October 1, 2006
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Overrated
Fark.com asked the question “Who is the most overrated person in the history of music?” It was interesting to read some of the results. My wife and I were talking recently about how Madonna was overrated.
Who is the most overrated person in the history of music?
Comments (232)
elvis
I just reached the hall of fame. first.
2nd
Basking in my glory.
britney spears.
I’m going to have to agree with MikeJ. Britney Spears.
Vanilla Ice
I am not sure. I like “real” musicans (not Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, not Elvis daughter). Those that play insturments, really sing, and don’t use a lot of backup (synthesizers, etc.). Honestly, I like Madonna (what would she be like with just her and a band & no extreme outfits- it would be interesting).
What if Handel grabbed his crotch and did the moon walk. Would he have been any better?
Eminem
All those Hip Hop artists. They make songs about body parts and stupid dance moves and everyone eats that shit up. It’s sad. Real artists are overlooked because they’re not “in” or whatver, and that’s just dumb.
Tool/A Perfect Circle no offense. They basicly just take simple parts of good metal songs dumb them down and mass market.
No Doubt. I have no doubt about it.
Anybody who is produced by a record company and needs the studio to fix their songs because they’re too retarded to sing in key. They took the easy way just to make money, while there are real artists out there struggling.
Too many to list. But you can list all rappers as overrated.
Funny you should mention music.
I think Devine Derrick deserves a look.
Elvis. -_-
any pop stars or anyone in a boyband. and oh yeah, Kurt Cobain. and Madonna. and alot of them hip-hop moguls and……………………………………….
Definately the Spice Girls. Or at least some pop band from the 90s.
not quite sure. … milli vanilli? vanilla ice? someone from the 80s-90sish i think.
Elvis. I’ve never liked him. The composer Percy Granger was also quite overrated.
Britney Spears.
For a short time, Milli Vanilli.
Brittney Spears, Jessica Simpson, and any of the boy bands.
mariah carey.
Any rapper or pop star…seriously, they aren’t as talented as we make them out to be.
Milli Vanilli
Any rap person.
Or pop star.
We are talking about the most overrated in the history of music and so far the list has produced one person who was not born in the 20th century?
I would say Wagner. I think he gets a lot of attention due to the German nationalistic drive.
Tool is amazing….what is that person talking about. Geez.
How ever could I narrow it down to only one? I would definetly have to agree with you two on Madonna though. Everyone just loved her because she wore tiny leotards, and grinded. Next in line would have to be Britney Spears. What exactly did she do for music again, besides flip her pig tailed head and shake her ass?
Boy bands are a good one too.
Green Day
Elvis.
Barry Manilow.
YOU
Or John Cage.
Christina Aguilera just recently…
-Jacob
Brittany Spears, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Eminem (although that’s not really music…)…and on and on and on.
Elvis Presley
I take that back…
JOHNNY CASH
::shivers::
-Jacob
Green Day or Elvis.. although The White Stripes are also quite over-rated, as much as I like them.
celine dion, anybody? .. yuck.
Fight Mental Illness Stigma
Whitney Houston. Ugh.
Hip-hop artists and basically all pop artists that don’t play their own music and the ones that lip-sync.
Madonna, boy bands, Britney, Christina, and pretty much all other pop stars, Green Day (i like their older stuff but they suck now), the White Stripes (even though i like them, they don’t play well), emo bands… the list goes on and on.
Justin Timberlake . . . seriously has he ever really done anything
hip hop & rap artists, and a lot of pop ones. and possibly elvis…and dare i say it…the beatles? o.O sorry but i just never got into them.
Britney Spears
Elvis..There’s actually a museum that has his fingernail clippings and a wart that fell off his right hand (I learned this from a Trivial Pursuit game)
Haha, I’m surprised so many other people think that Elvis is overrated.
Yeah, Elvis is overrated.
Michael Bolton
Most over-rated group of muscicans would be the band Bon Jovi.
Tool/A Perfect Circle no offense. They basicly just take simple parts of good metal songs dumb them down and mass market.
