Five songs that proved an artist’s career was doomed
We have all seen artists’ careers go on a downward slope, and then they release that final song which acts as the final nail in the coffin. Every genre, from hip-hop to rock, has had artists fall left off the cool metre like this.
What is it that can finally bring down an artist? One of the most common problems is simple: bad music. An artist will rise to success because of some initial, great songs, but then will struggle to meet the bar that they have suddenly set themselves. Their standards keep slipping, to the point that fans either treat them as a nostalgia act or stop listening entirely.
Of course, there are plenty of other ways that artists can fall from grace. A lot of the time, this can occur because of how an artist has behaved in public, as the court of public opinion will often devalue someone’s music because of their political or personal beliefs. Equally, artists can lose sight of what makes their sound special and subsequently lose touch with the unique aspects of their art that people are drawn to.
Regardless of the reason, the fact remains that there are plenty of artists who have released songs that were a sign of the times, a glimpse into the future that prove an artist is doomed. Here are five of the biggest songs that proved artists and bands were operating on borrowed time.
Five songs that proved an artist’s career was doomed
Guns N’ Roses – ‘ABSURD’
‘ABSURD’ is one of the very few new releases that Guns N’ Roses brought out since their reunion, and it proves that the band might have surpassed the moment when they could make new music. The song is a haphazard mix of styles, none of which work, all of which feel deeply out of place and that represent the fact Guns N’ Roses are past it.
It’s worth noting that the band’s classics remain exactly that, and so long as they exist, there will be crowds ready to go watch them live. However, fans likely aren’t too bothered about the idea of Guns N’ Roses releasing new music, as any attempt to do so in recent times has proven to be relatively flat.
Kanye West – ‘CARNIVAL’
Listening to old Kanye West songs is one of the most disheartening experiences that a lot of fans can do. When I say old, I don’t even necessarily mean going all the way back to College Dropout or Graduation, as even releases as recent as 2016 with The Life of Pablo contain some great pieces of music. His recent offerings in the form of Vultures and Vultures II were both poor, and along with his questionable political views and controversial social media rants, they all prove that West may have made his last good song.
The fact that ‘CARNIVAL’ is his biggest hit in recent years shows how poor his output has been. The track is mediocre at the very best, with an irritating choir-like sound running through the song and an unfinished-sounding production. ‘CARNIVAL’ marked the beginning of the end, as everything West has done since has been poor (and oftentimes, deeply offensive).
Eagles – ‘Victim of Love’
You’ve just released one of the biggest records the world has ever known in Hotel California and now you have to follow it up. How the fuck do you match it? That question would lead to plenty of studio issues. One of the biggest arguments came from who should provide the vocals on their track ‘Victim of Love’, as Don Felder wanted to take the lead.
He was adamant in his appeal for the vocals, so much so that the band had to go behind his back to record the final vocals. They convinced their manager to take Felder out for dinner while the rest of them worked in the studio putting the final vocals on the track. This led to a huge disagreement within the band, which simultaneously doomed them, as creative differences continued to surface until the band eventually.
Chance The Rapper – ‘Hot Shower’
Having the world at your feet is a daunting prospect, and one that faced Chance The Rapper as he put together his debut record The Big Day. His previous mixtapes had suggested that the first LP would be a landmark moment, something only bolstered by the fact that he was already headlining festivals.
When it finally came around to Chance releasing that debut, the world waited with bated breath, ecstatic to see what Chance would come up with when he had proper backing. The result was incredibly poor, and one of the worst songs on the record was ‘Hot Shower’. In a desperate attempt to be loved, Chance had given up on the innovation that made him an icon and instead found himself square in the middle of the road, dodging traffic.
Pink Floyd – ‘Point Me At The Sky’
Let’s end on a more positive note. When Syd Barrett left Pink Floyd, Roger Waters was left to try and take over chief songwriting duties. When he did this, he wrote the song ‘Point Me At The Sky’ and the track was so bad that Waters himself called it a “notable failure.”
It was clear to most that the Pink Floyd that had enraptured London and launched a new style of acid rock had died as quickly as it had been born. Waters, the group’s principal songwriter and de facto leader, was now in need of switching sonic lanes. It would be a decision that would not only please the band’s fans but capture the attention of millions and launch the Pink Floyd we know today into stardom, as conceptual records became the name of the game. ‘Point Me At The Sky’ was the wake and birth of Pink Floyd all in one.
