Versuchen GOLD - Frei
NOBODY'S PERFECT
The Independent
|June 14, 2025
Not even the greatest musicians in the world can produce golden hits all the time. Kevin EG Perry reaches for his earplugs as he lists moments when it all went horribly wrong
-
To be a truly creative artist, you have to be prepared to fail. For musicians who dedicate their lives to dreaming up something new and astounding, pushing the envelope and trying to move the art form beyond its accepted limits goes with the territory. It's in the nature of experiments that not all of them will prove successful. Music, after all, is like all art – inherently subjective. The same song that moves one listener to tears of joy might send another scrambling for the nearest exit.
That’s why it shouldn’t be a surprise that even musical geniuses sometimes end up releasing utterly unlistenable garbage. In some ways, we should salute these noble failures: without the risk-taking spirit that inspired these awful songs, we’d never have had all the groundbreaking music that turned these musicians into legends. Still, all that said, we’d prefer not to be trapped in an enclosed space with the following wretched playlist stuck on repeat.
Featuring tracks by Prince, Lady Gaga and Elvis Presley, here is our pick of the most terrible songs ever released by some of the greatest musicians in history...
13. The Beatles, ‘Revolution 9’ (1968)
Music fans who came of age in the era of personalised playlists may not realise the lengths older listeners had to go to in order to remove unwanted songs from a favourite album. When I was growing up, my dad swore by his treasured copy of The Beatles’ White Album, which he’d painstakingly taped to cassette specifically so that he could excise “Revolution 9”.The bizarre and unsettling eight-and-a-half-minute avant-garde soundscape, said to be influenced by the work of composers Edgard Varèse and Karlheinz Stockhausen, may well be musically significant and groundbreaking, but it’s also undoubtedly
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 14, 2025-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Abonnieren Sie Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierter Premium-Geschichten und über 9.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Sie sind bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
WEITERE GESCHICHTEN VON The Independent
The Independent
Macclesfield stun Palace in FA Cup upset for the ages
Non-league Macclesfield produced one of the greatest FA Cup shocks of all time by knocking out holders Crystal Palace in a stunning 2-1 upset at Moss Rose.
3 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
Caribbean island helped to ease my midlife loneliness
After feeling anxious and isolated at home, a solo trip to Tobago taught Minreet Kaur the power of human connection
5 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
Trump's 'morality' raises nightmare of ghosts past
The US president's belligerence is causing real fear in South America, reports Sam Kiley from Colombian capital Bogota
3 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
Rosenior kicks-off Chelsea stint with thumping victory
Liam Rosenior crouched down inches from the pitch and then exploded, furiously clapping and encouraging Chelsea's Jamie Gittens. It was a glimpse into the manager, the man and what Chelsea can expect, in what was a good start to his reign and a 5-1 victory in the FA Cup third round over Charlton. Those seconds showed Rosenior is prioritising more than tactics as he succeeds Enzo Maresca.
3 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
Women quitting X means the predators win, so I'm staying
The internet has always hated women; it was only a matter of time until it started undressing them.
3 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
Cruel jail terms are an error government refuses to correct
With the government's Sentencing Bill currently being scrutinised in Westminster, it is opportune to ask why we are not removing what has been described by so many - including Lord Chancellors - as the stain of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) on our system of justice.
4 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
The Independent's SafeCall campaign backed by Powell
Labour’s deputy leader has joined prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and a wide range of public figures from across Britain in backing The Independent’s incredible SafeCall campaign.
4 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
‘We are going to stay alive – Ukrainian people are brave’
With temperatures as low as -15C in Ukraine, and more than a million without heat or water, residents tell Alex Croft that life under Russian assault is as difficult as ever in the winter
4 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
The wonders of Venezuela
One day the turbulent South American country may be safe enough for the average traveller to return
3 mins
January 11, 2026
The Independent
I'm my most confident self in the studio, songwriting. I'm quite a boss in there
Absolutely, the artist born Abby-Lynn Keen, speaks with Roisin O'Connor about her new album 'Paracosm' and the prospect of an upcoming arena tour with her big sister RAYE
8 mins
January 11, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size