Posted 10/1/2006 at 1:39 PM by GnarLEE
ummm, thats pretty funny since Tool does not get that much airplay or videoplay. yeah, mass market, thats right
this what you meant right.
dumb= complicated instrumental peices that coincidently mix well with logical lyrics that are actualy pretty damn intellectually legit on the dipshits of society.
simple=ditto of above
though Tool is not my favorite band, but there definitely not overrated. as shown above.
there not famous, there infamous.
hmmmm, Dan, these commenty post are too fun to pass up.
The White Stripes, Beck and Moby
Michael Jackson
brittany spears
I think the most overated is Madonna………
I think Britney Spears and Madonna equally.
bob marley
mariah carey
id have to say eminem
I’ve got about a hundred people who all deserve that spot…
britney spears.
hmm.. how about greenday
yes justin timberlake.
I agree w/GunStarHero1988 on the whole tool being overrated
i haven’t seen anyone say anything about country yet.
i think country is overrated (e.g. Big and Rich).
what was that band a couple years back that sang “i believe in a thing called love”…i think you all know who i’m talking about.
oh yeah! and U2
in a few months, ill wholeheartedly say “paris hilton”.
for now… no one really. theres been a lot of one-time wonders and all n there have been artists who havent come out with the best songs but like, they’ve been popular before they came out in music..
i think one such person would be kevin fed.. but i dont think he goes under “music”.. maybe “golddigger”?
XOXO,
cG.
oh yeah! and U2
Posted 10/1/2006 at 2:39 PM by XReckless_dark_desiresX
^^ come ON… U2 is NOT overrated!
Beck (ohhh… my roommate would kill me) and o’course Britney Spears
Kurt Cobain, Johnny Ramone, Bono, The Edge (what kind of a stupid name is that anyway?), Zakk Wylde, Angus Young, Jimmy Page (sorry), Jack White, the list goes on and on….
Most underrated musician of all time: Frank Zappa, a musical genius that no one has ever even heard.
-Nick
fall out boy
Saying Britney Spears makes me sound as if I only know music since I was 8, which iwas 1999, which is not true.. I’m a fan of the 60′s. But yes, Britney Spears.
I guess Madonna is as good a pick as any,or Wayne newton.
I wanted to do something fun on Xanga!
ENTER “THE UGLIEST THING EVER” CONTEST.I am looking for some ugly stuff! Maybe you have an ugly Aunt Bertha(I did) or your mom’s Pocono Mountain souvenier,an ugly necktie,the neighbors lawn ornament or some hideous thing you found on the internet.Someome sent a picture of a very ugly foot that could rival any in Dan’s Jaime and I Have Ugly Feet blogering.
….Please submit pictures or website entries to me
<TABLE class=navigation cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width=”100%” border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>seedsower via “Message Me”.I will compile entries for a future post.Thanks.
Michael Jackson…most definitely.
Yoko Ono
I can’t *believe* there are people who said Michael Jackson and Bob Marley were overrated. Michael Jackson is a freakin’ genius (an eccentric one, yes, but a genius nonetheless) and Bob Marley made some pretty dad gone profound statements with his music, which was often a reflection of his Rastafarian beliefs.
I don’t know who should be considered the most overrated person in music. I almost want to say that nobody, because different musical artists mean different things to different people. However, I will admit that I don’t see people like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears in a very high light. “Artists” like Britney and Justin just don’t strike me as very deep, to put it simply.
but there are so many!
all rappers.. most definitely. i don’t consider them true musicians, actually. crappy songs..
Elvis.
Hmm…good question. There are so many of them. I think the biggest one I can think of is going to have to be Tupac. If he wasn’t dead, he would still be a nobody.
Although, I have to agree with those who say Jessica Simpson as well. Everything about her is overrated.
I disagree with Mariah Carey though. Her life choices stink, but the girl has got some pipes. Ditto for Brittany Spears.
Some people I know personally will be upset at my response, but:
Pink Floyd.
Now, Dan, who is the most underrated?
green day.
Some people I know personally will be upset at my response, but:
Pink Floyd.
