Nickelback, reconsidered

Plus, Olivia Rodrigo talks Guts, the full Sam Smith Experience comes to the Tiny Desk and more.

View this email online September 30, 2023 Support This Newsletter   From Tiny Desk concerts to our deep dive into the history of hip-hop, NPR Music’s work is made possible by your donation. When you contribute, you amplify the sounds of our communities, the voices of our people, and the rhythm of our collective spirit. Please donate today. by Stephen Thompson, NPR Music This week, the arrival of a new documentary has us thinking about Nickelback; plus, Olivia Rodrigo talks Guts, the full Sam Smith Experience comes to the Tiny Desk and more. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images There’s been a ton of music news this week, from Usher playing the next Super Bowl to whatever’s going on with Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. So naturally, I want to write a few words about the Canadian rock band Nickelback, whose breakthrough hit “How You Remind Me” reached its 20th anniversary last year. In my 17-plus years at NPR, my most heavily trafficked piece of writing — not counting the blurbs I wrote for the BTS Tiny Desk (home) concert or this Hanson video — was a 2015 column trying to get to the bottom of why people hate Nickelback. The question itself seemed to resonate with people, and eight years later, I’m still mostly satisfied with the answer I wrote. Here’s the heart of the argument: “Hatred of bands, specifically, is often about the story of ourselves that we're comfortable telling the world. A shorthand word for it would be ‘vanity,’ and it often comes back to a need to either pick a popular side or cast ourselves as bold contrarians. Given that contrarians are, by definition, outnumbered, the popular-side-pickers often find themselves contributing to a pile-on once the tides of public opinion shift toward mass opposition. That’s where the Nickelbacks and Coldplays of the world … come in for what almost has to be, by definition, wildly disproportionate public antipathy. Once that particular tipping point has been reached, the chorus against them becomes loud enough that joining it offers little risk of blowback.” I went into greater detail than that, with phrases that included “umpteenth-generation copy-of-a-copy post-grunge,” “thuddingly fervent” and “skeevier Maroon 5,” en route to a possible way forward for Nickelback: “Its new songs are the sound of a much-maligned juggernaut, reduced to an underdog. Which may, ironically, light the band's way out of punching-bag purgatory: After all, where's the fun in hating an underdog?” Here in 2023, Nickelback seems to be asking that very question, about itself. The group, which remains a massive draw in Canada, is experiencing a bit of a critical reappraisal, thanks in part to a new documentary called Hate to Love: Nickelback. The headline of a recent story about the film in The Washington Post reads, “Nickelback knows you hate them, and they want to talk about it.” Now, the truth of that headline doesn’t fully extend to singer Chad Kroeger, who spoke at length in the documentary but declined an interview with the Post. But we’ve reached the point where Nickelback has us right where it wants us: 1) With more than two decades between “How You Remind Me” and the present moment, the band is no longer omnipresent. You can turn on a radio without hearing Nickelback. While familiarity breeds contempt, a few years of silence can breed reconsideration and even acceptance. 2) In spite of all that, the advent of streaming means Nickelback has never had to go all the way away. I’ve often said the best thing about hosting a podcast is that no one listens involuntarily; Nickelback is in the same boat, where they’re neither forgotten by fans nor resented for their ubiquity. Tack on the awesome power of nostalgia and a comeback was there for the taking. 3) Hating Nickelback has become trite. What’s the point of focusing your ire on a band that’s not inconveniencing anyone? We’ve traveled through countless hype-and-backlash cycles since Nickelback fell off the pop charts, all against the backdrop of a world that’s grown stupider and meaner in countless ways. Complain about Nickelback in 2023, and you might as well be railing against Carrot Top, or Ray J. Johnson, or Topo Gigio. 4) This one may be the most important: Call it Stockholm Syndrome, do what you will, but “How You Remind Me” totally slaps. Freed from its omnipresence, freed from its soundalikes (including those by Nickelback itself), go back and listen to it! It’s got big riffs and a catchy chorus — what’s not to like? If you’ve ever been, or plan to become, a public punching bag, Nickelback is still around to offer you hope — and a road map. All it had to do was show us a bit of self-awareness, let its worst songs evaporate from our memories, go away for a while and come back, sheepish but unbowed.   Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear During the fleeting moments of downtime between the release of her second album, Guts, and her recently announced 2024 world tour, Olivia Rodrigo has sat down for a few interviews — including one with All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang. The two discussed the singer’s life-changing success, the importance of keeping her songs ambiguous, the formative years that spawned Guts and the influence of her parents’ music collection on her songs and sound. The Bob Boilen retirement countdown continues with our man’s next-to-last episode of All Songs Considered — this time accompanied by two of his most treasured colleagues, Marissa Lorusso and Hazel Cills. The three said their goodbyes with new songs from Katy Kirby, Daneshevskaya, the aforementioned Olivia Rodrigo, Sufjan Stevens, Katie Von Schleicher and Marina Herlop. Look for Bob’s star-packed finale (with appearances from two of his less-treasured colleagues) next week. Also in your All Songs Considered feeds: the latest episode of New Music Friday, featuring just-released albums from Jorja Smith, Cherry Glazerr, Becky G, Blonde Redhead and Wilco. Doja Cat’s fourth album, Scarlet, came out last week. This week, Jason King did a beautiful job contextualizing the record against both the singer’s combative online persona and the many ways pop singers have toyed with Satanic imagery in recent years. “She's the quintessential 2020s pop star who finds her spotlight in the dark swamp of online vitriol,” Jason wrote, adding that Doja Cat “sources her power from diving deep into the abyss of hatred and coming up the other side swinging.” If you’re looking to discover great new music, you should keep up with NPR Music’s member stations, whose hosts and staff are tremendous sources of music discovery. In the past few weeks, we’ve been polling them to find their favorite new acts, and now we’ve got the results: an impressive 13-artist assortment of rock, Americana, soul, jazz and electronic music. On a new episode of Alt.Latino, Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras talked to the Mexican-American pop star Becky G — an interview recorded in the immediate aftermath of a Tiny Desk performance — about her mashup of genres, her work with women in the industry and her appearance at Coachella. The longest Las Vegas residency in history belongs to Donny and Marie Osmond and their 1,730 performances. But Barry Manilow just hit his own significant milestone: His 637 shows are the most ever at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, surpassing the 636 performed by one Elvis Presley. Manuela López Restrepo put the accomplishment in perspective. In last week’s newsletter, we excerpted Steve Inskeep’s interview with all four members of Talking Heads. This week, Pop Culture Happy Hour assembled a panel to discuss the band’s classic, Jonathan Demme-directed 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, which is back in movie theaters around the country. Singer-songwriter Laufey grew up on classical music — her mother is a classical violinist — as well as her father’s jazz collection. Laufey’s own gorgeous torch songs draw heavily on those traditions while still sounding thoroughly contemporary. Watch her perform “Promise” live in WFUV’s Studio-A, then explore further by checking out Laufey’s interview with Morning Edition’s A Martinez earlier this month. One Donation at a Time Ignite curiosity, amplify storytelling, and strengthen independent journalism by backing the NPR Network. Your donation nurtures a deep understanding of the voices in your community and around the world. If you think your gift won't make a difference, you couldn't be more wrong. Grassroots support has sustained public radio for more than a generation. All it takes is everyone giving what they can, when they can. Help today. Donate Now Tiny Desk Photo: Michael Zamora/NPR Sam Smith first broke through with a Grammy-winning ballad (2014’s “Stay With Me”), then came back with the sleek dance-pop of “How Do You Sleep,” but the singer’s current chapter revolves around the louche hedonism of “Unholy.” You want all those styles in one place — the full Sam Smith Experience — performed with the assistance of a choir, plus a gorgeous duet to boot courtesy of the marvelous LaDonna Harley-Peters? We’ve got you covered. Also this week: The “El Tiny” takeover of the Tiny Desk continues with 19-year-old DannyLux, a Chicano singer-songwriter who became a TikTok star thanks to songs that mix Mexican regional genres with moody, plainspoken honesty.   One More Thing The great singer, rapper, songwriter, poet, podcaster and author Dessa just released a new album on Friday, called Bury the Lede. I got to enthuse about it at the tail-end of the latest episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, but I especially recommend this interview with Dessa on 1A, courtesy of the great and good Jenn White. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy