Catchy is a bad thing?????

Reading reviews of metal bands.....and recently Shmoopy's description of ABBA finally inspired me to ask this question that's been on my mind.


WHY is catchiness a BAD thing??

In so many reviews, especially of Euro Powermetal bands, the "reviewer" will cite catchiness as one of the reasons they don't like the album. "And it's just so/too damn catchy!"

I don't understand. It seems to me this is a good thing. Catchy to me means memorable and well written. That's how I judge an album. I usually give an album 3 spins and if I can't remember a song or it's not in my head or calling me back for another listen, it's gone.

Is catchiness bad for you? Why?

Catchiness/memorability and vocals are probably my two most important criteria for judging music. I don't care how technically proficient a band may be, if I can't remember the song after it's over, I don't care for it. That's probably the main reason I don't like growling vocals too because there's no melody.

Quote :

WHY is catchiness a BAD thing??

It's not. It's a personal taste thing.

However, there's a lot of posturing in the metal community. Melody is seen to be whimpy and lame.


I love when the people who dress like this..




and do this all the time




think that they are the only true metal fans.

And a true metal fan doesn't like anything but metal.

Certainly not something as faggy as ABBA!

One more thing...as I said in the Shamu's thread regarding ABBA, I can appreciate the songwriting of the band; they definitely know how to write a memorable melody. But I don't like the execution because it's too poppy.

tohostudios wrote:

Catchiness/memorability and vocals are probably my two most important criteria for judging music. I don't care how technically proficient a band may be, if I can't remember the song after it's over, I don't care for it. That's probably the main reason I don't like growling vocals too because there's no melody.

1000% agree. When you hear a song and it has that killer melody and hook that sticks in your head, thats what i want to hear. Too many bands have potential and just lose it as soon as the vocals come in.

Memorability is what I listen for from a band. If the music is heavy, has a killer singer, and tons of catchy choruses and hooks, then that band is perfect for me.

There are some bands that i can tolerate and have come to really enjoy that have the metalcore/melodic death metal vocals. But they substitute those vocals with melody and clean vocals in the choruses that draw me back.

Mercenary, Scar Symmetry, Disarmonia Mundi, and some Caliban are some that i really enjoy that use a lot of melody in there choruses.



That chorus lives in my head..

spectrefate wrote:

Quote :

WHY is catchiness a BAD thing??

It's not. It's a personal taste thing.

However, there's a lot of posturing in the metal community. Melody is seen to be whimpy and lame.


I love when the people who dress like this..




and do this all the time




think that they are the only true metal fans.

And a true metal fan doesn't like anything but metal.

Certainly not something as faggy as ABBA!

Great point, Although I listen to most music except cRAP, I consider myself a diehard metalfan. I def dont dress the part though.

those who try and look metal are usually the least metal.

thanks to metalrob's picture I now realize how silly I looked at 14 in metal gear.

How could catchyness be bad? The only reason why I would like a band is because of their style and if they had nothing that was catchy.

One example I could use is Rhapsody when they first came around every song had a really catchy and singable chorus as their career went on they started loosing those catchy singable songs and have really made me loose my interest in them.

they do the same thing with death metal. i've read many reviews of bands like Jungle Rot, SFU, Bolt Thrower where it was made out that they were not "tr00" simply because they had catchy hooks. complete bullsh*t.

In my humble opinion, catchy-ness is not a bad thing at all. If a song, album, etc. is bland and in no way memorable, then I will not go back to it.

Quote :

WHY is catchiness a BAD thing??

Why would someone want something not to be? It makes music more enjoyable.

Catchiness is usually a must for me as well. I like something I can sing to.

I think it's safe to assume that with most of us not being idiots here, we all appreciate catchiness and a good hook. From what I've experienced, it's only the tr00 and the kvlt who think the first sign of a hook or melody is selling out, which is ridiculous; some vague sense of melody is what separates music from the noise.

Also, ABBA are amazing. Ridiculous, yes, but sometimes you've just got to crank 'Mamma Mia'.

Theres nothing wrong with being catchy, but I just don't dig on most catchy pop, I love good hooks and chourses in metal. But, Id much rather be shouting along to Maiden then having some teeny bopper croak out dancing queen at me.

Catchy is a double edged sword however. You know those songs that get stuck in your head for days, the ones that after 48 hours have you contemplating drinking a bottle of drain cleaner? (example: Toni Basil - Mickey)

They torture and torment you because they're catchy...but catchy does not necessarily equal good.

detuned wrote:

Catchy is a double edged sword however. You know those songs that get stuck in your head for days, the ones that after 48 hours have you contemplating drinking a bottle of drain cleaner? (example: Toni Basil - Mickey)

They torture and torment you because they're catchy...but catchy does not necessarily equal good.

Exactly. Case in point being Abba-Mamma Mia. So damn catchy but it makes me want to stab my ear drumbs with a pencil.

I love great hooks, melodies and harmonies. But it's the delivery and context their delivered in that makes me like them or not.

I love a lot of Power Pop music because the hooks are delivered in a great punky crunchy way but say take another catchy type of rock like AOR and i loathe it because of the calculated weepy way it's delivered.

It's a fine line i guess between a song that is great and catchy and another which irritates you like stepping on bubblegum!

As for ABBA their hooks and melodies are so damn stunning and unique that they can't be ignored. I love them.

For Me Catchiness is a good thing

If a song is catchy then im likely to listen to the album more in which case another song will become catchy and before I know im liking the album

Its when its not catchy that worries me

rattpoison wrote:

I love great hooks, melodies and harmonies. But it's the delivery and context their delivered in that makes me like them or not.

I love a lot of Power Pop music because the hooks are delivered in a great punky crunchy way but say take another catchy type of rock like AOR and i loathe it because of the calculated weepy way it's delivered.

It's a fine line i guess between a song that is great and catchy and another which irritates you like stepping on bubblegum!

As for ABBA their hooks and melodies are so damn stunning and unique that they can't be ignored. I love them.

100% agree with rattpoison

Great hooks, good melodies, and a catch is what music is based on so I don't get how someone can not like something because it catches their ear. Of course as others said here that there is a big difference between radio pop catchy, and just good hook and groove laden catchy.

Catchy is what makes a couple kids in there garage turn into The Beatles ( well to a certain extent) well written music and insightful lyrics and all that jazz is usually the second thing people notice about a song the first is wither or not its memorable.

or at least thats wut I've observed

Catchy can sometimes be too much. Take Lullacry's Vol. 4 for example. Man, that is a killer album! Wicked catchy. But too much of it is like too much sugar sometimes. It's like, "Okay, f*ck this! I need some death metal. My stomach hurts." Haha.

But my opinion is that the hook makes the song. You can't have a good song without a hook, whether that is with the vocals or guitars. Some songs even have catchy drum beats, like Nightwish's "Wish I Had An Angel." That's also got a great chorus, but that pounding drum beat is enough of a hook by itself. You could dig on an instrumental version of that song easily.

So yeah, catchy is not bad at all, and anyone suggesting that simply doesn't get it. But sometimes an album or a song can be too catchy if listened to too much. And then there are the jingles. FreeCreditReport.com, anyone? Gack!

I have no problem with 'catchy', just when something is so ridiculously infectious that you can't get it out of your head for days at a time is what I hate.

I'm generally in favor of catchiness. The example I often use is when so many of the classic 70's prog bands "sold out" and started writing poppy songs after the success of Alan Parsons, Asia, etc, I thought it made for some great music. For instance I like 80's Camel better than 70's Camel, and I feel the same way about a lot of other bands from that era.