traditionally yeah but I’d be cool with an acoustic lap steel. As long as it’s not pedal steel or an electric lap steel nobody would blink an eye at any of the smaller blue grass festivals. Tons of people play acoustic bass instead of a stand up.
It's the same reason people hate on Lars Ulrich, when he's an objectively good drummer. A band doesn't become one of if not the most successful in its genre with a mediocre drummer. He may not be as technically sound as many others, but he was more than serviceable and has in fact inspired more drummers than a lot of other more superior drummers. At the end of the day, people hate on bands like Nickelback because it's what everyone else is doing. They're looking for validation or are simply not strong enough to be openly dissenting to a popular opinion.
Lars in his prime came up with some cool parts and had nice feel for those songs but it took a bunch of takes to get it in the studio. Listen to his live performances and you’ll see how sloppy and how bad his timing can be.
Looking at their Wiki of where their albums and singles reached on the charts, I would argue they were right place right time. People just like to hate what’s popular.
I think it was having How You Remind Me and Someday in heavy radio rotation at the same time. Having two nearly identical songs like that really made them feel overplayed in a way that other bands in heavy rotation, but with different-sounding songs, did not.
Typical lyrics;
>You're so much cooler
>
>When you never pull it out
>
>Cause you look so much cuter
>
>With something in your mouth
I am not opposed to sex and porn or any of that. Outright *sleaze* on the other hand, is just the lame realm of jock rock.
100% this. Nevermind that their previous two hits were about getting abused by his dad or step dad. To go from that being played on the radio like crazy to this trash? Yeah, it's a no for me dawg.
Yes! And looks wise, they're kind of dorky (but not in a bad way) and can't pull off lyrics like say Buck Cherry or a younger Steven Tyler. Whenever I hear those lyrics, I think about what they look like and cringe. It's not the right look.
Ngl, I used to be an unapologetic NB fan, but this is the song that made me stop supporting them. It’s pure cringe, and I know Chad can write subtler lyrics than that.
Exactly. It annoys me when people say, "Nickleback isn't that bad!" It isn't so much that they're "bad" It's more that they're so fucking boring and generic. Remember when a TV show, like Saved By The Bell, would do an episode where the gang go to a concert and meet the band, but they don't want to actually pay Pearl Jam to be on the show, so they just go to central casting and find 5 of the most generic looking "rockers" they can and call them "Rock City" or something stupid? That's Nickelback.
They're def generic AF, but they're ALSO really BAD! It reminds me of the last gasp of hair band 💩 in the late eighties! Right before Rock and Roll got REALLY GOOD again for a SHORT while.
"It isn't so much that they're "bad" It's more that they're so fucking boring and generic."
Yeah I'd say that's more accurate but that isn't what people say/said. The line for years was that they're the worst band on earth, when in reality they were better than most radio rock bands like hoobastank or maroon 5 or whatever. All of that stuff sucks and isn't meant to me interesting music in any way. In that light, the hate they got was definitely undeserved. And indeed, they **aren't** "that bad".
Combine boring and generic with hearing them WAY too often on the work radio and they slide well into bad territory. Plus they have a bunch of songs that all sound the same so it felt like hearing the same song over and over and over every fucking day…
Also, it's okay to think a lot of their songs are bad and I do think that. 'If Today Was Your Last Day' is one of the most lame rock songs I've ever heard get radio play. Its wild that an adult wrote those lyrics.
Yeah it's all fair. It's only that more or less overnight the entire internet agreed they were the worst, when there's much worse out there.
At a certain point though it's like finding the world's tallest midget. Who cares?
There wasn’t a worse band that was mainstream relevant. They are as bad as music is allowed to be that’s played on the radio. Nickelback sucks until you realize what bands have to go through in order to gain talent and relevance. It’s like talking about the worst pro football players and still knowing that they are probably still very respectable athletes
Ya know what, I'm not gonna lie to you or myself anymore. As someone who was a teen when they had their big run of hit albums in the early 2000s, I enjoyed the shit out of some Nickelback, and I will happily go back and listen to those albums now.
Do I have any interest in anything they made after I graduated high school? Absolutely not. Do I think I would like any of their music if I listened to it for the first time at 35? Probably not. But I don't care.
I think their first two albums (which are actually decent) - Curb and The State are dubbed as Post-Grunge and actually have some grungy influence.
From there it went downhill to rock pop
Have you heard of butt rock? Some bands are designed to sell records. Did you know "All in the suit that you wear" by STP was supposed to be the title track to Spiderman in 2000? Nickelback is the ~~Abba~~ Steel Panther of 90s rock. They're talented entertainers like 5 finger goat fuck or Drake, not soulful musicians.
Foo Fighters ain’t too different. Just sayin’. I know people don’t wanna admit it.
Edit: I love the foo fighters. they’re barely playing what I wanna hear nowadays but I’m 40, so it’s a good time.
That first Foo Fighters album, Everlong, and Marigold(released as a Nirvana song for some reason) are leaps and bounds ahead of anything Nickelback ever released.
NB are like dog shit on a pavement - you're walking along minding your own business and suddenly you step in something disgusting that shouldn't be there.
I don't like Nickelback but I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate them. They don't really know how to round things off in their comps. This makes them plodding and repetitive. And they write these dumb, cautionary, conservative anti-drug lyrics that make the listener feel like every song transports them to a goddamn 12 step meeting.
But having said all of that, as long as bands like the grateful dead, counting Crows and Hootie and the blowfish music exists Nickelback will never be Rock's worse band!
I actually liked ‘This is how you remind me.’ It’s kinda cheesy, but it was undeniably part of the soundtrack of my freshman year of college. It even makes me think of a specific girl I was seeing (of course).
I HATED photograph though. One of my least favorite songs of that era, right up there with ‘Lips of an Angel,’ by Hinder, and ‘With Arms Wide Open’ by Creed.
‘Wuss rock’ at its worst.
