An interesting comparison based on the Christian/Non-Christian dichotomy is U2. They sing about God often but aren’t billed as Christian rock. People also have polarizing reactions to them too
I was wondering where U2 fit into that matrix. It always kind of amazes me that they're not considered Christian rock, since it is so much a part of what they sing about and do, and their sound has very much become one of the core styles of Christian rock. But I don't have the impression that the people who don't like U2 are turned off by their Christianity.
One of the worst shows I ever saw was Dylan. It was 20 years ago, he was already old by then, and part of what made it bad was the context. But it was bad. A few years later I saw him in a better venue and while it was not memorable, it was better. I think it's always been the case that he wasn't as much a great performer as he was a great songwriter.
As for U2, I think much of the dislike is because of different politics, and also a perception of self-righteousness from Bono. Some of the latter is probably earned, as it's hard with today's knowledge to take any musician seriously on issues like social justice and the environment when we know they have 1000x the carbon footprint we'll have in a lifetime. Does the attention they've brought and work they've done on social issues out-weigh all that? I'm not qualified to say. And there was also the Apple Music debacle that earned them anti-fans.
However, one thing I think that separates U2 from Dylan and Creed, is there isn't a perception that they're using the religiosity, directly, to gain popularity. There's a difference between using the proverb "a rolling stone gathers no moss" as an inspiration for a song (as Dylan and many others have done) and writing explicitly Christian albums to appeal to Christian audiences (as Dylan has also done). I think in the case of U2 it's more a product of returning to the same well over and over for inspiration, rather than trying to explicitly promote their own religious views, or pander to others with those views.
Or maybe that's what they were doing all-along, and they've successfully duped me. At least until the early 2000s when I was in college and my music tastes started to become more eclectic, I've always thought they had some absolute bangers as far as mainstream rock is concerned. I once had a "The Sweetest Thing" earworm for four weeks. Come to think of it, that's about the time I also stopped listening to U2 regularly.
Thoroughly enjoyed that article (as I do all the Stat Significant articles), and particularly like the final sentiment! Not a Creed fan (I don't even like "the hits") but that really doesn't matter - as you say, many people have a great time at their concerts, and that's all that matters. It's kind of comforting to know in today's increasingly separated world, thousands of people go to share a communal experience of enjoying the band they love.
I love everything about this article, the words, the stats and even the image. I don't know how to feel about you getting punched in the head - but the ambiguity seems fitting.
Why do some people hate Creed ? Its 2025 and the world is falling apart environmentally and politicly, and yet the onslaught of vacuous Christian nonsense from America , oblivious to real moral issues like say, genocide , is unstoppable and relentless, that's why .
The last part of this post really spoke to me. There are some bands and artists we just hate and don't even know why. Hating on some things just becomes the standart and we simply do it, unaware of the fact that there might be something actually interesting waiting for us there. Cheers to Creed, I guess.
I wonder if there’s an anthropological thread from “Higher” and “My Sacrifice” to today’s trending songs like Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” and Benson Boone’s “Slow It Down.” During times of social and political upheaval, it seems logical that people would gravitate toward worship-inspired music or music with spiritual if not religious themes. I feel old admitting that I can recall exactly how much Creed was on the radio after 9/11, but wow did they get requested or played a lot … Thank you for putting all this together 😊
That was pretty interesting. I came to the article due to clickbaity title, sure that Nickelback was far more hated, and again just because they are, um, hated.
An interesting comparison based on the Christian/Non-Christian dichotomy is U2. They sing about God often but aren’t billed as Christian rock. People also have polarizing reactions to them too
I was wondering where U2 fit into that matrix. It always kind of amazes me that they're not considered Christian rock, since it is so much a part of what they sing about and do, and their sound has very much become one of the core styles of Christian rock. But I don't have the impression that the people who don't like U2 are turned off by their Christianity.
Also interesting in this regard: Dylan.
One of the worst shows I ever saw was Dylan. It was 20 years ago, he was already old by then, and part of what made it bad was the context. But it was bad. A few years later I saw him in a better venue and while it was not memorable, it was better. I think it's always been the case that he wasn't as much a great performer as he was a great songwriter.
As for U2, I think much of the dislike is because of different politics, and also a perception of self-righteousness from Bono. Some of the latter is probably earned, as it's hard with today's knowledge to take any musician seriously on issues like social justice and the environment when we know they have 1000x the carbon footprint we'll have in a lifetime. Does the attention they've brought and work they've done on social issues out-weigh all that? I'm not qualified to say. And there was also the Apple Music debacle that earned them anti-fans.
However, one thing I think that separates U2 from Dylan and Creed, is there isn't a perception that they're using the religiosity, directly, to gain popularity. There's a difference between using the proverb "a rolling stone gathers no moss" as an inspiration for a song (as Dylan and many others have done) and writing explicitly Christian albums to appeal to Christian audiences (as Dylan has also done). I think in the case of U2 it's more a product of returning to the same well over and over for inspiration, rather than trying to explicitly promote their own religious views, or pander to others with those views.
Or maybe that's what they were doing all-along, and they've successfully duped me. At least until the early 2000s when I was in college and my music tastes started to become more eclectic, I've always thought they had some absolute bangers as far as mainstream rock is concerned. I once had a "The Sweetest Thing" earworm for four weeks. Come to think of it, that's about the time I also stopped listening to U2 regularly.
Thoroughly enjoyed that article (as I do all the Stat Significant articles), and particularly like the final sentiment! Not a Creed fan (I don't even like "the hits") but that really doesn't matter - as you say, many people have a great time at their concerts, and that's all that matters. It's kind of comforting to know in today's increasingly separated world, thousands of people go to share a communal experience of enjoying the band they love.
You take that BACK!!
You left out one other reason why they're hated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fof40yqaW1U
I love everything about this article, the words, the stats and even the image. I don't know how to feel about you getting punched in the head - but the ambiguity seems fitting.
Why do some people hate Creed ? Its 2025 and the world is falling apart environmentally and politicly, and yet the onslaught of vacuous Christian nonsense from America , oblivious to real moral issues like say, genocide , is unstoppable and relentless, that's why .
The last part of this post really spoke to me. There are some bands and artists we just hate and don't even know why. Hating on some things just becomes the standart and we simply do it, unaware of the fact that there might be something actually interesting waiting for us there. Cheers to Creed, I guess.
The bangers also make for great karaoke.
I wonder if there’s an anthropological thread from “Higher” and “My Sacrifice” to today’s trending songs like Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” and Benson Boone’s “Slow It Down.” During times of social and political upheaval, it seems logical that people would gravitate toward worship-inspired music or music with spiritual if not religious themes. I feel old admitting that I can recall exactly how much Creed was on the radio after 9/11, but wow did they get requested or played a lot … Thank you for putting all this together 😊
That was pretty interesting. I came to the article due to clickbaity title, sure that Nickelback was far more hated, and again just because they are, um, hated.
Creed singer in a Dallas Cowboys jersey is peak… well, peak something.