How We Heard It
How We Heard It
howweheardit
Even music legends can hit sour notes
1 hour 23 minutes Posted Aug 1, 2026 at 4:02 am.
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We all have our off days, including the most beloved and successful among us. Of course, we tend to let our heroes off the hook by looking the other way and pretending their missteps never happened.
 
Take your favorite singers and bands, for instance. Maybe they did an album that you quietly avoid or they released a hit song you can't bring yourself to play anymore. We just pretend those inferior works don't exist and go on loving the performers who make us happy.
 
But this week, the hosts of the podcast "How We Heard It" boldly criticize the best of the best artists in music, because nobody's perfect and it isn't honest to pretend they are.
 
So during this episode they reveal some of the worst releases (albums and singles) from some of the best artists.
 
No one is spared. They look at the worst work from rock's earliest legends like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Who and Bob Dylan and move on to everyone from Elton John and Michael Jackson to R.E.M. and Prince. And if that's too much testosterone for you, they pick at the worst from iconic women singers like Whitney Houston, Madonna and Mariah Carey, and they even isolate the least-impressive releases from the biggest figures in modern popular music such as Taylor Swift, Drake, Lady Gaga and Beyonce.
 
It's important to note that no one is saying these aren't amazing artists who've created music that millions will forever cherish. The show's hosts are just saying that once in a while even our favorite performers churn out something that's not worth more than a shrug and a "meh."
 
Think about your favorite singer or band. There's got to be something they did that you aren't crazy about.
 
Right?