Even the greatest legends stumble.
For every timeless anthem, there’s a song that leaves fans scratching their heads, critics sharpening their knives, or the artists themselves wishing it had never seen daylight. Some are odd experiments gone wrong, others are lapses in taste or tone, and a few are just plain embarrassing. But taken together, they remind us that even rock gods are human—and sometimes hilariously fallible. Here are 15 tracks by icons that history hasn’t been so kind to.
1. The Beatles – 'Revolution 9' (1968)
The Beatles could do anything—or so it seemed until “Revolution 9.” An avant-garde sound collage tucked onto The White Album, it’s eight minutes of tape loops, strange voices, and musique concrète. John Lennon considered it groundbreaking; most fans considered it unlistenable. While it fits the Beatles’ boundary-pushing ethos, sandwiched between beloved songs, it left many wishing for another “Hey Jude” instead of a dose of highbrow weirdness.
2. The Rolling Stones: 'Indian Girl' (1980)
By 1980, the Stones were still kings of swagger, but “Indian Girl,” from Emotional Rescue, found them drifting badly off course. A pseudo-Latin ballad with cringeworthy lyrics about geopolitical violence and romance, it lacks the bite and grit of their best work. Mick Jagger’s vocal delivery is oddly detached, and the arrangement limps along without conviction. It’s proof that even the “World’s Greatest Rock ’n’ Roll Band” sometimes stumbled when chasing reinvention.
3. Led Zeppelin: 'Hot Dog' (1979)
On In Through the Out Door, Led Zeppelin surprised fans with synth-heavy experiments—but it was “Hot Dog” that drew the real groans. A tongue-in-cheek rockabilly pastiche, the track plays like a jokey bar-band encore rather than a showcase for one of rock’s heaviest bands. Robert Plant sings it with gusto, but the lyrics are clunky, and the overall effect is more novelty than nuance. Coming just before drummer John Bonham’s death, it felt especially out of place.
4. David Bowie: 'The Laughing Gnome' (1967)
Before he became rock’s great chameleon, Bowie was floundering. 'The Laughing Gnome', a novelty single featuring sped-up chipmunk-style voices, is pure bubblegum silliness. To Bowie’s horror, it became a surprise hit when reissued in 1973, right as he was conquering the world as Ziggy Stardust. Forever haunted by those helium-voiced gnomes, Bowie spent years trying to distance himself from the song. It remains a reminder that even geniuses sometimes start with gimmicks.
5. Bob Dylan: 'Wiggle Wiggle' (1990)
Bob Dylan is the Nobel Prize-winning poet of rock. Which makes “Wiggle Wiggle” all the more baffling. The opening track to Under the Red Sky, it features Dylan mumbling childlike rhymes over a plodding blues-rock backing. Critics couldn’t believe the man who wrote “Desolation Row” was responsible. Dylan himself later admitted the album was rushed and unfocused. “Wiggle Wiggle” endures as a head-scratcher, proof that even Dylan can run on autopilot.
6. Elton John: 'Crocodile Rock' (1972)
It's one of Elton John’s most commercially successful singles, yet 'Crocodile Rock' remains notoriously unpopular with the artist himself. Intended as a nostalgic pastiche of early ’60s rock ’n’ roll, its sugary lyrics and falsetto vocals strike some as lightweight or gimmicky compared with Elton’s more ambitious work. Despite its catchy melody and chart-topping success, John has repeatedly expressed embarrassment over the song, calling it “a silly record” and admitting he rarely performs it live, a guilty pleasure in his catalogue.
7. Queen: 'Delilah' (1991)
On their swansong Innuendo, Queen produced soaring anthems like “The Show Must Go On.” But then there’s “Delilah,” Freddie Mercury’s ode to his beloved cat. Sweet in intention, it left fans puzzled: why was Queen meowing into microphones at such a critical moment? Mercury’s affection shines through, but the song’s kitschiness feels wildly out of step with the band’s grandeur. It’s charming in hindsight, but not exactly what listeners expected from rock royalty.
