Submitted by Expensive_Ad_403 t3_zzjinh in Music

I know there's a topic about that every month but I wanted to participate too, lol. I'm also aware that a lot of people's answer is Bono who is a douchbag as they say. But there were other great douches like Liam Gallagher or Axl Rose and yet them and their bands aren't nearly as hated as Bono and U2. As far as I'm aware. Some people say that they got too big. But there are many as big or even bigger bands, like Queen for example and no one seems to hate them as much. iTunes scandal is long forgotten and the band was hated already for a long time before. Selling out? All such big and popular bands sold out at some time. For me personally, I think the reason is that of all their hundreds of songs and two dozen albums it's always the same 3 or 4 songs that got so overplayed on the radio or tv that people got so sick of them so much like One, Beautiful Day, With or without you. Majority of non fans never heard anything apart from these songs. My personal favorite their album is seemingly their most obscure and lowest selling one, 1997's Pop which I think ironically is their most experimental and dark one, it has some really great songs like "Staring at the sun" which most people never even heard of but are always treated with another "One" instead

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Flosslyn t1_j2bzdss wrote

I personally love U2. It was my first concert at like age… 13? And it was a completely mind-blowing experience. And I don’t think U2 cares… as long as they’re getting hits.

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dadamax t1_j2bzpr4 wrote

Give October a listen. It's a haunting album made when they were only 21 and before they started making music for soccer moms

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ThisIsJustForPornog t1_j2bzq0b wrote

Forcing that one record on everybody, including many people that didn’t want it, rubbed a lot of folks raw.

If it were opt in, sure, that’s a nice touch, great job U2.

But Apple wanted to show off so they forced it into everybody’s iPod library and now folks have to engage with U2 in a way they didn’t want.

That one is 100% on Apple, but they have the best PR squad the world has ever seen, so a mere rock star is going under the bus no matter what.

Bono may or may not be a douche. He is very vocal about his charity work. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing if you’re famous and believe in a cause but you sure do attract haters that way.

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peedge0419 t1_j2bzv4j wrote

Hated? They were relevant and popular and selling out stadiums for like 30 years. They were popular when I was in college and their first album dropped before I was even born. Never realized they were "so hated." It's kind of like saying, "Why Metallica is so hated." Cute because, both bands are insanely popular and beloved.

I was never much of a U2 fan, but the War album was a banger.

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Expensive_Ad_403 OP t1_j2c15kg wrote

Yes, they were always popular and sold out shows but at the same time they always were one of the most hated bands by non fans, it's facts, just look for it, it's everywhere. It's been embarrassing to admit you like them for as long as I'm aware of

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Naive_Wolf3740 t1_j2c1q6h wrote

They have a tendency to completely fall apart right when the spotlight is brightest.

Huge run up from post punk darlings to next big thing, release Joshua Tree, dominate popular music: release Rattle & Hum, huge embarrassing failure, everyone is sick of you.

Disappear, write Achtung Baby, it’s massive, surprise EP follow up Zooropa while still on tour, more fame, everyone loves the whole ironic rock star act, nothing can touch you: debut Pop at a K-mart, you play a B Side that’s not the best, Discotheque flops, tour goes poorly, everyone is reminded of why they stopped listening.

Go away again, write All That You Can’t…., solid music, 9/11 rocks the world and uplifting songs like Beautiful Day help things feel a little brighter, play the Super Bowl, US flag lined jacket, Vertigo happens, iPod commercial, everyone is back on board, massive tours: Get on your fucking boots kills every bit of momentum. Hide for 5 years.

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SexDadNZ t1_j2c2x9m wrote

I still think Achtung Baby is a flawless record.

The rest I can take or leave, but there's some utter magic on that. Even though it's their biggest record, I reckon it's well deserved.

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seatheanswerman t1_j2c30hl wrote

The thing is guys like Axl Rose are douchebags because they're crazy and you can kind of appreciate that about musicians. Bono Is a douchebag because he'd obnoxious and opinionated and thinks he's some kind of demi God. It's almost impossible to like someone like that.

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Atalantean t1_j2c5g7u wrote

You're giving a small percentage of people way too much importance. Most of them probably don't even know why they hate them, it just became trendy.

Bono's charitable causes, which are many, seem to piss some people off so that's one indication of what the people who appear to hate him are like.

One of the best and most successful bands ever. Achtung Baby all by itself enough to eclipse most bands whole careers.

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purpdrank2 t1_j2c5m8t wrote

Hated is a bit strong, they were massive at the height of their career. I’ve recently gotten into them but I always knew they were big despite not being a huge fan

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seatheanswerman t1_j2c5r0j wrote

I never really had much of an opinion. Some songs I liked, also the early ones mostly. A lot not. As a non fan I just assumed they sold our to commercialism and I stop listening to bands like that. However, Bono's lectures on whatever he decides is important are a problem.

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busterbytes t1_j2c6hzx wrote

I've never heard of anyone hating them so vehemently. Is it just your friends? I do think they've strayed from their roots and became over-produced imo, but maybe that's just my preference.

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DarkChanting t1_j2c6pij wrote

I think it's got to do a lot with Bono's involvement with politics and the band's overexposure. A lot of the U2-fatigue that we see today actually started back in the 2000s, when Bono and U2 seemed to be the face of every magazine and the soundtrack of every advert. People just got tired, which was topped by the annoyance that U2 caused in 2014 with their controversial album release in iTunes.

