20 Universally-Hated Songs That Are Actually Technically Very Good

By Michael Downie /

1. Nickelback - Too Bad

Back when How You Remind Me successfully took over the world, Nickelback were primed to remind the world that they could actually rock out and the follow up single was the tawdry Too Bad. A song detailing the effects Chad Kroeger's father leaving had on him and his mother, it's uncomfortably personal and to be honest, entirely unnecessary. There is something decidedly tactless about Kroeger basing an arena rock song around the breakup of his family on an album that sold by the metric truck-load, especially given how overt the lyrics are on the subject. Take the line "Father's hands are lined with guilt, for tearing us apart". Leave your dirty laundry indoors please, Chad, okay? Still, underneath the teenage angst is a supremely heavy song that looks simple to play on paper but is deceptively intricate and tricky to perfect as the band intended. If you happen to play the guitar, try and play the opening clean picking riff and try to get it right, it may only be a handful of notes but it's surprisingly difficult. Too Bad also happens to feature that rare beast that is a guitar solo that has been digitally reversed that actually sounds any good. Musically the song is an absolute stormer, it just seems that as with Creed, Kroeger appears to be the part of Nickelback most people have a problem with. Are there any other songs that get a bad rap, regardless of some saving graces? Let us know in the comments!