Posted 10/1/2006 at 2:52 PM by DemocraticBean
you don’t know me but you just got me all upset.
elvis. i don’t understand why people like him so much
I don’t think anyone within the last 5 years have been around enough to be the most overrated musical artist. I think ovveration goes beyond one generation (the generation of those saying “Paris Hilton” and “Justin Timberlake” or “Britney Spears.”)
oh my GOD i can’t believe somebody said pink floyd.. you deserve death.
I don’t think anyone within the last 5 years have been around enough to be the most overrated musical artist. I think ovveration goes beyond one generation (the generation of those saying “Paris Hilton” and “Justin Timberlake” or “Britney Spears.”)
Posted 10/1/2006 at 2:56 PM by DemocraticBean
not realy, overrated can be considered an artist who truly has no real talent but has some nice beats or some simple happy go lucky tune that everyone thinks is great.
and, uhhh, i think that goes with any music artist.
not realy, overrated can be considered an artist who truly has no real talent but has some nice beats or some simple happy go lucky tune that everyone thinks is great.
Posted 10/1/2006 at 2:59 PM by GunStarHero1988
See, that’s not how I see someone as being overrated. I think that’s part of being overrated, but for someone to be “the most overrated person” it goes beyond that.
Oh, and GunStarHero1988, I replied to your first comment on your site.
all rappers!
The Beatles.
The Beatles.
Oh, and just covering my bases, I never claimed I didn’t like Pink Floyd, I just claimed they’re overrated in our society.
Though I can’t say I’m a huge fan, I enjoy listening to their music time to time.
…And to all those dissing hip hop/rap. I agree that a lot of the mainstream stuff we see today is pretty bad– no real meaning, just about pimpin’, partyin’, and bling… all it’s really good for is a beat, and then after two weeks it’s “old”. But true rap has a message within it, provides a voice for the rapper. That was the way it originally was, and it’s unfortunate that it (like most other music) is now just a way to make money.
Having said that… Tupac was a poet. Yeah, he wrote about partying and women, but he balanced all that with a lot of deep commentary. Biggie too. And that’s all I have to say.
Kurt Cobain and Bob Dylan.
I would say Eminem because I hate and am against everything that he stands for.
But, honestly I think Elvis is a little overrated. I listen to his music sometimes and am still like, “What’s so great about this?”
Having said that… Tupac was a poet. Yeah, he wrote about partying and women, but he balanced all that with a lot of deep commentary. Biggie too. And that’s all I have to say.
Posted 10/1/2006 at 3:08 PM by princessfedora
not a big fan of rap, but i have read some of 2pacs stuff and thought it was rather poetic.
but everyone(shallowers) now do not want there poetic artist, all they want is a quick beat to have sex to.
I gotta tell you Dan…I’ finding it very, very, very difficult to remain quiet about the Tupac comments!
*Repeating to self “it’s just their opinion, it’s just their opinion”*
FALL OUT BOY
Dan, how do you define the term “overrated?”
Elvis.
Fallout boy
Creed
NICKLEBACK
Any actor who has made a “breakthrough music career” attempt, like Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff. Regardless of whether or not they’re good, they didn’t get popular the right way. The leeched off their already existing fame.
If you’re talking which true blue musician is overrated? Justin Timberlake. You can only listen to songs about sex for so long before you gotta throw your iPod across the room, let go a barbaric yawp, and then admit to yourself that one day, this man will admit that he’s gay, and then the song will seem completely pointless.
Wow, there are so many. Yeah, I’d agree with Madonna. Also Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, and all those “artists” whose image is much bigger and more noticeable than their talent (like Madonna. She sounds like a goat).
Paris Hilton, Death Cab for Cutie, Dashboard Confessional, and Greenday.
The prize doesn’t go to an individual; it goes to a genre: Pop Music.
The fact that virtually everybody answering this question seems to think that music itself began with the invention of the electric guitar illustrates and confirms this.
I don’t think that Rappers are elgible if none of them can play an instrument… And no, clapping doesn’t count.