8. U2: 'Miami' (1997)
The Pop era was U2’s great gamble, blending techno and electronica into their stadium rock. Some of it worked brilliantly. 'Miami' did not. Meandering, monotonous, and lyrically thin, it epitomised the band’s mid-’90s struggles to stay relevant. Bono’s talk-sung delivery falls flat, while the production is cluttered rather than experimental. U2 would quickly regroup with All That You Can’t Leave Behind, but 'Miami' remains a cautionary tale of reinvention gone awry.
9. The Who: 'Don’t Let Go the Coat' (1981)
Released as a single from their 1981 album Face Dances, 'Don’t Let Go the Coat' is the sound of The Who losing their fire. Intended as a spiritual meditation inspired by Meher Baba, the track feels sluggish and uninspired. Without Keith Moon’s wild drumming (he had died three years earlier), the song plods along, leaving critics to wonder what happened to the band that once embodied explosive rebellion. A forgotten single, and for good reason.
10. Bruce Springsteen: 'Queen of the Supermarket' (2009)
Springsteen can turn everyday lives into poetry. But here, his magic deserts him. On Working on a Dream, he sings earnestly about a crush on a supermarket checkout girl, complete with swelling strings. Instead of elevating the mundane, it comes off syrupy and absurd. Fans were left wincing at lines about shopping aisles and barcodes. Proof that even The Boss occasionally over-reaches in his quest for working-class romance.
11. The Doors: 'We Could Be So Good Together' (1968)
The Doors thrived on mysticism and menace—but not here. 'We Could Be So Good Together', a leftover jam released on Waiting for the Sun, is awkwardly upbeat and lyrically clumsy. It lacks the dark magnetism of 'Riders on the Storm' or 'The End'. Even Jim Morrison seems disengaged. The track plays more like filler than revelation, reminding listeners that even The Doors couldn’t conjure transcendence every time they hit 'record'.
12. Pink Floyd: 'The Dogs of War' (1987)
With Roger Waters gone, A Momentary Lapse of Reason tried to reassert Pink Floyd’s power. Instead, 'The Dogs of War' turned into one of their clunkiest tracks. Its heavy-handed lyrics about warmongers, combined with ponderous rhythms, lack the nuance and tension of their earlier work. The song’s bombast feels hollow, as if Floyd were imitating themselves. A rare moment when the band’s reputation for gravitas tipped into leaden parody.
13. The Clash: 'Hitsville U.K.' (1980)
On Sandinista!, The Clash pushed their eclecticism to the limit. But 'Hitsville U.K.', a sugary duet with Mick Jones’ then-partner Ellen Foley (both pictured), feels toothless. A cheery pop tune mocking the British music industry, it’s well-meaning but musically limp—miles away from the fire of 'London Calling'. With its jangly guitars and sing-song melody, it left many fans longing for the snarling rebellion of earlier Clash records.
14. Lou Reed: 'The Original Wrapper' (1986)
Lou Reed was no stranger to provocation, but his foray into rap on Mistrial was disastrous. 'The Original Wrapper' pairs Reed’s monotone delivery with clunky rhymes and dated production. What might have been ironic or experimental just sounds embarrassing. Critics and fans alike were baffled, and even Reed’s defenders struggled to justify it. For an artist who gave us Transformer and Berlin, this was a career low point best left forgotten.
15. Neil Young: 'We R in Control' (1982)
Neil Young’s 1982 LP Trans is one of rock's most polarising albums: some admire its early use of vocoders and synths, others cringe. 'We R in Control' is the worst offender—a paranoid, robot-voiced anthem about technology gone wrong. More awkward than visionary, it alienated fans and baffled critics. Young later admitted the album was partly inspired by trying to communicate with his speech-impaired son, which makes it poignant—but musically, this track is a cold, clunky relic of misjudged experimentation.
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