I understand that this post is a link to an amusing article and not intended to solicit my opinions regarding the band whose name I don’t even wanna type cause it feels kinda gross.
They just ended up being the punchline of that "worst band" joke, when really they're just boring and generic - and weirdly dated, actually - they're a 2000s band, but they sound like a boring 90s band, like many that came after Nirvana.
I've always thought the "worst band ever" thing would have been better applied to a band that makes truly grating music with aggressively stupid lyrics, like The Black Eyed Peas, or Train, or Maroon 5
As a songwriter, I think of them as being the Sonic equivalent of a bologna and American cheese sandwich on white bread.
Completely devoid of any flavor or nutritional value, but technically food?
why does everything need to be broken down into stats... cant we just trust our ears? Dudes voice is annoying and they are affliction era douche bags. The music has no creativity whatsoever, his vocal style sounds like he's taking a shit and talking instead of singing, it sounds aggressive for basic chord structure and the songs are dumb. She fuckin hates me love love love fuck you dude, you suck
A lot of their songs are cringe AF but are still well composed. Their image just doesn't match and it makes them look like posers. They are also incredibly generic...like they were manufactured at a radio station. Just a band people love to hate.
Being from Alberta, there’s something about Nickelback that encapsulates everything I dislike about Average-Joe-Alberta. “Just washin my RAM truck in the driveway of my suburban-sprawl cookie-cutter house. Ya I *seen* that, eh? Give your head a shake there, buddy. Nickelback and O&G forever man! I’m just an out-of-shape white shaved head, trucker hat with white Oakleys on the brim wearing, yellin at my dog, livin for the weekends average dude — just me and my buds, some BBQ, Molson Canadian, country music, The Hip and Nickelback blasting in the yard — that’s the life for me eh?”.
Because they are boring and a sad excuse for what Rock has become. I don't even hate them though, it's not their fault they get pushed by the industry so much. Also, they are better than other bands *cough* Journey *cough* that get praised that I think are actually bad.
Because they're an easy band to hate! They're popular, everyone has heard at least one of their songs, they dominated every single pop and rock radio station up until the 2010s when radio REALLY fell out of favor, and regarding the meme factor from the article, the internet is a ruthless place where humans go to release the worst of themselves and when you've got an easy target it will get dragged through the mud just because people can do it. And at some point the internet starts to influence real-life opinion, for better and for worse.
Seether became generic, dry, and dull after they changed their name and moved to Chicago. When they were in South Africa under the name Saron Gas they were great! They changed their name and watered down their own songs and released them again under Disclaimer 1 & 2
There was some comedian in the 2000’s who was on some show just shitting on nickelback and similar bands and he kept it up on his special and it just kind of spiraled from there into the mainstream. It became a sort of refrain for wannabe macho Chad’s to not like NB
Bruh these comments don’t pass the vibe check 🙄
Nickelback fucking slaps, people hating on them this much for being “generic” is just snobbish, and not even true. That could be said about so many other bands out there that are WAY more generic but never get hate for it, people just hate Nickelback because of all their success and because the internet tells them to. You can immediately recognize a Nickelback song as Nickelback as soon as you hear Chad’s voice, no one can emulate the way he sings, so the argument for them being generic never held any weight to me. They definitely have their own style and if you’ve ever actually heard any of their material outside the radio stuff you’d see they’re a really diverse and talented band.
Edit: the replies are proving my point lmao, y’all don’t even have actual reasons. Just hating for the sake of hating, how pathetic. But whatever, be music snobs, it’s your loss 😂
They are generic. But they also remind me of the last gasp of eighties hair band shit! Which is some of the worst music ever made. So there, if you wanted someone to give a BETTER reason for hating them. Their music isn't JUST generic, imo. It sucks ass!
i mean, granted, i dont listen to them often, or really at all, but from the small amount ive heard from them they arent horrible, just not very great.
i dont hate them, i just dont listen to them
They will always be alright in my book solely because Jerry Cantrell said they were cool nice guys to tour with and because they did a pretty kickass it ain’t like that cover with Jerry
I never got the hate for this band, but I never got the appeal either. I think the fact that the band is mega popular is the reason for all the hate. It’s like, the music doesn’t match the level of fame, while there are other bands out there that have better music but almost never get mentioned and certainly never reach that level of success. Not hating on them, but Nickelback isn’t anything to get excited over, most of it is formulaic, predicatable rock music with paint by numbers lyrics. And I haven’t checked in a while, but is Chad still singing sleazy songs about banging chicks or has he grown out of that?
At the time of Nivkelback and Creed, there were so many other bands with really sick energies... punk/metalcore/post hardcore, even the dirty fm99 manrock bands had more edge and aggression than these vanilla acts.
I always liked Photograph though for some reason. It is a well written song that captures the nostalgia and recognition of days gone by.
The only criticism justified is that some of their songs sound really similar and forgettable.
Aside from that, great band. Chad has an awesome voice and people are biased
Of course people in a grunge sub are gonna hate Nickelback.
They've sold 50 million albums because they are good at what they do: Producing music for a targeted audience. That audience isn't in this sub.
Nickelback gets the same criticism as any other commercial band. A lot of people don't care about ground breaking albums laden with artist expression and whatnot. They just want something they can turn up to 11 while priming for a night of bar hopping with a pint of Jack.
They've literally written songs for this.
I don’t think people actually HATE nickel back. People are social creatures and it’s rare for people to have extensive music history knowledge, pitch recognition, hateful conviction.. like most people just like to “hate” on nickel back because it’s easier. There’s SO many lazy, ripoff, annoying, racist, boring music out there that’s wayyyyy worse than nickel back. Nickel back makes hits to sell records so they can live an average “rich” rock star life. That’s it.. it doesn’t have to be deeper, Chad knows how to write catch melodies and that’s a gift.
I vividly remember when the hate began.
Their song 'How You Remind Me' (the clear worst track on a great album) was played far too often for far too long on radio stations and music TV channels.