I also don't think it's got to do with the fact that they became very popular but due to how popular they remained over the decades. U2 are without a doubt one of the bands with most longetivity that the world has seen, and when bands remain on the forefront that terribly long, the public begins to get irritated; it happened to the Rolling Stones back in 1980s and 1990s, but they've been loved and respected ever since. Therefore, had U2 just had one or two years fame before going downhill, nobody would still be talking ill about them.

Also, many people dislike them musically, quite simply. From what I have gathered, people often deride Bono's voice and the Edge's use of pedals, as well as the overall simplicity, formulaicity and commerciality of their music.

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FatherPyrlig t1_j2c7b8y wrote

They’ve sold 175 million albums. Some people clearly like them.

I mean, I don’t, but some people do.

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bop999 t1_j2c8nij wrote

Unforgettable Fire was a masterpiece, a great followup yet departure from their breakthrough in War. Every group fades and missteps after being together 30+ years, but U2 were immensely popular in the 80’s

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slavemaster4hire t1_j2cgh59 wrote

Bono gave his sunglasses to the pope. That’s pretty entitled. Also there was an interview in the Rolling Stone that cast Bono as an oblivious, petulant child that bitched about piracy as his limo drove through war-torn Ireland.

Oh and he got the time wrong on “Pride” “Early morning, April 4…” and I think it was “Vertigo” where Bono counted incorrectly: Uno, Dos, tres...catorce

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flynlionPS t1_j2clcmn wrote

I liked U2 quite a lot back in the 80s and early 90s. Then they got played out, and I stopped liking them as much. I never “hated” them.

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seatheanswerman t1_j2clhd6 wrote

There's nothing wrong with his ideals as far as I know, world peace, climate change, abject poverty. It's more his attitude as if he decided this is going to change so it will. But there's something about a really well dressed guy sporting huge rings that makes you wonder about sincerity.

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easylisteningmuzak t1_j2coyeq wrote

They're ok, I think it's an overplayed thing for some people. But I will always like and appreciate their music because they were my history teacher's (and friend) favorite band.

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Legitimate_Web_7245 t1_j2dfhlr wrote

I personally don't hate them but I've never bought their albums. The songs they are known for are good. The ones that they had when they started. But after that , for me at least, they became too full of themselves and seemed to try too hard to be something they are not.

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TheLarix t1_j2dfrto wrote

>It's been embarrassing to admit you like them for as long as I'm aware of

I get that this is your own take, but you clearly haven't been around as long as the band has. There was a relatively long period when they were among the most respected rock bands in the world.

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skeptikern79 t1_j2dizao wrote

Isn’t this kind of the same as with REM or RHCP? They sound a certain way so you can always tell that it is U2 (or REM) even if it is a new song you haven’t heard before? These bands have a very distinct soundscape which makes them instantly recognisable and I guess that - along with if you fell Bono’s a douche - makes U2 rub certain people the wrong way perhaps?

I absolutely love their early work. “Under a Blood Red Sky” was even the first CD I acquired back in the early nineties… I don’t hate U2. But their material is not as strong anymore (in my opinion)…

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LeeJamesWilson67 t1_j2dmt3s wrote

I love the music and see every concert of theirs I can, but Bono is an absolute dick. I hate how he will say he hates the English when playing on New York but never when playing in the UK, he won’t be honest to that crowd and let them judge his real feelings, the two faced arsehole.

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PreviousLife7051 t1_j2drzqe wrote

I love all the early stuff, still listen to some of it, that was before Bono decided he was the Savior of the World and got all "preachy" and they decided that every new album they had to reinvent their sound. Change for change sake is not always the best policy.

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Thalassophoneus t1_j2dytwx wrote

I didn't even know there is hate against U2. Large 90s rock bands like U2 or Muse are called "overrated" in the worst case, but I don't think they have a significant number of haters, like Nickelback or Imagine Dragons do.

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69ICEMAN t1_j2e103d wrote

I like them. Didn't realize there is a lot of hate for them. Many people like to find something to hate. I say take it or leave it. Why waste the energy.

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mrxexon t1_j2e3f6c wrote

Money ruined them.

They did their best creative stuff when they were young and hungry.

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Ballgame4 t1_j2ef4os wrote

Q: What’s the difference between Bono and God? A: God doesn’t walk around Dublin acting like he’s Bono.

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WatsonMtn t1_j2es154 wrote

I enjoy listening to U2, except for Songs of Innocence. It’s just not up to par. Many musicians are a bit egotistical. Doesn’t bother me as long as it doesn’t impact me. I understand Eric Clapton has some strange views, but I still love his playing. Music should be a source or entertainment and positivity. Life is too short to waste time on hate.

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dadamax t1_j2fn4hk wrote

Oh, just middle of the road boring predictable music like James Taylor that moms who drive their kids to soccer practice in minivans listen to and then go home and swill Chardonnay.

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thebassoprofondo t1_j2fnk0i wrote

They were pretty vocal about being the “best band on earth” a number of times which left a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths.

For me it’s a clip I saw of them drunk on an awards show giving Phil Collins, the host, a bunch of shit on air. None of the members of U2 are even in the same ballpark of musicianship Phil is, and Phil has always been a humble and unassuming dude.

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