12 Most Hated Classic Rock Songs (On Great Albums)
2. Mother - The Police
The Police are one of those bands who you could say got better with every release. From the band's beginnings dabbling in reggae and punk to their flirtations with everything from calypso and jazz on their later recordings, each record seem to build to their massive pop breakthrough Synchronicity.
The band's use of synthesizers and pop songwriting techniques led to epic cuts like the two part title track as well as pop gold on "Every Breath You Take." The whole album feels like a breeze, but the sudden whiplash you get from the song "Mother" hits you right between the eyes. While Sting is known as the band's primary songwriter, this cut was written by guitarist Andy Summers, whose shrieking lead vocals seem to be a therapeutic lashing-out at his own mother.
Pulling from various avant garde musical influences, this one cut from Summers has an element of danger to its sound which seems suited to an auditory horror movie. The track works wonders for its shock value, but it certainly has no place being right next to pop classics like "Wrapped Around Your Finger." Synchronicity might be the band at their musical finest, but "Mother" feels more like something you have to endure rather than enjoy on its own merits.