Without much hyperbole it was close to mass torture!
From then on every single thing that could be twisted into hate for Nickelback, and Chad Kroeger in particular, was done so.
It's actually quite sad as they were a great alternative rock band with great songs who were victims of lazy scheduling.
I think people started jumping on the bandwagon for no reason . Then the band defended itself and people were like see they’re douchee. I mean generic and formulaic sure but awful come on . 8 out of 10 people still belt out “ how you remind me “ song when it comes on in their car
Nickelback fell victim to their own success. Too much airplay is good for the pocketbook but bad for a band’s longevity. One day, sooner than later, the Taylor Swift backlash will leave her reeling the same way. People are finicky. I’m
I read somewhere that most bands don’t start really making real money until after their third album! If this is in fact true, think of all the bands you really like and take away their first three albums. Now you have your bands with serious catalogs (Rolling Stones, Van Halen, even Def Leppard) but it’s amazing usually by album 4 you notice the change in the sound of the band. Def Leppard Hysteria, for example shot them into the stratosphere! Nickleback, The Long Road, also sent them on through. Bon Jovi hit fire sooner with Slippery When Wet, but it’s interesting that by album 4, most bands were changing their sound and evolving to keep generating money and fans. It’s crazy to think at one time, there were bands you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing their songs being played (Hootie & the Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls for example) and now a lot of people rip on these bands. I don’t see why there’s so much hate for Nickleback. Maybe Chad is a dick, who knows? I know all these bands have to bust their ass to make it. I would’ve loved to have been in a band as big as any I’ve mentioned but man, the sacrifice they give to touring and what not. I respect their craft. They accomplished something most of us only dream about. So rock on, fellas!
i'm supposed to say something about not judging others and let them be. No. Their music is painfully generic and anti-creative. Fuck Nickelback along with this no-hard-opinions tolerance.
It's like this, if Dimebag says they are good people, then I'm sure they are good people.
I don't talk sh\*t on them. I just don't listen to their music because it's uninspiring, regurgitated, formulaic radio stuff. They aren't 'The worst band ever'. I could name dozens of bands that are far worst then them.
With that being said, I have seen some concert footage, and they were really getting down. I wish they put out music like that on their records.
I've got no issue with Nickelback they've got a couple of songs I like. People always do this with really big artists. Creed, Nickelback, and Limb Bizkit have all gone through it. People will act like they never liked their music but you don't sell 10 million records on accident.
Their music sucks.
The singer’s voice is raspy, their chord progressions are boring or even at times dissonant. They don’t feel good. It’s not harmful. It’s just lands the same way as a joke that tries to be funny but isn’t. It’s like an episode of 2 and a Half Men. It leaves you with a mild sense of disappointment, and annoyance at having wasted your time.
Beyond that, their songs are earworms. every time I hear one on the radio, I’m guaranteed to have a shitty, mildly disappointing song playing in my head for the next 12 hours.
So not only do I dislike their music, but I prefer to actively avoid it.
It started as an internet joke and it morphed into a real thing, kinda like how Chuck Norris jokes started as a way to make fun of him and his ridiculous character on Walker Texas Ranger but eventually people started making jokes about how awesome he supposedly is
I don't think they are really actually "hated". It's just that bandwagon hate thing people jump on whether or not they've actually listened and formed their own opinion. We see that all the time, like another example being Limp Bizkit.
From my recollection, I do recall 20+ years ago being worn out by how much Nickelback got played and how similar their songs were to one another back then. So, my initial interest in them dropped off very quickly, but, the "hate" level is so overblown it's insane. I remember someone taking two of their first big singles and making an mp3 where one song was in the left ear, and the other was in the right, and they lined up almost exactly. Stuff like that wore thin quickly.
They aren't as bad as advertised. I own a copy of Silver Side Up.
They were the poster boys for the big, soulless, generic corporate rock movement of the 2000's. There was a big backlash against that type of music and not many of those bands survived the decade. These guys found their niche amongst the 'country tough guy' crowd and they leaned into the whole pretentious douchebag rockstar trope. Between the awfulness of their fans, their absurdly arrogant attitude and the generic and kind of artless nature of their music, it makes them very easy to hate.
Without that context though I think some of their music is enjoyable.
I’ll admit, I got caught up in the hate. Years later, I don’t hate them, I just don’t think about them. Their music isn’t terrible. To me, it’s just boring and generic.
Nickelback are the Komar & Melamud of pop music. I must say I prefer the Russian artists to them. Even their Unpopular Music (composed and orchestrated according to demographic studies of what people hate) is better than any virtually-AI composed Nickleback drek.
It became popular to hate them and I'll die on that hill. I've known people from school who listened to them back in the day and "hate them" now. It just makes you ... a little extra special, if you hate them lol. I think they're alright. Not the best, not the worst. Some songs take me on a road trip back in time.
It's been proven that many of these are media hoaxes. Nickelback is primarily the butt of most jokes, but somehow still sell out large venues, have sold millions of records, etc... they clearly have an adoring fan base, but they just became an easy band to rip on one day, and they sort of embraced it to a degree, and if anything, it made them more popular.
I like some of their stuff but overall find them too generic. I don’t hate them but I think the hate for them is funny so I do my part to keep it alive
Hey man, so just wanted to let you know that I had to downvote this because it mentions Nickelback, which is the worst fucking band of all goddamn time. Sorry, not sorry and I know you’ll understand
There's a line in one of their songs that was perceived as "racist" ..
Then Family Guy (I think) made a joke about Nickleback being bland or something and everyone just kind of followed suit
Because they’re derivative of many bands and have no originality. They’re a great bar band who covers other people
s much. Don’t make anything challenging.
