Nickelback and the Rock Genre

Francesco Lo Presti

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Nickelback and the Rock Genre

The Rock genre is arguably one of the most popular music genres. Rock has provided us with a number of musical geniuses that have changed the industry. From Elvis Presley to ACDC, the rock music has seen many changes in what we consider to be traditional rock music. In todays world it can be said that there really isn’t a typical rock band around. Even though there are groups like Nickelback who are considered a rock band, they still don’t get the recognition of being a rock band and get enormous hate for the music they make. This may be because of their nationality, the lyrics they portray in their songs, and also their image as a rock band.

One reason that may influence why people don’t like Nickelback could be because they are Canadian. Nickelback are a Canadian rock band that have been around since the late 90’s and ever since their emergence on the rock scene they have gotten unbelievable hate from rock fans everywhere. It is well known that popular Canadian artists are hard to come by. When you think about Canada you don’t think about successful music artists. It seems that Canadian artists just don’t seem to compete well against American or British artists who are more associated to rock music. When talking about Canadian artists who have actually successfully made the jump into the American music industry only a few people come to mind. Avirl Lavigne, Drake, Justin Beiber and Nickelback are the most known Canadian artists in recent times, and though they are successful, they all have had people complain about their music and have come under scrutiny. Now with regards to Canadian artists in the rock genre it’s even harder to name successful artists who have made it in this genre. Yet even though Nickelback have successfully made it into the American music industry they still don’t receive recognition. Even though the band has sold millions of records worldwide they are still hated and you cant help but feel that one of the reasons they are hated is because of their nationality.

Over the years the rock genre has provided music listeners with so many different types of music that can be considered rock. Of course there’s rock and roll but then there’s also soft rock, alternative rock, folk rock, pop rock and so many more. Yet with all these different types of rock music, the band Nickelback can’t seem to break into the “rock” genre. When looking at reasons why Nickelback is such a hated group, the most common reason is that their music simply sucks, and according to many people all their music sounds the same (Tell, Karisa. "Why Do People Hate On Nickelback So Much?" Thought Catalog. August 13, 2013. Accessed October 19, 2014.) Rolling Stone magazine has gone as far to say in regard to one of their albums, “All the Right Reasons is so depressing, you’re almost glad Kurt’s not around to hear it”("10 Reasons Why Nickelback Is the Worst Band of All Time." Accordingtomyblog.blogspot.ca. Accessed October 16, 2014). Their lyrics have also caused some controversy. Their songs have been said to over-use themes involving strippers, sex, prostitutes, drugs, sex and drinking. This is quite odd as when you think about rock music you associate it with sex and drugs. Groups like Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones have made a living off selling the fantasy of sex and drugs but no one really questions how much they were influenced by sex and drugs.  One song in particular that has caused controversy is “Something in Your Mouth”. This song clearly talks about sex, which is what you would expect from a rock song yet it has been bashed because of its excessive use of drugs and sex(FreeGuitarist19. “Something in Your Mouth.” Youtube video, 3:40. March 6, 2011.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBw9e7rgs9A).