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    Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

    Inspired by "Shiny Happy People" on the other thread:

    Frank Sinatra - My Way and Strangers In The Night

    John Lennon - Sgt. Pepper (album)

    Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl (IIRC), and sometimes Astral Weeks

    More generally, artists seem to detest the "fans" who only want to hear the obvious hit(s).

    #2
    Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

    Satchmo Distel wrote: More generally, artists seem to detest the "fans" who only want to hear the obvious hit(s).
    I remember watching an interview with Mike Score in which he said he wasn't fond of doing American gigs because they only really wanted I Ran.

    Famously, Radiohead aren't fond of Creep and wouldn't play it live for years. Having to change the "so fucking special" line to get airplay mustn't have helped either.

    The Beastie Boys ended up rather ashamed of their Licensed To Ill era due to the fans not getting it was meant to be satire of frat boy behaviour.

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      #3
      Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

      So You Win Again - Hot Chocolate: The band despised it before the song was even recorded. Mickie Most eventually persuades Errol Brown to record a single vocal take but the other band members still refuse to appear on it and a bunch of session guys are brought in to record the music. It was their sole number 1.

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        #4
        Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

        Trois Fois Un Rouge wrote: The Beastie Boys ended up rather ashamed of their Licensed To Ill era due to the fans not getting it was meant to be satire of frat boy behaviour.
        So, were their much-reported antics at the time also a satire of obnoxious frat-boy behaviour?

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          #5
          Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

          Lou Reed wasn't a huge fan of Walk on the Wild Side. Responding to requests for it with a blunt "Fuck off."

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            #6
            Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

            Billy Connolly wasn't a fan of his "The Crucifixion" piece, and used to respond to requests with "Aye, right. Gie us 3 nails and I'll fucking show ye."

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              #7
              Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

              Amor de Cosmos wrote: Lou Reed wasn't a huge fan of Walk on the Wild Side. Responding to requests for it with a blunt "Fuck off."
              That surely had more to do with Reed being an obnoxious cunt generally?

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                #8
                Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                I've heard it said that Radioheads beef with Creep was having to pay royalties to Albert Hammond.

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                  #9
                  Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                  Je Suis Womble wrote:
                  Originally posted by Trois Fois Un Rouge
                  The Beastie Boys ended up rather ashamed of their Licensed To Ill era due to the fans not getting it was meant to be satire of frat boy behaviour.
                  So, were their much-reported antics at the time also a satire of obnoxious frat-boy behaviour?
                  You can't say they weren't method if it was an act, can you? They'd have taught Daniel Day-Lewis a thing or two about staying in character!

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                    #10
                    Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                    Squarewheelbike wrote: I've heard it said that Radioheads beef with Creep was having to pay royalties to Albert Hammond.
                    There's that as well but there's other songs they've disowned that weren't subject to that kind of thing (High & Dry for one). If they had any kind of fondness for it at all, you'd think that once the case had been settled they'd start playing it again.

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                      #11
                      Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                      Jesus, can you imagine what a Radiohead gig is like these days. Not playing Creep is probably the least of it.

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                        #12
                        Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                        Eels were never too keen to play Novacaine For The Soul and at one gig in Austria, after several requests for it, this happened:

                        https://[video=youtube_share;SMNz3dL...?v=SMNz3dL2qTk[/video]

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                          #13
                          Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                          George wrote:
                          Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos
                          Lou Reed wasn't a huge fan of Walk on the Wild Side. Responding to requests for it with a blunt "Fuck off."
                          That surely had more to do with Reed being an obnoxious cunt generally?
                          You have to factor that in certainly.

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                            #14
                            Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                            I can remember The Stranglers back in t' day refusing to play (m)any of the hits live. Dear old Hugh Cornwell reportedly dubbed the fans 'babies' for wanting to hear Peaches or No More Heroes rather than stuff from the forthcoming (and no-hit-containing) Meninblack album.

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                              #15
                              Acts Who Disliked Their Own Biggest Hits

                              The Beta Band called their own first album 'fucking awful'. They were right in part ; it had fucking awful stuff on it, as did the Three EPs. Hot Shots II was a 'better' album, but somehow less interesting.

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                                #16
                                Merle Haggard didn't sing "Okie From Muskogee" for years. Said he hated what the song had become.

                                Also read somewhere that Tammy Wynette didn't like "Stand By Your Man". Mind you she was married to George Jones so there must have been an ironic side to it.

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                                  #17
                                  I sense that Springsteen has long had a troubled relationship with Born In The USA. It was a critique mistaken for an anthem, and his stylistic reworkings of it seem intent on recasting it. If I've heard the 'original' version once or twice in 17 shows, I'd be surprised.

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                                    #18
                                    Someone once asked a member of Warrant if it was true that he hated "Cherry Pie'. "Yes" he said "but it bought me a house."

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                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by 3 Colours Red View Post
                                      There's that as well but there's other songs they've disowned that weren't subject to that kind of thing (High & Dry for one). If they had any kind of fondness for it at all, you'd think that once the case had been settled they'd start playing it again.
                                      So basically, their two listenable songs are off the playlist. Tell you what, Tel Aviv deserves the punishment of their live shows.

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                                        #20
                                        I think that there are songs that acts might have disliked (possibly a lighter or more commercial version of their sound that they were talked into recording), and songs that acts grew to despise for a variety of reasons, including being trapped in the past or just plain fuckin' sick of dragging them out year after year. Loads fit into the latter category i'd guess, especially for the more ornery performers. Paul Weller was like that even just a few years into the Jam - didn't he refuse to play Tube Station live for a while?

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                                          #21
                                          Thin Lizzy hated "Whiskey In The Jar." I read somewhere that that song was the reason Eric Bell left.

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                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by adams house cat View Post
                                            Someone once asked a member of Warrant if it was true that he hated "Cherry Pie'. "Yes" he said "but it bought me a house."
                                            That reminds me of the line about Jaws: The Revenge in Michael Caine's autobiography: "Apparently, it's a dreadful film. I don't know, I haven't seen it. But I've seen the house it paid for, and that's fantastic."

                                            Back on topic, does anyone know how Paddy McAloon feels about The King of Rock 'N' Roll?

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                                              #23
                                              EMF refused to play 'Unbelievable' at gigs, iirc.
                                              Last edited by RobW; 22-05-2018, 13:33. Reason: High and Dry already mentioned...

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                                                #24
                                                The Waterboys (well, Mike Scott) have (has) a patchy relationship with The Whole of the Moon, which is of course their biggest hit by some distance. I've seen them more times than I care to remember, and they haven't always played it, and on occasion even when playing it they've shortened it or played different arrangements.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Originally posted by RobW View Post
                                                  EMF refused to play 'Unbelievable' at gigs, iirc.
                                                  They played at 'Pride' at Clapham Common in about... late 90's. They got to the encore section, and they were told they had to stop playing (time of evening), without playing THAT ONE. Everyone ... well everyone would have been pissed off if we all weren't off our faces. But the band were very annoyed.

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