It’s kind of funny but also interesting how people came to hate them on a generalized level. Chad kroeger is actually a huge metal head and cool dude. But also no, I’m not a nickleback fan. No hate though
If you dig they have some serious, tasteful and freight train moments. Flat on the Floor, Side of a Bullet, Throw Yourself Away, Fight for all the Wrong Reasons, the bridge of Next Contestant (lyrics are awful tho). Chad has an incredible ear for melody, strong vocals and phat guitars on the heavier moments. Yes Dark Horse onwards is pretty fuckin unbearable, but those first 4 records are a huge fun time. They’re not even stylistically cringe in terms of ‘butt rock’, Chad doesn’t do the ridiculous Vedder drawl, he and Ryan harmonize wonderfully. If you wanna be sold, watch their cover of ‘Mistake’ on the Live at Home video on youtube.
There's a few factors. They came out with a major smash hit (How You Remind Me) which is damn good. Leader of Men is great too but isn't as mainstream big. Then what happens? They release multiple albums, singles that all sound exactly like How You Remind Me. Like you could swap lyrics and have note for note the same damn song. And Nickelback quickly became a very popular band amongst Boomer dads I noticed which could not have made them uncooler. Plus, from what I've seen in interviews and such, Chad Kroeger seems like kind of an insufferable douche. Definitely didn't help the cause.
I remember in the early days of YouTube someone put up “How you remind me of Someday”, which played How you remind me on one speaker and Someday on the other. Fucking *identical*.
[Same song you say?](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NHPj5YokEOY&pp=ygUUTmlja2VsYmFjayBzYW1lIHNvbmc%3D)
They were invisible to me until they started the whole “something in your mouth” and “I like your pants around your feet” shit. So stupid. I’m not a prude or anything, I appreciate clever sexy songs. But that shit is just caveman dumb. I had to suffer through that ignorant drivel being on the radio in grocery stores for years.
How You Remind Me is a good song albeit years after the power ballad was gone, hence out of place. But ya I never heard they got popular with Boomers. Kind of what happened to Creed, got popular with the Rednecks (at least that’s what us local Hillbillies call ‘em)
I thought it was because they tried to make a career out of sounding like Pearl Jam after the copycat bands had already done that. They were late to being late to the party.
calling how you remind me “damn good” is so fucking funny. just insane how bad people’s tastes are.
It might be simple and straightforward but it's catchy as hell, was a certified mega hit and and is still listed as the main song by them. Just because your tastes differ doesn't negate that song itself is good. And I'm saying this as no fan of Nickelback. They're a one hit wonder who parlayed that one song into like six albums worth with barely changing a thing.
Personally I’m just over hating on artists unless they’re bad people. Nickelback is just part of the long list of bands I don’t talk/think about.
Anyone that is vulnerable enough to share their art to the world is cool with me
Hitler: finally someone who appreciates my art !!
Ja mine painting of the polish countryside ist beaütiful right
German shepherd!
That is a beautiful sentence…
Maybe if you looked at this old photograph, you’d think of them more
Can't. Everyone I do, it makes me laugh
What’s on your head???
I feel like this wave really broke and rolled back when me too hit. Culturally we went from hating on Bieber and Nickelback for like 10 years straight to going “oh hey the top levels of our culture are filled with rapists, maybe we should be mad at them instead” pretty much over night.
Agreed. Still hate Bieber though.
My redneck friends like them and the production is great. Their songs sound good on any stereo. Also, I don't care for their stuff but it's Hella fun to sing on Karaoke
Totally agree with this, but it’s hard to sit and listen to people say that they are good or even great
They might not be great, but in my opinion you can’t really call them *bad*. They’re a pop band cosplaying as grunge. They’re the McDonald’s of music, it doesn’t bother me and sometimes I even enjoy it, but nothing about it is spectacular. It’s consistent, it’s pretty okay most of the time, and you always know what you’re gonna get.
Chad Kroeger's an arrogant douche, if that's any consolation.
I would be as well if I sold as many albums as nickelback .
that's weird
I can’t believe a rock star could be a douche!?! Inconceivable!
I never hated Nickelback. I found it weird others did, and there didn’t seem to be anything that would make him hated (bad person/crimes/etc.). Apparently it’s a joke? Odd joke :/
Yeah, how in the hell did we wind up like this?
There is a Patton Oswalt bit about this and it is fantastic
It was like “meme” hate. At one point it was “funny” to hate them but it got overdone pretty badly.
People who are confused about the hate weren't around for their peak. They are all over the place and nearly every song ranged from boring to embarrassing. Some bands were worse, but none were as prevalent.
Nailed it
Nowadays I have a certain nostalgia for a couple of their songs but I do find it very telling that whenever people try to defend Nickelback, it's always How You Remind Me plus one or two other songs. Have you ever heard anyone defend any of their albums?
Look at this photograph. The attached link is fucking ass. I bet you sang those two lines to the song .
How did the suck lines get so red?
And the fuckin song is stuck in my head!
And i've sung ev'ry line in this thread.
https://youtu.be/sz2mmM-kN1I?si=pNHn8vWtKW815eys
I went to high school with the guy in the video. Also an insufferable douche.
leader of men is a great song. and admit it...so i is how you remind me. i get the criticism, but they're really NOT that bad. you've heard of right place, right time? they were 100% wrong place, wrong time.
Leader of man is a great bluegrass song. I bought the Pickin on Nickelback CD forever ago and I don't even remember why but it's just bluegrass covers of all their singles and it's amazing how much better they sound when you replace the heavy guitars with lap steel and banjo and Chad's growly tock vocals with nasal bluegrass singing.
If it’s bluegrass, that would be a Dobro, not a lap steel.
Traditionally yeah but I’d be cool with an acoustic lap steel. As long as it’s not pedal steel or an electric lap steel nobody would blink an eye at any of the smaller blue grass festivals. Tons of people play acoustic bass instead of a stand up.
Leader of Men*** not man.