And you shouldn’t be able to make CDs if you aren’t a musician, right?
Madonna? No way!
I think people like Paris Hilton, or the Simpson sisters, are way more overrated.
Britney Spears and the current hip hop artists.
Conor Oberst.
Barbara Streisand…
Brittany Spears..definately that slutty little ho gives us Louisiana folks a bad name..
Hmmm… most rappers, most pop music people, most country artists, and most anybody who’s been popular in the past 20 years or so. Is that specific enough?
rap, britney spears, or panic! at the disco
i like a little rap, but a great majority of it is junk
good stuff– ludacris, tupac, eminem
THE most? Milli Vanilli!
50 cent!
Britney Spears and Milli Vanilli
MC Hammer.
All the boy bands…
Bach.
I kid!
It’s pure opinion and there is no right answer.
rap artists…..and hip hop artists…….but if you want a single name……Id have to say The Beatles
Anderson
Have a good Sunday Dan
michael jackson
no changed my mind….
yeah…. michael jackson
The Simpson sisters, MJ, all the actors/actresses who’ve only made their success in singing because they were already famous, the majority of pop singers, Brittney Spears (she just sells her music because she’s practically singign about sex and stripping in all her videos), lots of rappers, clay aiken, ruben….I can probably think of a lot more.
oh and brittney spears!
Green Day.
Just about anything that floated across the mainstream anytime in the 90s.
And Gnarls Barkley. Ugh.
I think Elvis was kind of overrated.
And Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy. How they became popular is beyond me.
Michael Jackson
i hate all these people saying britney spears…. i love her.
Michael Jackson
Dude. E_F, I would have expected you to say Green Day…not Michael Jackson
In terms of ticket prices and making any new and innovative product…
Probably Madonna. I don’t hate her though, just don’t have 175 dollars for a ticket, and If I did, I would fly to England in January instead with the money.
panic”!” at the disco aka fall out boy part two
american idol contestants
madonna
Ozzy’s daugher. When she took papa don’t preach from Maddonaa.. I laughed.
Christina
Elvis, Barbara Strisand, Celine Dion, P Ditty, B Spears…
Simpson sisters…
I don’t know if there is one…
Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Eminmen…They’re all overrated NOW, but the question is “in history”…How many of these taboos pop starts will even be REMEMBERED 50 years from now? I don’t count them.
And because you don’t like rap doesn’t mean rap isn’t real music. There’s sucky rap and good rap, just like sucky rock and good rock. If it speaks to someone’s soul, it’s music.
Personally, I can’t think of one. The overrated ones are forgotten by history, so it corrects itself.
Green Day
Oh and Panic! At the Disco
They truly suck
Anyone who has said “Elvis” needs to read up on recent music history.
Death Cab for Cutie.
I completely agree with you on Madonna.
i think it’s telling that the only perception that a lot of people have about rap is that it’s all bad…there is still conscious rap out there…the roots, lupe fiasco, talib kweli, mos def, blackstar..i could go on and on..oh, and concerning your question, elvis..
If all they do is sing and they get into the top 20 lists, they’re overrated in my mind. Justin Timberlake, Brittney Spears, etc.
Metallica… Don’t deny it.
I think bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic! are alright, but only once in a while. All the time, like they do on the radio, is just annoying.
Ashley Simpson. Brittney Spears.
Anyone who can’t perform a concert without lip-syncing does not even count as a musician, in my (professional composer) opinion.
the beatles. or elvis.
I like hip-hop a lot, but I have to say that those artists are the most overrated. They make all of this money, and they aren’t singing about a damn thing except their bitches and bling. It gets old. The only good thing they have going for them is the fact that they produce good beats. I don’t think that one hit wonders can be called overrated because they are one hit wonders. And that includes Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Hilary Duff, Vanilla Ice, and Milli Vanilli. They will be or only were popular for one or two songs. Then they floated back into nothingness. Paris will be famous forever, not for her talent (of which there is none) but because of her name, and that’s it.
who cares?
