Stars Who Hate Their Hits

You might not be able to stop singing along to The Rolling Stones' 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction,' and think Oasis' 'Wonderwall' is the best song of all time, but the artists who penned those hits don't agree with you.

HATING THE HITS
Nirvana – 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'
It was the song that made Nirvana a household name, but the boys from Seattle weren't exactly impressed with the mass teenybopper hysteria that erupted after the release of the single. Kurt Cobain told Rolling Stone magazine he was embarrassed to play it; and this became clear when the band didn't play the song at their later shows. Not only did they not like the song, they hated the video too.

Radiohead – 'Creep'
Creep was the hit that catapulted Radiohead onto the rock scene. Everybody knew the hit, whether or not you knew the band. When they toured America in the early days, people would stay for 'Creep' and leave once the song was over. In the end, the band stopped playing the song for five years and even wrote 'My Iron Lung' as a description of their hatred for the song. And their nickname for 'Creep'? 'Crap'. Need we say more?

Oasis – 'Wonderwall'
Once again, the song that launched the band is the song the band themselves hate the most. When discussing their latest album, Dig Out Your Soul, Liam Gallagher said, 'At least there's no Wonderwall on there. I can't fucking stand that fucking song! Every time I have to sing it I want to gag. Problem is, it was a big, big tune for us.' 'Wonderwall' went platinum in the UK and has sold over a million copies to date.

Madonna – 'Like A Virgin'
Whether you sing along to this massive hit in the shower, while you watch Bridget Jones, or simply because you simply l-o-v-e it, 'Like A Virgin' is arguably one of Madonna's biggest hits since the 80s. However, the Queen of Pop is bored with her beginnings. As told to a New York radio station, Madonna said, 'I'm not sure I can sing "Like a Virgin" ever again. I just can't, unless somebody paid me, like, $30 million or something.' That's quite a wad of dough for one song Madge…

U2 – 'Where The Streets Have No Name'
One of the Irish rockers' most critically acclaimed hits, 'Where The Streets Have No Name' wasn't up to Bono's standards, apparently. The lyrics, which were originally written as a draft, left Bono feeling bleak. But it seems U2's producers thought differently. 'I thought they were fairly inane, but in the studio Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois thought they were perfect. I told them they were only sketches and I could do much better. Now I have to sing them for the rest of my life and it's our most successful live song.' Such is life Bono.

Vanilla Ice – 'Ice Ice Baby'
One of the most overplayed songs of the late 80s, 'Ice Ice Baby' got everybody dancing and singing in karaoke bars. Vanilla Ice regretted every second of it, once the money started running out of course. He even took the opportunity to destroy MTV's master copy with a baseball bat after the video was permanently taken off the air. Unfortunately for the rapper, you can't get rid of 'Ice Ice Baby' that easy; unless you destroy every jukebox on earth.

LEARNING TO LOVE
The Rolling Stones – 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction'
While guitarist Keith Richards may have grown to like the Stones' hit single, he wasn't too pleased about it originally. According to Mick Jagger, Richards thought it was a bit basic with a silly riff. 'Keith didn't like it much, he didn't want it to be a single, he didn't think it would do very well.' Oh, how wrong he was.

Tina Turner – 'What's Love Got To Do With It'
After an insufferable marriage to her abusive husband, Ike Turner, Tina Turner was ready to start over with a new hit. But when she discovered her comeback would be 'What's Love Got To Do With It,' she wasn't happy at all. She hated it so much she almost refused to record it. When it became a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 64 consecutive weeks and revived her career, she quickly changed her mind. Good thinking.

FOR KICKS
Katy Perry's parents – 'I Kissed A Girl'
While this song was one of 2008's biggest hits, Katy Perry's evangelical Christian parents were not impressed. 'I hate the song. Its message is shameful and disgusting,' says Perry's mother, Mary Hudson. 'Katy knows how I feel. We are a very outspoken family and she knows how disappointed her father and I are. I can't even listen to that song. The first time I heard it I was in total shock. When it comes on the radio I bow my head and pray.' Wow.

Author: Lindi Brownell