MUSIC

3 Embarrassing Classic Rock Songs

May 10th, 2024

Classic rock has brought so much joy to its fans. There is seemingly an endless string of songs that are excellent like those from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Heart, Jimi Hendrix, and more and more. But occasionally, there are some that you have to admit end up more of a guilty pleasure. Some songs just don’t nail down subtlety.

Here below, just for fun, we wanted to dive into a trio of those tunes. Three songs that make you want to roll your eyes and turn down the dial on your favorite classic rock station should these offerings come on the airwaves—Indeed, these are three somewhat embarrassing classic rock songs.

“Woke Up with Wood,” ZZ Top

Not to be too puritanical, but what’s up with this song? ZZ Top, of course, is one of the best blues-rock bands of all time. And they are clearly not shy about writing tunes about their love of the opposite sex (see: “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man”). But sometimes you have to remember to keep a little subtlety, a little mystery. Art isn’t about putting it all out there, necessarily.

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It’s about creating a bit of mystique. And this song, released on the band’s 1985 album Afterburner, doesn’t do that. To say the least.

“Girls, Girls, Girls,” Mötley Crüe

This song comes from the 1987 album of the same name. And to write a song like that and double down on it with the album title really shows the band was feeling the message. But that message today, like the track above, just reads as way too overindulgent and crass.

“Cat Scratch Fever,” Ted Nugent

This song comes from the 1977 album of the same name and while its lyrics are cringey at times, the song’s performer has also become a difficult personality to swallow. However you feel about politics, Ted Nugent is a loud, at times offensive fellow, and this song about his desire for sex makes it that much more repellent. Catchy at times, repulsive at others, it’s just a mix that brings pause whenever the song comes on.

Curated By

Maya Gupta
Investigative Journalist | Grassroots Movement Organizer | Economy Consultant/Speaker
Maya Gupta writes from the fault lines of a world that refuses to stay quiet. Focused on the collisions between culture, power, and accountability, her work cuts past polished narratives to expose what’s really moving beneath the surface. From the rise of creator-driven influence to athlete activism and grassroots resistance, she tracks the momentum shaping a generation unwilling to wait its turn. Her reporting doesn’t cater to comfort, it confronts it, challenging institutions that lean on legacy instead of legitimacy. With a voice rooted in urgency and a lens tuned to those often ignored, Maya delivers coverage that reflects the stakes as they are, not as they’re packaged. This is journalism that doesn’t just observe change, it stands in the middle of it, documenting the push, the backlash, and the undeniable shift underway.

Suggested Reading

My Dead Dad Was in ZZ Top

"My Dead Dad Was in ZZ Top" by Jon Glaser is a humorous and heartfelt memoir that explores the author's relationship with his late father through the lens of their shared love for the band ZZ Top. Glaser recounts his memories of growing up with a father who was a devoted fan of the band, and how the...

Gimme All Your Lovin’: The Blues, Boogie, and Beard of ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons

Before launching the iconic Texas blues-rock trio ZZ Top, a young Billy Gibbons was hustling through the Lone Star State with a band named the Moving Sidewalks. The small-time band had the chance of a lifetime when they opened for legendary rock guitar maestro Jimi Hendrix, who took the teenage Gibb...

Motor City Madhouse: Going Gonzo with Ted Nugent

The first ever book about the outspoken American rocker, this is an updated version of Epic Ted Nugent, previously only published in North America that draws on interviews with the man himself. The Tedinator, Deadly Tedly, The Whackmaster or simply The Nuge...guitarin' Detroit gunslinger Ted Nugent ...

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