3 Hit Songs That Sound Nothing Like the Rest of the Band’s Catalog

Bands are often defined by their biggest hits. And occasionally those hits sound nothing like the rest of the catalog. The ballad breaks through commercially when tracks with crushing riffs do not. Or, as is the case with one entry below, classic rock legends tinker with another genre and spend the rest of their career performing a tune one band member would rather not.

“More Than Words” by Extreme

When Extreme arrived in the late 1980s, early fans were there for one reason and one reason only: to hear Nuno Bettencourt shred. The Boston group’s type of funk metal borrowed heavily from Van Halen, and Bettencourt became a fixture in the pages of guitar magazines. Then came “More Than Words”. The No. 1 smash hit vastly broadened the band’s audience, and soon, concert halls filled with listeners who didn’t know the first thing about sweep picking or two-hand tapping. Instead, crowds endured songs like “Get The Funk Out” and “Kid Ego”, giving confused looks as they waited for singer Gary Cherone and Nuno to play the acoustic ditty.

“I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by Kiss

As I type this, “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” has more than 1.7 billion streams on Spotify. It has outperformed “Rock And Roll All Nite”, “Detroit Rock City”, “Love Gun”, and “Strutter”, to name a few. Perhaps Kiss diehards stay confused by it. And even Gene Simmons isn’t a fan. But disco Kiss remains the band’s best-known iteration thanks to this tune. Paul Stanley co-wrote the song with Desmond Child and Vini Poncia. Instead of Peter Criss, you hear session ace (no pun intended) Anton Fig on drums. It appears on Kiss’s 1979 LP, Dynasty.

“Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” by Green Day

Long before “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” became the theme song of high school graduations, it quietly appeared near the end of Green Day’s 1997 album, Nimrod. Situated among the band’s other LPs Kerplunk, Dookie, and American Idiot, Nimrod features more of the sneering punk and pop anthems of band leader Billie Joe Armstrong. But Green Day was already massive by the time “Good Riddance” became a hit. So most concertgoers were well prepared for high-energy bangers like “Brain Stew” and “Basket Case”.

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