Songs that took you a long time to like

Hairshirt and the Wrong Child from Green. When I first discovered Green, I thought it was REM’s most instant accessible album except these two tracks. They were a bit discordant for my young ears. Nowadays they’re two of my favourite Green tracks with a lot of the songs I initially loved - Pop Song 89, Stand, Turn You Inside out - rarely listened to. Strange how your ears mature like your sense of taste. Those two tracks are my Sprouts of the REM catalogue.

1 Like

The whole “Around the Sun”-album has really grown on me, after the initial disappointment wore off (and maybe as a subconscious backlash to the backlash).

From “Reveal” I used to hate “Disappear” (it made me feel unwell somehow), but now I like it just fine. The MTV-unplugged version provided a way in for that one.

“Chorus and the Ring” went from meh to one of my top favourites in their discography. Michael performing it solo in one of his surprise gigs opened it up for me somehow.

Growing older and less cynical has made me appreciate “Everybody Hurts” more as well.

4 Likes

Low from ‘Out of Time’ took me a while to appreciate. I recall thinking at the time that it must have been a byproduct of ‘Country Feedback’ (which I love) - I’ve never read or heard that anywhere - just my 20 year old brain (at the time) trying to figure out why this song was on the album.

2 Likes

Low was the first R.E.M. album track that I ever heard. (Out of Time was my first album and I’d heard all the singles.) I vividly remember thinking it was weird and trying to convince my 13-year old brain that I liked it. But I’m not sure I did!

Of course, it’s a classic grower. Love it now.

3 Likes

Ascent of man is definitely my favorite off ATS.

But I’m still waiting for Kahoutek to kick in…

1 Like

I love Kohoutek! Always did. The Live at the Olympia version is amazing. A bit less murky than the album version.

5 Likes

I can agree somewhat with the Olympia version :slightly_smiling_face::rooster:

Mine are Radio Free Europe, Exhuming McCarthy, Leave and Lotus.

Low Desert

It wasn’t a dislike as much as it wasn’t listened to much. Then one day I listened to it and I just fell in love with Mikes bassline and Peters “desert music” style playing.

You

A song I wasn’t interested in and then one day it clicked. One of the “turned up to 11” tracks on Monster. The tremolo is a weapon in Peters arsenal on this one.

2 Likes

I still can’t get past the chorus, in which “I looked for you everywhere” is sung differently with alternate emphasis, as to make it sound like it’s a rhyme.

And of course I also got plenty of songs that don’t go necessarily “disliked > suddenly like it”.

Some are more “didn’t pay attention to it > wow, I was not paying attention to THIS?”. There are many in that situation, “Country feedback”, “Try not to breathe” and “Sweetness follows” being chief.

1 Like

King of Comedy

I guess it belongs on Monster? I don’t know. This one’s a tough call for me. I mean I really like it, but it’s like Animal. A good song, that just doesn’t go with an album. It’s kind of an odd man out on Monster, but…honestly…it had nowhere else to go. It woulda seemed less likely on New Adventures in Hi-Fi.

Wendell Gee was one I didn’t pay much attention to when I was younger but now I think it’s beautiful. I adore it now.

3 Likes

Yeah, I somehow hear it as “I looked for you and everywhere” because of that, I think, which hurts my brain because it obviously doesn’t make sense. It will never be a favourite.

Wanderlust, always disliked it, now I’m ok with it.

I still dislike most of Reveal, though…

1 Like