Musicians, more than most, can be a temperamental bunch. Rivalry, jealousy, entitlement, and insecurity often lead famous musicians to stir up drama. As long as there have been popular musicians, they’ve been quick to shade each other and their work.
Many famous musical rivalries—like Salieri and Mozart, or Tupac and Biggie—are straightforward. Others, however, are baffling. These rivalries make you question the sanity of those involved, or at least why they’re allowed on social media. Here are ten of the weirdest feuds in music history.
Queen and Vanilla Ice
The spat between Queen and Vanilla Ice is weird because the resolution was so obvious from the start. In 1981, Queen and David Bowie recorded “Under Pressure,” which became a number one hit. Its most memorable part is the “Ding-Ding-Ding Diddle Ing-Ding” bass line written by bassist John Deacon. So, it was odd when Vanilla Ice blatantly stole the riff…and then lied about it.
Ice sampled the bass line for “Ice Ice Baby” and claimed he had modified it to avoid paying royalties. He ended up paying anyway after a lawsuit by Bowie and Queen. They also won songwriting credits on “Ice Ice Baby,” a bittersweet victory.
The Dixie Chicks and Thirty Percent of America
In 2003, The Dixie Chicks inadvertently feuded with much of country music and its fans. During a London show, singer Natalie Maines told the crowd, “We’re on the good side. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” The country music establishment was not thrilled.
Thousands of radio stations blacklisted the Chicks’ music, and some DJs were suspended for playing their songs. CDs were burned and destroyed. Country singer Toby Keith displayed a picture of Maines hugging Saddam Hussein at his concerts. The backlash hasn’t aged well.
Elton John and Madonna
The feud between Elton John and Madonna started over nothing and lasted for decades. In 2002, John randomly commented that Madonna’s theme song for “Die Another Day” was “the worst ‘Bond’ tune ever.”
Since then, John has hurled serious barbs, like, “Madonna, best live act? F**k off,” and, “Her tour is a disaster, and it couldn’t happen to a bigger c**t.” Madonna has kept her public comments tactful. But her history suggests she keeps the feud alive in her own ways.
Miley Cyrus and Sinead O’Connor
Miley Cyrus and Sinead O’Connor feuded for years. It began when Miley cited O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” as inspiration for “Wrecking Ball.” O’Connor responded with a long open letter to Cyrus, offering support and advice that came across as condescending. Miley took offense and tweeted about O’Connor’s mental health. Then came another letter, then more tweets. Each round was criticism disguised as counsel, or vice versa.
Tchaikovsky and Half of Russia
Music, like art, is progressive. It’s a cycle of out with the old and in with the new. Musicians love forcing out the old with public shade. That’s what happened to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, as a group of younger composers known as The Five criticized him for being…older.
The Five wanted to produce a new, Russian style of music, abandoning the Western European style taught at conservatories. They repeatedly attacked Tchaikovsky in print, calling him “utterly feeble” and saying that if he had any talent, it would have broken free of the chains of the Conservatory.
Dave Grohl and Courtney Love
The battle between Kurt Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, and his Nirvana bandmates is well-known. Dave Grohl and Love were never fans of each other and slammed each other in interviews. Love took Grohl and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic to court over rights to unreleased Nirvana songs and royalties. The two then countersued. Love tried to sue Nirvana to keep Nirvana songs away from Nirvana.
Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose
Kurt Cobain wasn’t innocent of petty hostility. In the early ’90s, Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses were at the top of the rock world. Rose invited Nirvana on tour, but Cobain refused, calling Rose a “sellout.” Things escalated with nasty attacks in print, such as Rose’s comments that Cobain was “just a f**kin’ junkie with a junkie wife” and implying their drug use would cause birth defects. They verbally fought backstage at the 1992 VMAs. The feud ended with Cobain’s death, but it was one feud not actively started by Axl Rose.
Justin Bieber and Patrick Carney
Justin Bieber and the Black Keys seem disparate. But they feuded on Twitter when Keys drummer Patrick Carney tweeted about Bieber’s Grammy win: “Grammys are for music, not for the money, and he’s making a lot of money. He should be happy.” Bieber tweeted that Carney should be “slapped around.”
Bieber had 100 million Twitter followers, many of whom attacked Carney with immaturity and abuse. Carney later said, “He should be grateful that he has a f**king career in music. And he shouldn’t be f**king telling his followers to slap me, and then also be doing anti-bullying bulls**t. It’s so irresponsible.”
John Fogerty and…Himself?
In one of the most bizarre copyright cases, John Fogerty’s former record label sued him for copying himself.
After Fogerty left Fantasy Inc., they retained rights to his early catalog. When he recorded new material with a new label, Fantasy Inc. sued him for copyright infringement. A judge had to determine whether John Fogerty sounded too much like John Fogerty. Fogerty won by playing his guitar in court and proving that his songs were different.
When Mayhem Earned Their Name
Mayhem put the death in death metal. They were pioneers in the Norwegian black metal scene. They lived the metal life, becoming infamous for violent attacks, church burnings, and murder.
It started when the singer “Dead” committed suicide. Fellow member Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth used the suicide as PR, claiming it happened because metal was becoming too commercialized. Euronymous fashioned necklaces out of bits of Dead’s skull.
Fellow band member Varg Vikernes disliked the politicization of Dead’s death and feared Euronymous would kill him next. Vikernes stabbed Euronymous to death. There’s never been a musical feud like that between the members of Mayhem.
These feuds remind us that the music world is as dramatic as it is creative. From royalty disputes to personal vendettas, the stories behind the songs are sometimes wilder than the music itself.
What do you think about these bizarre musical feuds? Leave your comment below!