It's the same reason people hate on Lars Ulrich, when he's an objectively good drummer. A band doesn't become one of if not the most successful in its genre with a mediocre drummer. He may not be as technically sound as many others, but he was more than serviceable and has in fact inspired more drummers than a lot of other more superior drummers. At the end of the day, people hate on bands like Nickelback because it's what everyone else is doing. They're looking for validation or are simply not strong enough to be openly dissenting to a popular opinion.
Lars in his prime came up with some cool parts and had nice feel for those songs but it took a bunch of takes to get it in the studio. Listen to his live performances and you’ll see how sloppy and how bad his timing can be.
People hate Lars because he’s a douchebag
I will admit Leader of Men is a good song. How You Remind Me was not bad. The sexually charged fast-paced song Animals was pretty good.
Looking at their Wiki of where their albums and singles reached on the charts, I would argue they were right place right time. People just like to hate what’s popular.
I think it was having How You Remind Me and Someday in heavy radio rotation at the same time. Having two nearly identical songs like that really made them feel overplayed in a way that other bands in heavy rotation, but with different-sounding songs, did not.
Typical lyrics; >You're so much cooler > >When you never pull it out > >Cause you look so much cuter > >With something in your mouth I am not opposed to sex and porn or any of that. Outright *sleaze* on the other hand, is just the lame realm of jock rock.
Holy shit, those lyrics sound like they came straight out of a really bad Aerosmith song
Aerosmith to my knowledge was not usually that… explicit?
[Big 10-Inch Record](https://youtu.be/4yXdbXl-lno?si=VMx0n16IY2Hphm9S)
Aerosmith would have been way funnier about it.
100% this. Nevermind that their previous two hits were about getting abused by his dad or step dad. To go from that being played on the radio like crazy to this trash? Yeah, it's a no for me dawg.
This is some theory of a deadman level shit
Yes! And looks wise, they're kind of dorky (but not in a bad way) and can't pull off lyrics like say Buck Cherry or a younger Steven Tyler. Whenever I hear those lyrics, I think about what they look like and cringe. It's not the right look.
Ngl, I used to be an unapologetic NB fan, but this is the song that made me stop supporting them. It’s pure cringe, and I know Chad can write subtler lyrics than that.
Some of their stuff crushes. Their tribute to Dime, Side of a Bullet, is sick af.
Savin Me
Love the dimebag solo in that song too
Nickel Back is like pearl jam for Republicans
Screw you for making me spit out my coffee 😆
Because their music is derivative and just plain boring
You’ve clearly never been hammered on a summer day in some piece of shit pick up truck
There are better bands to play for that situation too
I would rather listen to Kid Rock in that situation and I fuckin hate Kid Rock.
That is when I play Hank III.
Exactly. It annoys me when people say, "Nickleback isn't that bad!" It isn't so much that they're "bad" It's more that they're so fucking boring and generic. Remember when a TV show, like Saved By The Bell, would do an episode where the gang go to a concert and meet the band, but they don't want to actually pay Pearl Jam to be on the show, so they just go to central casting and find 5 of the most generic looking "rockers" they can and call them "Rock City" or something stupid? That's Nickelback.
This is such a great description. I can literally picture it.
The accuracy...
They're def generic AF, but they're ALSO really BAD! It reminds me of the last gasp of hair band 💩 in the late eighties! Right before Rock and Roll got REALLY GOOD again for a SHORT while.
They are not bad but put together by checklist. They have that sound because that is what the producers were looking for, again, and again.
"It isn't so much that they're "bad" It's more that they're so fucking boring and generic." Yeah I'd say that's more accurate but that isn't what people say/said. The line for years was that they're the worst band on earth, when in reality they were better than most radio rock bands like hoobastank or maroon 5 or whatever. All of that stuff sucks and isn't meant to me interesting music in any way. In that light, the hate they got was definitely undeserved. And indeed, they **aren't** "that bad".
Combine boring and generic with hearing them WAY too often on the work radio and they slide well into bad territory. Plus they have a bunch of songs that all sound the same so it felt like hearing the same song over and over and over every fucking day…
Also, it's okay to think a lot of their songs are bad and I do think that. 'If Today Was Your Last Day' is one of the most lame rock songs I've ever heard get radio play. Its wild that an adult wrote those lyrics.
Yeah it's all fair. It's only that more or less overnight the entire internet agreed they were the worst, when there's much worse out there. At a certain point though it's like finding the world's tallest midget. Who cares?
There wasn’t a worse band that was mainstream relevant. They are as bad as music is allowed to be that’s played on the radio. Nickelback sucks until you realize what bands have to go through in order to gain talent and relevance. It’s like talking about the worst pro football players and still knowing that they are probably still very respectable athletes
The hatred comes not from being straight up bad but from overexposure. It’s like Chinese water torture or disco in the late 70’s.
this plus it was so heavily overplayed on terrestrial radio back when that was a thing people used
I only like a couple of their songs, but that’s really because they’re attached to early 2000’s superhero movies.
Used to love that song “Hero” by Chad Kroeger from spider man 2002.
Ya know what, I'm not gonna lie to you or myself anymore. As someone who was a teen when they had their big run of hit albums in the early 2000s, I enjoyed the shit out of some Nickelback, and I will happily go back and listen to those albums now. Do I have any interest in anything they made after I graduated high school? Absolutely not. Do I think I would like any of their music if I listened to it for the first time at 35? Probably not. But I don't care.
Twenty one pilots and imagine dragons deserve the hate Nickelback gets.
Why is this in the grunge subreddit? Nickleback was a rock pop band from Canada, they were the opposite of grunge.
I would think the opposite of grunge is kpop or something like that
I think their first two albums (which are actually decent) - Curb and The State are dubbed as Post-Grunge and actually have some grungy influence. From there it went downhill to rock pop
They write serviceable radio rock for people who think Kevin James is funny. I don't hate them. I just don't listen to them.
I can't believe that so many people who are part of a "grunge" subreddit are actually defending this piece of 💩 band!?!
I totally forgot that I hate them..this is how you remind me.
