Stop the Nickelback Hate

No one is wrong for not being a super fan of certain genres of music. However, there has been a joke going on for who knows how long, about Nickelback being hated by a lot of people. I might not be a big enough fan to listen to all of their songs, but I do know that the longer this joke carries on, the more likely people will dismiss the songs by them that are actually passionate, tell good stories, or have good messages within them.

Months ago, I was looking into a song mashup on YouTube and one of the songs that was included was a song by Nickelback called "Home." I was interested in that part of the mashup and it caused me to look into the individual song. It proved to tell a really dark story in my perspective, but it was still intriguing enough to listen to more than once. Eventually, I saw notifications on the side of the screen that were from the same album (Feed the Machine) and though it's definitely accurate to say that I liked some songs more than others, they weren't necessarily bad as a whole. Although I already had some older songs from Nickelback on iTunes, it was still great to hear that some of their more recent material had a lot of great emotion and passion within them.

One of the examples of songs by Nickelback that contains a great message is the song "Lullaby." It's one of those songs that someone would listen to when they've had a rough time and, if it fails to improve the person's mood immediately, it at least provides a reason for the person to keep moving forward in life. If one were to really think about it, the message it provides also makes you think of the song "If Everyone Cared." Music is the kind of art that is in the ear of the beholder, so the song "If Everyone Cared" likely provides a message and hopes to decrease the negativity that is addressed in "Lullaby."

There is also a song that is worth pointing out called "After The Rain." Basically, it's one of those songs that can have multiple messages and a few might stick out to plenty of people who listen to it. Some of which include "Don't be afraid to slow down and smell the flowers every once in a while" and "The good will come eventually, but it might take time." This is an example of one of those songs that is needing in the kind of world we live in, but you don't hear it enough on the radio if at all.

One song from Nickelback that is one of the many songs that can either tell a story, make a statement, or both is a song called "Feed the Machine," which is the first song from the album of the same name. It tells a story of victims of a type of dictatorship that are just following orders without much of an ability to question their leader. Not only could it be a story, but it could be a statement on, to name a few, politics, philosophy of free will, pop culture, or even the Illuminati (if you're an ambitious conspiracy theorist). Regardless, the song could serve as an interesting reminder that not everything should be taken at face value and that questioning things around you every once in a while might not be such a bad idea.

Now, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, no one is wrong for having their own taste in music. However, we have reached a point in time where it is popular to say that you don't like Nickelback. Not everyone will be satisfied by current parts of Nickelback or eventual changes they might make in their musical journey. For every person who might think their songs might be too predictable instrumentally, there's someone who will complain when some songs step out of that familiarity. For every person who prefers the hardcore rock and carefree atmosphere as demonstrated in songs like "Rockstar," there are the people who would prefer the more meaningful songs that give the eardrums a break such as "Never Gonna Be Alone" and "Satellite." Hate the raspy voice that Chad Kroger sings in? He's not the only one to sing with such a voice and some others aren't hated as much as Nickelback, if at all. Sure, not everyone who listens to Nickelback is going to agree on everything, but repeating the joke of hating Nickelback and spreading it like wildfire will just make it easier to dismiss the songs that would prove to actually provide decent entertainment if given a chance. Maybe there might not be a Nickelback song for everyone, but it could be possible to at least find a little bit of yourself in at least one song.