I have to say Celine Dion and this rock band called Bad Company…
janet jackson…her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me
I wonder how many people actually know who Grainger and Wagner are. I dont’ think it matters which musician is overrated, just which musicians aren’t really musicians and definitely not artists.
Elvis and Michael Jackson.
All rappers, Kurt Cobain, and a lot of the alternative bands whose music doesn’t make any sense. It’s like they’re just putting words together and setting it to electric guitars and drums.
Hmmmm…. The Back Street Boys? Or ummmm…. Jessica Simpson!!!!
And reply to theresanarrowinyourbutt: Kurt Cobain?? He changed the face of music altogether. And his lyrics do make sense. He uses matephores.
How can anyone say Elvis, Pink Floyd, or The Beatles? Please, people. Bob Dylan on the other hand…
nsync
All rappers.
And new Metallica.
Most underrated: Buckethead and The Blue Oyster Cult!
I forgot
Panic! At the Disco.
and
AFI
(gAyFI)
Diddy
U2. I fucking HATE THEM with all my soul.
And far too many others to list. The vast majority of today’s market.
beatles… they were good, but not even the best of their time, yet they have received more popularity than any band in history
Britney Spears.
Britney Spears. And anything else that resembles bubblegum pop.
-Guru on the Hill
i must say elvis
overrated…the Beatles. they had some good stuff, but the mania was a bit much.
Why does everybody keep saying Elvis? They must all be kids…..my vote goes to Michael Jackson.
Wow, somebody said No Doubt? Their earlier, more ska-influenced stuff was amazing! Tool’s not overrated, either…Neither are a lot of things people have spurted out. If you haven’t listened to a lot of their stuff, you need to. Badly. Expand your musical horizons!
Anything emo is pretty overrated, though I might be kicked off of Xanga for saying so.
Meg White of the White Stripes is ridiculously overrated. She’s an awful, awful drummer.
Metallica is overrated, too…If I wanted to see four people publicly masturbate that badly, I’d find a circle-jerk.
Music is overrated. period.
A world without music would be a very boring one indeed, the_prototype84.
Elvis and Madonna
Too many to mention.
How About Marilyn Manson?
eminem
um….
janet jackson.
i know a lot of people like her…but to me,she the female michael,she talks,looks,and acts just like him. the only difference is shes darker.
the whole family is weird…
and that just takes something away from the music in my opinion.
i’ll definitely have to agree with Madonna.
Why the hell can’t 50% of these people spell BRITNEY Spears? Sheeeeeesh. You’d think her name was complicated, and not every frickin’ where.
ugh too many -_- too many singers w/o talent. who are these people saying all rappers are overrated? you guys ever listen to underground shit.. yea mainstream is definately overrated by underground is a different story.
Phil Collins
Elvis Presley and Madonna followed closely by Frank Sinatra
as for bands?? the Rolling Stones.
to the guy who says no one knows of frank zappa, your a moron. everyone knows who frank zappa is. my vote for most overrated artist goes to elliot smith.
Britney Spears. Mariah Carey. Oh! And Madonna.
i believe 2 -pac is overrated
Carlos Santana
I disagree that Mariah Carey is overrated… even though she sometimes chooses weird songs, she’s a great singer and she has perfect pitch (I read that in Psychology Today).
Milli Vanilli, Vanilla Ice, Mariah Carey, Spice Girls, and definitely PARIS effing HILTON.
Well, it’s hard to compare different genres and the like so I’ll do it like this:
Classical: Mozart (had some good stuff, but not much variety)
Indie: Death Cab for Cutie or The White Stripes
Oldies: Elvis
Hard Rock/Metal: Any of the pop/metal bands from the 80′s
Rap: 50 cent (I can’t stand what Eminem stands for, but he really is a lyrical genius, so I can’t put him here)… not all rap is bad, just most of the stuff in the mainstream. Listen to some underground stuff, and you’ll find some real gems.
Modern Pop/rock: PANIC! at the Disco or Green Day
I can think of more, but I think that’ll do for now.
On a sidenote, however, U2 is not overrated by a long shot. Truly amazing band.