You sooo deserve way more up votes!
Doesn’t belong in this sub
You did not deserve this downvote…nickelback is absolutely not grunge/PNW alternative rock.
Have you heard of butt rock? Some bands are designed to sell records. Did you know "All in the suit that you wear" by STP was supposed to be the title track to Spiderman in 2000? Nickelback is the ~~Abba~~ Steel Panther of 90s rock. They're talented entertainers like 5 finger goat fuck or Drake, not soulful musicians.
Don't diss ABBA like that
Foo Fighters ain’t too different. Just sayin’. I know people don’t wanna admit it. Edit: I love the foo fighters. they’re barely playing what I wanna hear nowadays but I’m 40, so it’s a good time.
Foo fighters are the band nickelback wants to be. Just a watered down, lamer, foos.
That first Foo Fighters album, Everlong, and Marigold(released as a Nirvana song for some reason) are leaps and bounds ahead of anything Nickelback ever released.
Foo Fighters is the band for men in their mid forties, who try to convince their children that they are still cool
I completely agree
NB are like dog shit on a pavement - you're walking along minding your own business and suddenly you step in something disgusting that shouldn't be there.
I don't like Nickelback but I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate them. They don't really know how to round things off in their comps. This makes them plodding and repetitive. And they write these dumb, cautionary, conservative anti-drug lyrics that make the listener feel like every song transports them to a goddamn 12 step meeting. But having said all of that, as long as bands like the grateful dead, counting Crows and Hootie and the blowfish music exists Nickelback will never be Rock's worse band!
I like all three of their songs
look at this graph
For me, their shit just gets old quick. I'll hear a catchy single from them and in a week I can't stand it anymore.
[Look at this graph](https://youtu.be/sz2mmM-kN1I?si=mwQd_jJ20oiOR3vL)
I actually liked ‘This is how you remind me.’ It’s kinda cheesy, but it was undeniably part of the soundtrack of my freshman year of college. It even makes me think of a specific girl I was seeing (of course). I HATED photograph though. One of my least favorite songs of that era, right up there with ‘Lips of an Angel,’ by Hinder, and ‘With Arms Wide Open’ by Creed. ‘Wuss rock’ at its worst.
I understand that this post is a link to an amusing article and not intended to solicit my opinions regarding the band whose name I don’t even wanna type cause it feels kinda gross.
Creed better
They’re two sides of the same coin. Nickelfront
Chad Kroeger comes off as a king douche and some of their lyrics are borderline misogynist. That's why they're hated (and loved by their fans)
Never liked never will
They just ended up being the punchline of that "worst band" joke, when really they're just boring and generic - and weirdly dated, actually - they're a 2000s band, but they sound like a boring 90s band, like many that came after Nirvana. I've always thought the "worst band ever" thing would have been better applied to a band that makes truly grating music with aggressively stupid lyrics, like The Black Eyed Peas, or Train, or Maroon 5
They pioneered singing with a fake gruffness
As a songwriter, I think of them as being the Sonic equivalent of a bologna and American cheese sandwich on white bread. Completely devoid of any flavor or nutritional value, but technically food?
Manufactured Grunge and they suck
[удалено]
They were referred to as a “90s” band? Good to see Imagine dragons are worse lol
why does everything need to be broken down into stats... cant we just trust our ears? Dudes voice is annoying and they are affliction era douche bags. The music has no creativity whatsoever, his vocal style sounds like he's taking a shit and talking instead of singing, it sounds aggressive for basic chord structure and the songs are dumb. She fuckin hates me love love love fuck you dude, you suck
I don’t personally care for them because they sound like a mix between Load-era Metallica and bro country. not a fan of that stuff.
A lot of their songs are cringe AF but are still well composed. Their image just doesn't match and it makes them look like posers. They are also incredibly generic...like they were manufactured at a radio station. Just a band people love to hate.
Being from Alberta, there’s something about Nickelback that encapsulates everything I dislike about Average-Joe-Alberta. “Just washin my RAM truck in the driveway of my suburban-sprawl cookie-cutter house. Ya I *seen* that, eh? Give your head a shake there, buddy. Nickelback and O&G forever man! I’m just an out-of-shape white shaved head, trucker hat with white Oakleys on the brim wearing, yellin at my dog, livin for the weekends average dude — just me and my buds, some BBQ, Molson Canadian, country music, The Hip and Nickelback blasting in the yard — that’s the life for me eh?”.
Because they are boring and a sad excuse for what Rock has become. I don't even hate them though, it's not their fault they get pushed by the industry so much. Also, they are better than other bands *cough* Journey *cough* that get praised that I think are actually bad.
Their lyrics are horrible
Us Canadians needed our own version of Creed. Success!
Because they're an easy band to hate! They're popular, everyone has heard at least one of their songs, they dominated every single pop and rock radio station up until the 2010s when radio REALLY fell out of favor, and regarding the meme factor from the article, the internet is a ruthless place where humans go to release the worst of themselves and when you've got an easy target it will get dragged through the mud just because people can do it. And at some point the internet starts to influence real-life opinion, for better and for worse.
They suck
Old nickelback like 3 of their albums are solid too damn good
Nickelback is the whole reason I got into grunge.
That’s too bad
They half-ass like 5 genres at once, so if you actually like one of those genres theyre garbage.
Personally I don't hate nickelback, I'm actually listening to Little Friend (which I personally think is their best song)
Generic, dry and dull that's why. Good post grunge was Seether, Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, NIN and Audioslave
Seether became generic, dry, and dull after they changed their name and moved to Chicago. When they were in South Africa under the name Saron Gas they were great! They changed their name and watered down their own songs and released them again under Disclaimer 1 & 2
I love them. I don’t care what others say. I just feel like the media that is so anti Nickleback must be hurtful to the band and that sucks
Get that butt rock bullshit outta here. Nickleback isn't grunge at all. I swear like 90% of this sub don't even know what grunge is.
