The 10 most divisive songs ever recorded

‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’ – Billy Joel

One thing no one can dispute is that Billy Joel knows what the hell he is doing behind a keyboard. Even though he may not be known as the coolest artist in the world, Joel’s ability to play the piano like it’s second nature is something any budding musician should strive to do. Despite being able to write complex classical pieces, Joel decided to put all of his credentials on the shelf to give his listeners a history lesson on ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’.

Right after his turn as a 1980s hitmaker on An Innocent Man, the song originated from Joel’s desire to capture the information overload from the past few decades of human existence. Although the song does its job as a fun tune and an absolute nightmare at karaoke night, the fact that the entire verse takes place on just two notes gets monotonous if you don’t know any of the words.

Even Joel admitted that the song was far from a favourite when performing it live, thinking it took no time because no one would have thought to write something that sounded like that. Although Joel is free to do whatever he wants as a world-class songwriter, there’s a good chance that ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ will be a song hanging around his neck until he’s done performing for good.

‘Creep’ – Radiohead

In an era full of post-grunge schlock, Radiohead were the artists still pushing what the genre could do. Outside of becoming one of the most imitated bands of the modern age, Thom Yorke’s brand of songwriting had the kind of emotional weight that left most fans in shambles listening to songs like ‘Fake Plastic Trees’. When looking at the vast array of classic songs the band has at their disposal, it’s hard to return to a song like ‘Creep’ with fresh ears.

Before the band had even started making songs about the dangers of technology or their emotional despondence, their debut album was their feeble attempt to blend into the alternative rock crowd of the early 1990s. Although the band would grow out of it fairly quickly, ‘Creep’ remains the “entry-level” Radiohead song amongst fans, being the more mainstream look at what the band are truly capable of.

Although the song is still one of the more mainstream songs they had ever attempted, there’s still a lot to love about it, from Yorke’s attempt to sound like a rock god to Jonny Greenwood’s intentional percussive guitar hits that lead the listener into the chorus. Rock and roll may be a brighter place with artists like Radiohead, but if time had been different, chances are they would have been a one-hit wonder if they never stretched beyond this song.

‘Wonderwall’ – Oasis

Oasis, as a concept, is probably one of the most divisive entities in rock and roll. Although they may be responsible for some of the biggest anthems of their generation, their insistence on being the biggest band on the planet and their liberal stealing of classic songs by The Beatles has led to them looking like snobby rock fans who happen to play guitars. While no band gets a billion plays on Spotify for nothing, ‘Wonderwall’ may be turning those numbers for some unintentional reasons.

When it was first released on What’s the Story Morning Glory, the song was just a typical love song. Noel Gallagher was perfect at writing, talking about not having the words to express his feelings to his other half. Even though his brother Liam sings it well enough, the aftermath of guitarists that it has left in its wake is enough to make anyone steer clear of coffeehouses until the end of time.

In the modern age, the dead-simple acoustic strumming and the rudimentary melody have led to many people attempting the song, often becoming the bud of every joke whenever some joker thinks that he will impress everyone if he pulls out a guitar. Noel may not have meant to make such a meme in the pre-meme age, but as soon as fans hear those opening chords, it’s easy to picture some frat bro with a smirk on his face, thinking that he’s the coolest person in the building because he knows how a guitar works.

‘The View’ – Metallica / Lou Reed

No artist should be afraid to experiment with the medium that they’re using. Even though most musicians would want to mess with a winning formula, there comes a point where playing that same riff more than once is enough to drive them insane. Metallica may have been able to switch on a dime to different styles of hard rock throughout their career, but their partnership with Lou Reed was bound to get some kickback before it came out.

Considering the overlap of both artists’ fanbases is practically minuscule, hearing Reed’s atypical talk-singing over thunderous James Hetfield riffs was one of the oddest pairings the 2010s had ever seen. Even though the album Lulu has a decent idea of serving as a dark soundtrack to the play of the same name, ‘The View’ quickly became the butt of every joke from music fans, as Hetfield seems to be swearing on his life that he is, in fact, the table.

Even though this was the kind of song that no one was asking for, both artists stuck by their collaboration, even earning a handful of fans in artists like David Bowie since its release. Whereas most artists tend to get stuck in any particular style, you can’t blame either Lou Reed or Metallica for not trying something new with their craft.

‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ – Bobby McFerrin

The radio is never going to run short of annoying pop songs. For as long as the medium has existed, fans have been exposed to songs that are both way too dumb to take seriously yet too shrill to ignore whenever they end. Although Bobby McFerrin may have just been looking to make an upbeat little song about happiness on ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’, there’s a good chance that it can cause brains to melt if it’s played for too long.

Then again, it’s not like McFerrin didn’t put his all into the track. Being one of the greatest a cappella singers of all time, the fact that the whole song was made with just his voice is somewhat commendable, managing to sound like a full band all by himself. When listening to the lyrics, though, the song feels mindless at best, reminding people that nothing matters as long as you stay happy.

While he may have been looking to create some mellow groove, the combination of the dopey lyrics and the simple melody feels like the musical equivalent of manufactured happiness. A concept like happiness might only need a simple approach to bring it across, but if you’re not in a cheery mood, hearing McFerrin’s croon about throwing away one’s worries is enough to go from annoyance to anger in seconds.

‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’ – Kiss

Lyrics don’t matter anymore, and it’s all Kiss’ fault. Although the band were known first and foremost as a glam-rock act known for their elaborate stage shows, most of their lyric sheets tended to be embarrassing at best and predatory at worst. While the less said about a song like ‘Christine Sixteen’ the better, the Kiss army has considered the band’s first low point coming in the late 1970s.

After rubbing elbows with the biggest names in disco, Paul Stanley’s attempt at writing a club track feels like something that Donna Summer would have thrown out. While the lyrics match with the kind of sleazy approach that most Kiss songs fall under, the record sounds like toothpaste and orange juice, especially when they copy the guitar lick with ‘doo-doo-doo’ vocals in between the verses.

Since Kiss had been known as rock and roll superheroes throughout the first half of their career, seeing Gene Simmons’s ‘Demon’ persona trying to look menacing with this kind of song behind him is unintentionally hilarious every time the band played it. Kiss may have been to write in many different styles, but there’s a good chance that this wasn’t their version of ‘I Feel Love’ by any stretch.

‘Ebony & Ivory’ – Paul McCartney / Stevie Wonder

Any song can generally get by with a great message behind it. Although most hits tend to recycle the same cliches of falling in love with the girl next door, it’s much better for artists to use their platform to help spread a message that they think could help the world. While Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder had written masterful songs about healing society from prejudices, bringing them together for racial equality resulted in one of the most misguided collaborations in history.

Considering both artists’ pedigree, it’s strange that ‘Ebony and Ivory’ ends with such a thud, sounding more like a song that would soundtrack a particularly bland 1980s sitcom. While the song has a great message about equating racial harmony with the keys of a keyboard, the song can’t help but feel like a missed opportunity with both their strengths.

Even though a song about racial equality could have benefited from bringing together the sounds of various musical genres to tell the story with music, both cancel each other and end up with the most clinical pop song of all time. This musical pairing may have been one of the greatest ideas in pop history, but the McCartney deep cut ‘What’s That You’re Doing’ works much better as music than their attempt at sending a message.

‘Kokomo’ – The Beach Boys

For most of The Beach Boys’ greatest material, it all circles back to what Brian Wilson could do behind the keyboards. Compared to the other musicians he worked with, like Mike Love and lyricist Tony Asher, Wilson was on the other side of the world, tapping into the most complex corners of his brain to spit out immaculate pieces of pop like on Pet Sounds. Once Wilson was eliminated, Love took the reins and gave the world one of the most middle-aged rock songs ever.

Then again, rock and roll was never meant to be strictly a young man’s game. Some of the greatest artists of all time continued to do quality work into the later years, and even the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys brought together a wealth of great material about settling down into comfort in middle age.

Whereas those songs had their charm, ‘Kokomo’ is the sound of late 50s Mike Love trying to sing like he’s still in his 20s, complete with the most nonsensical chorus of the entire 1980s. While the song would be used as one of the main tracks on the soundtrack to the movie Cocktail, it’s easy to listen to the song and picture the sad dads of the world, martini glass in hand, wondering what the world has come to with kids these days.

‘Seamus’ – Pink Floyd

Any bad song usually has a few red flags before the track begins. Although some of the best bands have been able to buck the trends whenever they go into the studio to create something, the idea of adding weird instruments like kazoos or drastically changing one’s genre will trigger some alarm bells in more than a few fans’ heads. While seeing a dog is rarely a bad thing under any circumstances, Pink Floyd using one as the lead instrument was always more perplexing than fun.

For most fans, though, the album Meddle is where everything came together for the band. Free from relying on the goodwill from Syd Barrett, songs like ‘Echoes’ pointed the way towards more exciting music, only with the soundtrack of some blues music with a dog howling over everything.

After volunteering to watch Steve Marriott’s dog for the day, the band decided it would be a good idea to get the good boy on a microphone, letting him listen to the band playing a song and barking incessantly in the middle of the track. There is a decent song stuck somewhere in this track, but the studio is probably the last place to feature a “Bring Your Pet To Work Day”.

‘Ob La Di Ob La Da’ – The Beatles

Most Beatles fans have made their peace with The White Album being perfectly imperfect. Although the band were known for spending copious amounts of time in Abbey Road Studios before they came out with something unique, their constant bickering led to a bloated project showcasing the best and the worst experiments they had ever put to tape. While it’s almost universally agreed that a song like ‘Wild Honey Pie’ was dead on arrival, Paul McCartney’s attempt at a catchy reggae-influenced single has been dividing the room for years.

Inspired by a phrase he had heard from his Jamaican friends, McCartney put together a jaunty piano-led piece about young love. Although the song demonstrates McCartney’s ability to tell a complete story in just a few minutes, the instrumentation makes the whole thing feel more like a children’s song than a proper pop song, especially with the lighthearted rhythm pushing everything along.

For all of its drawbacks as a pop song, ‘Ob La Di Ob La Da’ is at least an excellent entry point for potential Fab Four fans, getting toddlers bouncing around to the beat when they hear it for the first time. While there’s nothing wrong with exposing people to The Beatles’ music early, ‘Ob La Di Ob La Da’ wears out its welcome for anyone who musically grew past the age of 5.