"I Wish I Could Burn That Song And Never Sing It Again" – 14 Major Hits That Artists Have Admitted To Not Liking

"I'm not sure I can sing Holiday or Like A Virgin ever again. I just can't — unless somebody paid me like $30 million or something."

Most artists are bound to make a song or two that they don't ~fully~ love. The problem is that if the song does well, they sort of have to keep playing and hearing it everywhere they go forever...

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Here are 14 artists who've spoken about not liking their own songs...

1. Robert Plant

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Led Zeppelin's most recognisable song is probably "Stairway to Heaven", but when Robert Plant was performing as a solo artist, he didn't look back fondly on the track. Speaking in 1988, the singer revealed that the song felt right at the time, but that he didn't want to perform it forever. He said:

"I'd break out in hives if I had to sing that song in every show. I wrote those lyrics and found that song to be of some importance and consequence in 1971, but 17 years later, I don't know. It's just not for me."

Give it a listen here:

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2. Ariana Grande

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It's safe to say that Ariana doesn't look back fondly on her debut single, Put Your Hearts Up. She believes that this is because it was more of the type of music that her character Cat (from Victorious) would produce and not her real sound: 

"I feel like 'Put Your Hearts Up' would've been Cat's single. I really wanted to do music, but I couldn't wait. So I was stuck in this weird world where it was like, 'I'm Cat, but I'm... me.'"

She was also haunted by the video, which she could not stand: "For the video, they gave me a bad spray tan and put me in a princess dress and had me frolic around the street... I still have nightmares about it, and I made them hide it on my Vevo page."

Watch the music video here (sorry Ariana):

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3. Justin Bieber

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Justin released "Beauty and the Beat" featuring Nicki Minaj during peak Bieber fever, but it turns out that the singer wasn't even a fan of the song at the time, let alone now. In an interview, he revealed that it was more of a product of the time, and what people wanted to hear, rather than a song he was proud of: 

"I understood what it was at the time. And it was music that was popular at that time, as well. But I was never really a huge fan of that song.”

Have a listen here:

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4. Liam Gallagher

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Liam is notorious for his inflammatory statements, but he shares the opinion of most people around a campfire next to a novice guitar player – he can't stand "Wonderwall". Liam certainly didn't hold back with his views of one of the band's biggest songs, saying:

"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. You go to America, and they're like: 'Are you, Mr Wonderwall?' You want to chin someone."

Here it is:

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5. P!nk

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The singer has been very clear about her least favourite track. In an interview, she revealed that "Don't Let Me Get Me" was the song she least enjoyed performing, saying: "I wish I could burn that song and never sing it again." Considering the song is geared around teenage angst, perhaps it's understandable that she no longer relates to the lyrics, and feels odd performing it. 

Give it a listen:

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6. Madonna

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Having such a big back catalogue will undoubtedly leave you with some songs you'd rather not play. Unfortunately for Madonna, the ones she doesn't like to play or hear are two of her biggest hits ("Holiday" and "Like a Virgin").

In an interview, the hit singer said, "I'm not sure I can sing [those] ever again. I just can't — unless somebody paid me like $30 million or something."

Meanwhile, she expressed that "Like a Virgin" was one that she hated hearing in public, saying: "For some reason, people think that when you go to a restaurant or you are going shopping that you want to hear one of your own songs. It's usually 'Like a Virgin' — and that is the one I don't want to hear." 

Have a listen, but not out loud in a restaurant – just in case:

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7. Miley Cyrus

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Miley didn't write, or have any particularly high hopes for, her hit song "Party in the USA". She said: "Honestly, I picked that song because I needed something to go with my clothing line. I didn't write it [and] I didn't expect it to be popular, originally."

She was also pretty miffed by its huge success, saying "I hate it, but for some reason, the people love it." While she appreciates the song's success, she doesn't like how she sounds in that era of her music, as she expressed:

"That's not who I am, that's not where I want to sing, that's not what I want to sing, and that's not what I want my voice to sound like, because you can't hear me through there."

Here it is:

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8. Lady Gaga

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While Lady Gaga has admitted that "Telephone" is the song that she dislikes hearing the most, she's also said that it has nothing to do with the track itself, but more the process of recording it. Noting that the mixing and recording was one of her most stressful production processes she'd endured, she said: 

"I hate 'Telephone'. Is that terrible to say? It's the song I have the most difficult time listening to. Ultimately, the mix and the process of getting the production finished was very stressful for me. So when I say it's my worst song, it has nothing to do with the song, just my emotional connection to it."

Check it out:

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9. Eminem

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It kind of makes sense that Eminem doesn't feel great about "Cleanin' Out My Closet", since the song goes pretty in hard on criticising his mother. The rapper actually apologised to his mum for being so visceral in the lyrics with the 2013 song "Headlights":

"My mom probably got it the worst. / The brunt of it, but as stubborn as we are, did I take it too far? / 'Cleanin' Out My Closet' and all them other songs. / But regardless, I don't hate you 'cause ma. / You're still beautiful to me, 'cause you're my mom... That song I no longer pay at shows and I cringe every time it's on the radio."

Check it out:

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10. Frank Sinatra

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It was probably a bit of a shame that the one song that Frank hated most, and that he disliked playing, was a number one track and fan favourite – "Strangers in the Night". He despised it so much that, before begrudgingly performing it, he'd introduce it as, "Here's a song that I cannot stand."

The singer also called it "a piece of shit" and "the worst fucking song that I have ever heard".

Have a listen:

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11. Nicki Minaj

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Nicki Minaj did not care one bit about slamming some of her older music, even some of her biggest songs – "Starships", "Your Love", and "Anaconda". When asked about songs she regrets, she said, "So much of my discography." She also went on to talk about the three songs, saying:

“I wish I never recorded 'Anaconda'. I like the video but ugh. My first ever solo song on Billboard was 'Your Love'. To this day I like the video but I hate the song. I could go on and on. I hate 'Starships', I mean ew, 'Starships?' I'm like, 'Why did I do that?' I really think that every time I hear it."

Here's 'Starships":

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12. R.E.M.

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Getting to number 10 in the charts, "Shiny Happy People" was a big hit for R.E.M., but it was definitely not one that they enjoyed playing. In fact, they actively avoided it. It was largely due to how different it was from their sound, and the fact that they thought it was pretty childish. As Michael Stipe said, "It was bubblegum music made for kids. Don't hate it. But I don't want to sing it".

This is it:

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13. Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes

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"Creep" was a major success for TLC, becoming their first song to top the charts on the US Billboard Hot 100. But Left Eye had an issue with the song's message from the very beginning, saying: "If a girl is going to catch her man cheating… this was my thing, instead of telling her to cheat back, why don't we tell her to just leave?!"

She also protested the shooting of the music video, initially wearing black tape over her mouth in order to show her disagreement with the message, and turning up late.

Check it out here:

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14. Brian May

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While Brian has since come around to "Don't Stop Me Now", one of Queen's most popular songs, he had some serious problems with it when it was first released. The artist said, "I didn't really take to it in the beginning. I didn't feel totally comfortable with what Freddie was singing at the time." 

This was largely due to the cavalier nature of the song, as he alluded to: "I found it a little bit too flippant in view of the dangers of AIDS and stuff. But as time went on, I began to realise that it gave people great joy."

Here it is:

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What other artists do you know have songs they don't really like? Let us know in the comments below!