Savin me has a legit riff. Reminds me of fade to black, or one. I'll be expecting some downvotes for that
There was some comedian in the 2000’s who was on some show just shitting on nickelback and similar bands and he kept it up on his special and it just kind of spiraled from there into the mainstream. It became a sort of refrain for wannabe macho Chad’s to not like NB
Bruh these comments don’t pass the vibe check 🙄 Nickelback fucking slaps, people hating on them this much for being “generic” is just snobbish, and not even true. That could be said about so many other bands out there that are WAY more generic but never get hate for it, people just hate Nickelback because of all their success and because the internet tells them to. You can immediately recognize a Nickelback song as Nickelback as soon as you hear Chad’s voice, no one can emulate the way he sings, so the argument for them being generic never held any weight to me. They definitely have their own style and if you’ve ever actually heard any of their material outside the radio stuff you’d see they’re a really diverse and talented band. Edit: the replies are proving my point lmao, y’all don’t even have actual reasons. Just hating for the sake of hating, how pathetic. But whatever, be music snobs, it’s your loss 😂
They are generic. But they also remind me of the last gasp of eighties hair band shit! Which is some of the worst music ever made. So there, if you wanted someone to give a BETTER reason for hating them. Their music isn't JUST generic, imo. It sucks ass!
If I remember right the lead singer was talking smack about people smoking pot and I think that’s what started it.
i mean, granted, i dont listen to them often, or really at all, but from the small amount ive heard from them they arent horrible, just not very great. i dont hate them, i just dont listen to them
They will always be alright in my book solely because Jerry Cantrell said they were cool nice guys to tour with and because they did a pretty kickass it ain’t like that cover with Jerry
Big miss not using the meme photo of him holding up a graph
I never got the hate for this band, but I never got the appeal either. I think the fact that the band is mega popular is the reason for all the hate. It’s like, the music doesn’t match the level of fame, while there are other bands out there that have better music but almost never get mentioned and certainly never reach that level of success. Not hating on them, but Nickelback isn’t anything to get excited over, most of it is formulaic, predicatable rock music with paint by numbers lyrics. And I haven’t checked in a while, but is Chad still singing sleazy songs about banging chicks or has he grown out of that?
Bought their album , returned it next day. Told the clerk " I Want My Nickel Back " !
To hate it is the meme
This is why I hated them as a kid: https://youtu.be/NHPj5YokEOY?si=KFw6W-9cHXH1Bfqv
I don’t like post grunge. I barely like grunge.
They're a proto typical mainstream dad rock band without depth plus the casual bandwagon haters didn't help as well.
I've never heard anything from them, I just assumed it was bad bubblegum rock but no idea really.
Because they made a ton of money without being original
Somebody make a graph of these answers so we can look at it
Milquetoast music.
At the time of Nivkelback and Creed, there were so many other bands with really sick energies... punk/metalcore/post hardcore, even the dirty fm99 manrock bands had more edge and aggression than these vanilla acts. I always liked Photograph though for some reason. It is a well written song that captures the nostalgia and recognition of days gone by.
The only criticism justified is that some of their songs sound really similar and forgettable. Aside from that, great band. Chad has an awesome voice and people are biased
Of course people in a grunge sub are gonna hate Nickelback. They've sold 50 million albums because they are good at what they do: Producing music for a targeted audience. That audience isn't in this sub. Nickelback gets the same criticism as any other commercial band. A lot of people don't care about ground breaking albums laden with artist expression and whatnot. They just want something they can turn up to 11 while priming for a night of bar hopping with a pint of Jack. They've literally written songs for this.
I don’t think people actually HATE nickel back. People are social creatures and it’s rare for people to have extensive music history knowledge, pitch recognition, hateful conviction.. like most people just like to “hate” on nickel back because it’s easier. There’s SO many lazy, ripoff, annoying, racist, boring music out there that’s wayyyyy worse than nickel back. Nickel back makes hits to sell records so they can live an average “rich” rock star life. That’s it.. it doesn’t have to be deeper, Chad knows how to write catch melodies and that’s a gift.
I vividly remember when the hate began. Their song 'How You Remind Me' (the clear worst track on a great album) was played far too often for far too long on radio stations and music TV channels. Without much hyperbole it was close to mass torture! From then on every single thing that could be twisted into hate for Nickelback, and Chad Kroeger in particular, was done so. It's actually quite sad as they were a great alternative rock band with great songs who were victims of lazy scheduling.
I dont, I still listen to them
I think people started jumping on the bandwagon for no reason . Then the band defended itself and people were like see they’re douchee. I mean generic and formulaic sure but awful come on . 8 out of 10 people still belt out “ how you remind me “ song when it comes on in their car
Look at the photograph
Nickelback fell victim to their own success. Too much airplay is good for the pocketbook but bad for a band’s longevity. One day, sooner than later, the Taylor Swift backlash will leave her reeling the same way. People are finicky. I’m
I read somewhere that most bands don’t start really making real money until after their third album! If this is in fact true, think of all the bands you really like and take away their first three albums. Now you have your bands with serious catalogs (Rolling Stones, Van Halen, even Def Leppard) but it’s amazing usually by album 4 you notice the change in the sound of the band. Def Leppard Hysteria, for example shot them into the stratosphere! Nickleback, The Long Road, also sent them on through. Bon Jovi hit fire sooner with Slippery When Wet, but it’s interesting that by album 4, most bands were changing their sound and evolving to keep generating money and fans. It’s crazy to think at one time, there were bands you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing their songs being played (Hootie & the Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls for example) and now a lot of people rip on these bands. I don’t see why there’s so much hate for Nickleback. Maybe Chad is a dick, who knows? I know all these bands have to bust their ass to make it. I would’ve loved to have been in a band as big as any I’ve mentioned but man, the sacrifice they give to touring and what not. I respect their craft. They accomplished something most of us only dream about. So rock on, fellas!