Well…
Whoever said Mariah Carey is overrated, you are nuts and I’ma smack you. She deserves to be the best selling female artist of all-time with that voice of hers. There will never be another.
I think most of you are picking artists you do not like. Which isn’t fair.
I adore Beyonce, but is she overrated? Of course. People view her as a living legend, when she has only had 3 number one singles. She hasn’t done ANYTHING that will go down in the history books yet.
Others are Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, and even Elvis, who I love. Christina Aguilera and Madonna are celebrities I dislike AND believe are overrated.
KURT COBAIN.
Good musician, total whack job.
COURTNEY LOVE.
She’s INSANE.
PARIS HILTON.
Does she even qualify as a music artist?
Madonna is overrated.
Also, any socialites/actresses that try to become singers: Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan…..
Britney Spears and Madonna. Neither of their music is good at all.
tupac
How about rap stars in general?!!
Nirvana.
Elvis Presley
I would have gone with Madonna except that she does have a very creative mind and finds ways to re-invent herself. I guess, after looking the comments over, I would definitely go with the Spears/Simpson crowd. I just don’t see a reason yet to have them “made” into stars/celebrities.
Bob Dylan. I’m not saying he’s horrible on the level of Milli Vanilli or Brtney Spears or crunk music, but he is definitely more overrated by more people than anyone else. He was listed by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest songwriter ever. Yeah, whatever. He can’t touch Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel, and even in Modern music, he’s not as good as, say, Danny Elfman, or John Williams. The boys in Led Zeppelin wrote much better songs, and so did the Eagles. So he wrote a bazillion songs. so what? most of them aren’t that good.
The Beatles!
Or, if I have to pick one- Elvis.
rappers. almost all of them.
Defffff Elvis
and the Beatles!
when I wrote my last 2 comments I didnt reallize that la_faerie_joyeuse had said, but yeah i totally agreee with her
brittany spears, maddonna too, jeez
bon jovi
Hanson…hahahah that was the most ridiculous and saddest boy craze ever…..lmfao.
KISS. definitely. their music is simple.
ME: DIDO
The Beatles.
the music was…yeah… well played and nice to listen to mostly..but.. so darn trendy.. its like, everything became beatles..yeah they were great, but, there was a lot more out there that was a lot better or equally as good from the same era that didn’t get as much of a reputation..
and if you’re from jersey, or have ties/are close to jersey, you’ll understand this… Bruce (Springsteen for your non jersians), is just overrated
…it goes without saying all boy bands and such are as well…
Overrated? Well, if you ask me, basically all mainstream music in our society today is quite overrated. Think back 15 years ago…do you remember any of the songs you sang from the radio? Well, I’ll bet a dime that 15 years from today, no one will remember any of those songs that they always play on MTV. Bottom line: they have no substance. They won’t survive through the centuries.
The real question: What music is underrated? I bet the majority of people in society today would groan at the thought of classical music. Guess what? All your rap, country, pop, rock…all of it…WOULDN’T EXIST if it weren’t for Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach.
this might sound weird, but The Beatles are definitely overrated to me. They are great, but not the greatest in the whole world.
Every rap and hip hop idol. Pretty much all of the music is crap with rhyming schemes a first grader could top. All it is is sex, money, and drugs. I hate it when a certain girl on my bus turns her headphones up and comments she’s listening to “Fiddy” cent.
In order to be ‘overrated’ you must first be ‘rated,’ if you catch my drift. So naming a person or band that only a small amount of people actually care about is kind of pointless. Which kind of counts out any kind of indie music.
What I am saying is, most indie bands are not good enough to be overrated.
Britney Spears
Kanye West. hate his ass
elvis
i think people who realy just play an essembly-line role in their own hits and then bask in the $$$’s for it shouldn’t be as recognized as those who put time and effort into their own brilliant compositions but never get any exposure. I’m not saying that those artists in the first group aren’t tallented, they just get more credit than they deserve.
and cindi lauper
Michael Jackson and Madonna.
Way too much hype about what they USED to do!