Lyrically, Jim Morrison’s poetry-set-to-music resembles the scribbling of someone who has just finished the Romantic Poetry section of their tenth grade English class. This doesn’t even cover the fact that in the chorus, “fire” is rhymed with “fire,” the second of which is delivered with a strangled bellow that is supposed to convey some sort of passion that is missing in Morrison’s morose and flat delivery during the rest of the song. Also, “girl we couldn’t get much higher”? He sounds like an eight grader who just smoked some oregano he bought in the bathroom of the mall. Morrison is considered a rock god because he removed his pants in public, took too many drugs, and let disgusting overconfidence mask an obvious lack of talent. If this is what makes someone a rock god, then we all went to college with about 50 rock gods who now work at Morgan Stanley.
“Light My Fire” is a novelty song of the psychedelic age. Somehow it has become tied up with equally inexplicable mythology surrounding Jim Morrison and received critical acclaim far beyond anything that it deserves. The gap between the adoration for “Light My Fire” and the intense awfulness of the song is so large, it’s easily one of the most overrated pieces of popular music created in a long time.
Selected by Morgan from Earvolution.com
3. “Free Bird” - Lynyrd Skynyrd
One of the most overrated songs in rock history has to be Lynryd Skynryd's "Freebird." The song has good intentions; it is dedicated to the memory of fellow southern rocker Duane Allman. However, the good intentions have gone bad. It is now one of the ultimate rock cliches. Anyone, who has ever attended a rock concert, will almost certainly hear someone yell out, "Freebird." The song has become a parody of itself. Unfortunately, I have to report that this disturbing trend may have its origins in Chicago, my hometown. There are many theories as to how this annoying habit started, one common thread among them involves The Brady Bunch, an overrated TV show, and a Chicago radio personality.
I would like to quote no less an authority than the Wall Street Journal:
“Kevin Matthews is a Chicago radio personality who has exhorted his fans — the KevHeads — to yell "Freebird" for years, and claims to have originated the tradition in the late 1980s, when he says he hit upon it as a way to torment Florence Henderson of "Brady Bunch" fame, who was giving a concert. He figured somebody should yell something at her "to break up the monotony." The longtime Skynyrd fan settled on "Freebird." saying the epic song "just popped into my head."
But he bemoans the decline of "Freebird" etiquette. "It was never meant to be yelled at a cool concert — it was meant to be yelled at someone really lame," he says. "If you're going to yell "Freebird" yell "Freebird" at a Jim Nabors concert."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Sean
I nominate every song on Sgt. Pepper.
2 - Paul Herrington
Finally someone who agrees with me. Jim Morrison was just a junkie with an attitude problem. Real rockers like Jimi Hendrix, Joplin, and even Bowie, had more upstairs than morrison. He was and will forever be a no talent ass clown. A teenager who road his friends to fame and ruined himself on a cross of pop consumerism. I despise morrison.
3 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Great stuff Robert. i second (or third) the Morrisson diss. What a pretentious knob.Poetry???? "There's a killer on the road / his brain is squirming like a toad" is one of the most hilarious lyrics i've ever heard.
And kudos on The Fall, although i don't agree. but still, nice to see them get a slap.
or, "get a slapaaaaaahhh"
4 - Aaman
This list is a great playlist by itself, even it's mostly fetish music.
5 - Robert
I found it interesting how rare it is to find anyone who disses the Beatles or Rolling Stones publically. It's like Rock & Roll blasphemy or something.
6 - Tan The Man
I can't agree with “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. It's too brilliant. Everything else, I can understand - especially "Hey Ya" by Outkast.
7 - Eric Olsen
I disagree with everyone but me - thanks Robbert!
8 - Rodney Welch
Someone should have made a video putting bleak footage of pre-1989 East Berlin against the song "Imagine." That's the kind of utopia Lennon is describing.
9 - Eric Olsen
RE Morrison: to be dead 35 years and STILL be misunderstood by otherwise sentient, even intelligent, human beings is a shame of sepulchral solemnity
10 - SFC Ski
How did "Stairway to Heaven" not make this list?
11 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Ha! Sir Olsen, do i detect an admiration for our fuzzy-eyed friend??
12 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
my idea for a superhero frontman - Jim Morrissey. the mental images conjured by such a hybrid are staggering.
13 - todd
I gotta agree wholeheartedly with the Bruce Springsteen remarks. I never ever got his early "rock" stuff that peeps rave on about.
Now "Nebraska", thats a different story, and the song, "The River".
14 - Rob
Pretty good list. I had my fill of most of these songs years ago, but the radio stations keep playing them anyway!Here's a few more that bug the crap out of me (even though I do like other songs by these bands):
You Shook Me - AC/DC
American Woman - The Guess Who (I was just starting to get this out of my system and Lenny Kravitz covers it!!)
Smoke on The Water - Deep Purple
Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan (guess I had to be there? He's got much better stuff)
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin (I know, but they have a ton of better songs)
Like A Prayer - Madonna
15 - Matthew T. Sussman
When I began reading the list, I noticed a trend after the third song. They were all long. And I miss this about songs. Nowadays bands don't know what to do after three minutes except play more of the same chords or scream like a vulture.
If you can rock that guitar, don't stop the rockin'.
And in regards to the drum play on "Pour Some Sugar On Me", what do you expect? The drummer has one freakin' arm!
16 - Amanda
I am such a sucker for these group-contribution articles. I can't believe nobody picked the same song. Excellent list, I totally agree with Light My Fire, Freebird, and Def Leppard. "Wonderwall," however, was turned into a totally different song by Ryan Adams. Noel /Liam actually perform it like that now, from what I hear.
17 - Robert
I think that "Stairway to Heaven" is brilliant. It only bothers us because we have heard it 58 bazillion times. If I heard it for the first time ever today it would win me over by the word "hedgerow"
18 - drake
"Stairway to Heaven" would've been my selection, but it's not digitally available so it's not allowed for the list (in order to make a playlist.)
In fact, my top 4 most overrated songs are all not digitally available, which prolly says something.
19 - Eric Olsen
I would say the "overplayed" element contributes to all these choices, except mine of course.
Duker, I think Morrison was a crappy person and a dopey pretentious poet, but one of the great frontmen, lyricists and lead singers in rock history
20 - Eric Olsen
Robert, I have taken the liberty of adding a second, explanatory, paragraph to my section, which should help defend my antipathy
21 - Robert
Cool... Man you REALLY hate the song.
Poor Freddy. I am glad he'll never read that...
22 - Rodney Welch
Eric, I'll give you great frontman, but the rest of it can blow me. Have there ever been a set of lyrics as dopey as those to "The Soft Parade"?
When all else fails, we can whip the horse’s eyes
And make them sleep, and cry...
For years, a buddy and I used to recite these words to each other whenever we needed a quick and easy laugh.
23 - Barry Stoller
Led Zep should be included, if for no other reason than most of their early hits (including parts of Stairway) were ripped off so they don't fully deserve all their acclaim. Then there are the superstars whose position is way over-valued - Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Fripp, David Byrne, Lou Reed, maybe even the Sex Pistols and White Stripes. (You got U2, right on.) Of course, there's overrated with the critics and overrated with the public, often those lists are very different. Nice to see no Iron Butterfly songs there, ha ha.
24 - Rodney Welch
Who did Led Zep rip off "Stairway" from?
25 - HW Saxton
'Twas some English cult figure folkie(s)
Rodney. Im gonna call a friend and get
back here with the correct answer in a
short while.