Mostmusiclisteners tend to generally know when their favorite bands and musicians come on while doing things like listening to the radio, a Spotify playlist, through a music player, or even while just out in public being played by others. There are just certain types of sounds we associate with artistsbased on what we’ve listened to and what we know about their work. Classic or contemporary, folk or blues, jazz or country, rap or alternative; the goalposts are usually set.
What about when they aren’t rigidly in place? What about those times when a band or musician decides to take a complete left turn from where their discography traditionally leans, or where it ended up leaning as their career continued, especially when those tracks were ultimately successful and became highlight songs for these creators? Was there a particular creative, financial, or popularity reasoning behind it, or was it just the way the process worked out? Analyzing these elements is just part of the enjoyment of the artform, andsometimes learning to expect the unexpected- even from your favorites.
10U2, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”
A Batman Forever Thriller
A track originally unused from the band’s sessions for the 1993 experimental-leaning albumZooropa, U2 contributed “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” to director Joel Schumacher’s 1995 filmBatman Foreverafter U2 lead man Bono turned down a cameoin the comic book-based movie. “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” feels like a cousin to the open-mindedness ofZooropabut has a gothic rock heaviness that played well into Schumacher’s claustrophobic, urban take on Batmanand less into the typical U2 sound. It’s more Smashing Pumpkins thanThe Joshua Tree.
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This pivot worked out well for U2, as “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” reached the charts in multiple countries andwas nominated for two Grammy Awards the year it was released. The song is still in and out of the band’s live setlist rotation and was even parodied at one point by Weird Al Yankovic in his song “Cavity Search.”
9Katrina And The Waves, “Walking On Sunshine”
Bright Rays In The Gloom
“Walking On Sunshine” was a track released by British rockers Katrina and The Waves as part of their 1983 debut album, also titledWalking On Sunshine. Like a lot of Brit-rock types of the day,most of the Katrina and The Waves' sound was devoted to a moody, glam-inflected, pop-rock tone. They were more reminiscent of a band like Blondie’s lighter rock moments than the darker shades of an ’80s British group like The Smiths. That lightness came out at its brightest with “Walking On Sunshine,” which sounds like a completely different group at their most buoyantly optimistic.
They were more reminiscent of a band like Blondie’s lighter rock moments than the darker shades of an ’80s British group like The Smiths.
Despite the band members initially not caring for the song’s uncharacteristically cheery gloss, “Walking On Sunshine” was a chart hit whose popularity continues on. It’s alsobeen a long-time favorite in advertising commercialsas well as movies, giving Katrina and the Waves and their music life to this day.
8Green Day, “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”
Young Punks Go Sentimental
Arriving as the second single from their 1997 studio albumNimrod, Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” was the first major example that the group led by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong could be about more than just their trademark punk rock sound. The acoustic ballad written by Armstrong about the end of a relationship was first introduced on the band’s 1995 LPDookie, but was rejected for being too different in tone. Added along with some strings toNimrod,“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” showed Green Day could also reflect as well as rage.
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That introspection paid off handsomely for Green Day, as the song was not only a chart favorite but was used in media ranging fromthe finale of the TV showSeinfeldto the movieDeadpool & Wolverine. It alsobecame hugely popular at high school graduationsbased on the track’s themes of moving on from an experience and hoping you had the time of your life with what you had.
7Len, “Steal My Sunshine”
Alt-Rockers Embrace Pop Sunshine
The Canadian alt-rock band Len certainly put out a record befitting the differing sounds of the ’90s with the release of their third studio album, 1999’sYou Can’t Stop the Bum Rush. There werefusions of rock, rap, and pop involved,but perhaps the most unusual song on the LP was the sugary-sweet sunny day pop anthem that was Len’s take-off single, “Steal My Sunshine.” Sounding like nothing else onBum Rush, “Sunshine” was initially overlooked by the band and wasn’t planned for release, but went on to become their lasting breakout hit.
The sugary-sweet song that featured a looped sample from the 1976 hit disco song “More, More, More” and surrealist lyrics dwelling on the feelings of hangover after a rave was promoted by being featured in the 1999 comedy flickGo. “Steal My Sunshine” later began to receive heavy radio airplay, which in time led to chart success andthis initially unlikely song being accepted into the ranks of endless summertime playlists.
6Mr. Big, “To Be With You”
Headbangers Make A Sing-A-Long
American rock band Mr. Big was known over the years for putting a pretty firm hard rock glaze on their songs, but that didn’t mean the groupwas entirely without a soft side. Most notably, this gentler edge was most prominent with the release of their song “To Be With You” off of their 1991 albumLean into It. Kicking the electric guitars to the curb, prominent heavy metal-style guitarist Paul Gilbert shreds acoustically over lead singer Eric Martin’s crooning vocals about wanting to save a girl from her bad choices of boyfriends against sharp band harmonies.
Kicking the electric guitars to the curb, prominent heavy metal-style guitarist Paul Gilbert shreds acoustically over lead singer Eric Martin’s crooning vocals.
Originally, “To Be With You” wasn’t intended to be one of the album’s main singles, but after it received unexpected radio airplay and popularity, the band was forced to go with it. Mr. Big’s “To Be With You"ultimately went number one in multiple countries, including the US,and is still held in the same territory as classic ballads.
5Aerosmith, “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing”
An Armageddon-Sized Sound Departure
The only thing that might have been bigger than the plot of the 1998 disaster movieArmageddonwasthe size of the unlikely power ballad rock band Aerosmith released that yearas the film’s theme song, titled “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.” Originally, the band U2 was going to be asked to perform the song; the idea for Aerosmith to play “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” occurred after frontman Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv was cast inArmageddon. Despite Aerosmith’s reputation as riff-loving rockers,the commercial response to the deep romantic ballad was highly favorable.
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In fact,“I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” is Aerosmith’s only number one single in the United States, also going to number one in several other countries after it was released. It also received an Oscar nomination in 1998, ultimately losing to “When You Believe” from the movieThe Prince of Egypt. Nevertheless, “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” is still a popular decade hit that still receives plenty of radio airplay.
4Kiss, “Beth”
Muted Beneath The Makeup
The band Kissthrew a serious curveball to fans of the outrageous glam-rockers with the fourth single “Beth"off of their fourth studio album, 1976’sDestroyer. Shiny guitars and pyrotechnics were replaced with piano, acoustic guitar, and an orchestral backing as Kiss drummer Peter Criss purrs out a vocal worthy of his onstage Catman persona about coming home soon to the woman waiting so long for him. Admittedly, “Beth” feels more like “A Day in the Life” exercise by The Beatles than a Kiss track, but it has a surprising level of charm.
Shiny guitars and pyrotechnics were replaced with piano, acoustic guitar, and an orchestral backing.
Despite initially mixed reactions from supporters to the shift in sound on the song,“Beth” has gone on to be the biggest commercial hit Kiss has had in the United States. It also received a Gold Record certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, and served as motivation for future hairbands of the ’80s to take a softer tone when trying to write a hit single.
A Band-Hated Grunge Anomaly
English rock band Radiohead had a very promising debut in the form of their 1993 albumPablo Honey. What was perhaps not expected of this introductionwas thatan initial fluke throwaway track from thePablo Honeysessions called “Creep” would become a smash hit. Not just during thePablo Honeyyears either; no, “Creep” has continued to define Radiohead’s legacy almost as if it were their one-hit wonder. But maybe that was ultimately a good thing for the band, especially given they seem to hate the song and typically refuse to play it.
Radiohead’s response to “Creep” and the popularity of its charmingly alienated mumble-grunge has been to turn and strive as hard as possible into electronic, conceptual experimentation andmoving so far beyond the track sonically that “Creep” sounds like an entirely different group made it. That hasn’t stopped “Creep” from racking up billions of Spotify streams and covers ranging from Prince to Kelly Clarkson, but it did help Radiohead build a legacy much deeper than the best of the ’90s type of moment.
2Taylor Swift, “Look What You Made Me Do”
The Darker Side Of Reputation
For fans of Taylor Swift who grew up with her pop country-leaning roots, it was a shift to see her more deeplyembrace the shimmery veneer of popwith the vast popularity of her1989album. Swift’s bigger left turn, however, was still to come on her sixth studio albumReputationwith the release of the first single, the pop-rock-leaning “Look What You Made Me Do.”
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Propped up by a slithering bass line and lyrics savagely striking out atSwift’s very public feud at the time with rapper Kanye Westand his then-wife Kim Kardashian, the track feels nothing like the clean-cut image of Swift we’ve grown to expect. “Look What You Made Me Do” provedshe could tread the dark side and her fans would still follow, as the single andReputationwere both wildly well-accepted and a staple during Swift’s The Eras Tour.
1Butthole Surfers, “Pepper”
An Alt-Rock Oddity
Alt-rock oddballs, the Butthole Surfers, have always stretched the alternative in alt-rock pretty farwiththeir strange yet bombastically engaging catalog. Oddly, one of their most accessible songs is “Pepper,” from their 1996 studio albumElectriclarryland. Coming across as a faithful rave-up to the quirk of musician Beck’s earlier discography, “Pepper” has this eerie sort of appeal that’s a mix of hushed vocals and gallows lyrics about characters confronting disease, trauma, and death while living in Texas.
“Pepper” has this eerie sort of appeal that’s a mix of hushed vocals and gallows lyrics about characters confronting disease, trauma, and death.
Despite the unlikely nature of the song, it went on to chart in the US and other countries andis still a favored staple of many different alt-rock playlists. Additionally, “Pepper” is still considered to be the defining hit of the Butthole Surfers' catalog.