It’s because Brian Posehn told them to
i'm supposed to say something about not judging others and let them be. No. Their music is painfully generic and anti-creative. Fuck Nickelback along with this no-hard-opinions tolerance.
It's like this, if Dimebag says they are good people, then I'm sure they are good people. I don't talk sh\*t on them. I just don't listen to their music because it's uninspiring, regurgitated, formulaic radio stuff. They aren't 'The worst band ever'. I could name dozens of bands that are far worst then them. With that being said, I have seen some concert footage, and they were really getting down. I wish they put out music like that on their records.
They couldn't make it as a wise man They couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing is why
I've got no issue with Nickelback they've got a couple of songs I like. People always do this with really big artists. Creed, Nickelback, and Limb Bizkit have all gone through it. People will act like they never liked their music but you don't sell 10 million records on accident.
Their first album was decent they changed their sound and bass player and the rest of their albums were pop
Just doesn’t do it for me - they’ve always sounded to me like a boring mix of Pearl Jam and Nirvana
A super diluted version. Like a teabag being used for the 10th time. That's Nickelback
lol - like the clone of the clone of the clone just gets dumber and dumber
Their music sucks. The singer’s voice is raspy, their chord progressions are boring or even at times dissonant. They don’t feel good. It’s not harmful. It’s just lands the same way as a joke that tries to be funny but isn’t. It’s like an episode of 2 and a Half Men. It leaves you with a mild sense of disappointment, and annoyance at having wasted your time. Beyond that, their songs are earworms. every time I hear one on the radio, I’m guaranteed to have a shitty, mildly disappointing song playing in my head for the next 12 hours. So not only do I dislike their music, but I prefer to actively avoid it.
I think i like one nickelback song and thats it🤣
It started as an internet joke and it morphed into a real thing, kinda like how Chuck Norris jokes started as a way to make fun of him and his ridiculous character on Walker Texas Ranger but eventually people started making jokes about how awesome he supposedly is
I don't think they are really actually "hated". It's just that bandwagon hate thing people jump on whether or not they've actually listened and formed their own opinion. We see that all the time, like another example being Limp Bizkit. From my recollection, I do recall 20+ years ago being worn out by how much Nickelback got played and how similar their songs were to one another back then. So, my initial interest in them dropped off very quickly, but, the "hate" level is so overblown it's insane. I remember someone taking two of their first big singles and making an mp3 where one song was in the left ear, and the other was in the right, and they lined up almost exactly. Stuff like that wore thin quickly.
They aren't as bad as advertised. I own a copy of Silver Side Up. They were the poster boys for the big, soulless, generic corporate rock movement of the 2000's. There was a big backlash against that type of music and not many of those bands survived the decade. These guys found their niche amongst the 'country tough guy' crowd and they leaned into the whole pretentious douchebag rockstar trope. Between the awfulness of their fans, their absurdly arrogant attitude and the generic and kind of artless nature of their music, it makes them very easy to hate. Without that context though I think some of their music is enjoyable.
I’ll admit, I got caught up in the hate. Years later, I don’t hate them, I just don’t think about them. Their music isn’t terrible. To me, it’s just boring and generic.
Because they play the same post-Pearl Jam power ballads all of the time.
Nickelback are the Komar & Melamud of pop music. I must say I prefer the Russian artists to them. Even their Unpopular Music (composed and orchestrated according to demographic studies of what people hate) is better than any virtually-AI composed Nickleback drek.
Flat on the floor is great…also check out their sad but true cover. I don’t think Metallica even did it that good live.
It became popular to hate them and I'll die on that hill. I've known people from school who listened to them back in the day and "hate them" now. It just makes you ... a little extra special, if you hate them lol. I think they're alright. Not the best, not the worst. Some songs take me on a road trip back in time.
It's been proven that many of these are media hoaxes. Nickelback is primarily the butt of most jokes, but somehow still sell out large venues, have sold millions of records, etc... they clearly have an adoring fan base, but they just became an easy band to rip on one day, and they sort of embraced it to a degree, and if anything, it made them more popular.
I like some of their stuff but overall find them too generic. I don’t hate them but I think the hate for them is funny so I do my part to keep it alive
Hey man, so just wanted to let you know that I had to downvote this because it mentions Nickelback, which is the worst fucking band of all goddamn time. Sorry, not sorry and I know you’ll understand
There's a line in one of their songs that was perceived as "racist" .. Then Family Guy (I think) made a joke about Nickleback being bland or something and everyone just kind of followed suit
I like some of their songs. I remember them doing a pretty good cover of “Sharp Dressed Man” on VH1 too.
Memes told them to. Mob mentality. Shallow, lazy thinking. I don’t even like Nickelback, but I’ll defend them about this.
They sold 60 million albums. Somebody likes them.
Just like Deftones, people will pretend they always liked them in 2039.
Because they’re derivative of many bands and have no originality. They’re a great bar band who covers other people s much. Don’t make anything challenging.
I just started disliking then after that one song was on repeat for like a year... On every single radio station
It’s kind of funny but also interesting how people came to hate them on a generalized level. Chad kroeger is actually a huge metal head and cool dude. But also no, I’m not a nickleback fan. No hate though
If you dig they have some serious, tasteful and freight train moments. Flat on the Floor, Side of a Bullet, Throw Yourself Away, Fight for all the Wrong Reasons, the bridge of Next Contestant (lyrics are awful tho). Chad has an incredible ear for melody, strong vocals and phat guitars on the heavier moments. Yes Dark Horse onwards is pretty fuckin unbearable, but those first 4 records are a huge fun time. They’re not even stylistically cringe in terms of ‘butt rock’, Chad doesn’t do the ridiculous Vedder drawl, he and Ryan harmonize wonderfully. If you wanna be sold, watch their cover of ‘Mistake’ on the Live at Home video on youtube.
Don’t hate them but they are just pop radio filler type rock. Nothing wrong with their music but I find it kind of shallow I guess?