Artist:Nickelback
Song:How You Remind Me
Album:The Best of Nickelback Volume 1
Supposedly, Nickelback is the most hated band in the world. There is even a documentary about this which can be streamed on Netflix. For a band that everyone hates, they sure have sold a lot of records. I don't think they are that hated but it's become a running joke. And Nickelback is laughing all the way to the bank. The 2002 single How You Remind Me is from their major label debut album. It's still their biggest hit and signature song. Nickelback is from Hanna, AB led by lead singer, songwriter and lead guitarist Chad Kroeger, his brother Michael Kroeger on bass, their cousin Brandon Kroeger on drums and Ryan Peake on guitar. At first they called themselves Village Idiot. But they changed it to Nickelback after what Mike said to his Starbucks customers when he gave them change. "Here's your nickel back.". They started out as a cover band. But then Chad asked his stepfather for a $4,000 loan so he could record a demo that became the 1996 EP Hesher. They self released the 1996 album Curb. Brandon Kroeger was replaced by Mitch Guindon. But he couldn't tour so Ryan Vikedal replaced him. Roadrunner Records A&R man Ron Burman was tipped off about Nickelback and he went to Vancouver to see them. He wanted to sign them immediately but his bosses at Roadrunner got cold feet. But he did sign them. Roadrunner re-released the 1998 album State and it was certified Platinum. The 2001 album Silver Side Up was their Roadrunner debut album. How You Remind Me was the first single and it topped the Billboard Hot 100. The album sold over ten million copies. Nickelback wrote and produced with a co-producer. For this album that was Alice in Chains producer Rick Parashar. For their other Roadrunner albums they worked with Joey Moi. Though How You Remind Me turned out to be Nickelback's biggest hit single, their albums sold millions for the next few years. So they became an album and touring band. Vikedal was fired in 2005 after a royalty dispute and was replaced by Daniel Adair of 3 Doors Down. Nickelback continued to have success. This comp is a good intro to their music. BTW, there is no volume two. Then the music press started reporting that Nickelback was the most hated band and worst band. The only other band to get this kind of press coverage was Creed. A 2013 Rolling Stone readers poll named Creed the worst band and Nickelback the second worst band of the 90s. This has gotten to be such a thing that the documentary Hate to Love: Nickelback was released in 2023. It can be streamed on Netflix. Kroeger doesn't seem to take this personally. He says he now has a thick skin. I don't like Nickelback or Creed and I especially dislike the lead singers. It's not my kind of music anyway. But they aren't the worst bands and it's not even close. It shouldn't be taken seriously. Supposedly this Nickelback thing started when they signed with the heavy metal label Roadrunner and fans of the label hated Nickelback. Nickelback is still around. They left Roadrunner in 2011. And after one album for Republic, they have released two albums for BMG, the latest in 2022. They will tour in 2025 so they may be working on a new album. Nickelback is not as popular as they used to be. But I think they had a much better run than they could have possibly hoped. They sold millions of albums for a long time. Here's the video for How You Remind Me by Nickelback.
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