Music Fans Are Sharing The Albums That Had Incredible Marketing But Turned Out To Be A Waste Of Time To Listen To
Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community which overhyped albums they were super excited for, only to end up being super disappointed once they released.
Here are 11 of their top responses:
Note: These are not my (the writer's) opinions!
1."The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift. I respect her work ethic — that I will always acknowledge. But I feel like she's found an algorithm that works for her, and she’s just repeating the same song over and over again at this point."
"I also feel like dropping a new album every year PLUS the re-releases and all the 'deluxe albums' are over-saturating her in the market."
"I’ve always enjoyed Taylor’s radio hits but had never bothered listening to her albums before. I thought I’d give this one a listen when it came out, since it was so hyped. I still haven’t finished it.
It was so boring! It was just the same song over and over and over again, and that song wasn’t even good! Her radio hits tend to have interesting melodies and clever lyrics you can relate to, but I can’t really say that about anything I heard on that album. And I really wanted to like it!"
2."For me, it was Lover by Taylor Swift. She had such fun and colorful marketing, and I was so pumped for the release. Then, when she released "Me!" it was a letdown, but I was still optimistic because I don't usually enjoy her collaborations much anyway. When the album dropped, I just remember being so disappointed in it."
"It was a huge album, but I ended up only liking two songs off the whole thing. Even years later, the album as a whole is a skip for me, except for 'Cruel Summer.'"
3."Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine. Honestly, I was holding out so so much hope, and it just sucks. All of it."
"After a few years since her last release, I was expecting so much more. I love Dangerous Woman, Sweetener, Thank U, Next, and Positions…what the hell happened?!"
"Ariana Grande was my most played artist in 2019. I've followed her since Victorious days... but Positions was such a deception...and then came Eternal Sunshine. And even though I love 'Yes, And?,' the rest of the album really sounds like discarded demos from the Dangerous Woman and Positions eras."
4."Adele's 30 album. 21 and 25 were so life-defining for me, so when she released 'Easy On Me' as a single, I could not WAIT for the album. I went out and bought the CD the day it was released. Three tracks in, I thought someone was playing a practical joke on me."
"I forced myself to listen to it all the way through three times, and it never grew on me. 21 and 25 felt so raw and authentic, and 30 just felt like she was TRYING to be edgy. I donated the CD to the library."
"I'm a huge fan of hers, and her other albums were so incredible. I just felt like the entire album should have just been journal entries of hers after her divorce, not an album.
It was nowhere near the same caliber as 21 and 25. It didn't turn me off to her as a fan; I just felt it was overhyped and not nearly as good as her others."
5."The Record by boygenius. Apparently, they make music for sad queer women, but this sad queer woman was not impressed. 🤣"
6."BLACKPINK's The Album was so underwhelming on multiple levels. It's just proof, at this point, their fanbase will buy anything."
"The cover art looks incredibly cheap, the tracklist is only eight songs (The Album? More like The EP), and the music is generic as all hell."
7."Way back in the day, in 1986, as a young tween, Bruce Springsteen's Live: 1975-1985 was touted as the 'must-have Springsteen album.' It was priced outrageously for the times ($75 for the three-set CD if I remember correctly). My parents gifted it to me for Christmas — it was fine, but IMO, a bit overpriced and overrated."
"I don't think I have listened to it in 30 years. I listen to Bruce's other classics regularly. I have seen him in concert many times, but today, that set would cost you more than $200 in current money. Not worth it. Sorry, Bruce."
8."I'm a HUGE fan of The National, and I know a lot of people put I Am Easy To Find as their top album, but I just don't get the hype."
"It's a great album, but I still don't think it touches Boxer or High Violet."
"High Violet and their earlier albums are incredible classics. Focused rocking songs. Their later albums are practically unlistenable. I got super frustrated. It was meandering, sad sack whininess that made me lose all interest."
9."Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. Love the song. Listened for the rest of the album, and I was let down yet again."
"Look, I grew up in the pop princess/boy band golden era, where the best song on the album was rarely released as a single, and apparently, not everyone does that. 😅 So now I'm wary of getting albums in their entirety. I'll listen to the entire thing at least twice, just to make sure."
10."Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by My Chemical Romance. I REALLY wanted to love that album, and the whole Killjoys storyline was quite cool, but the album itself was such a disappointment at the time. I think part of the problem was that we just expected so much after Black Parade, and we got a 'just okay' album."
"To be fair, I’ve revisited it more recently, and it is better than I remember, but short of 'SING' and 'DESTROYA,' it’s not a super iconic one."
11.And finally: "I'm a huge Maggot [Slipknot fan], but I could barely listen to all of .5: The Gray Chapter by Slipknot. It felt like the songs built up suspense as you waited for a scream, blasting guitar, or another element of metal, but it just kept you waiting."
"Sorry, but not their best work."
Which album did you think had great marketing, only to be let down once you listened to it? What made you dislike it so much? Share your answers in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
