Nickelback: the most hated band in the world. They’re a multi platinum band having sold over 50 million albums, and yet the wrath that people have towards Nickelback is unmeasurable.

There are many reasons to dislike Nickelback. Too many to count, actually. I should know- I once made an entire presentation about why people hate Nickelback. Regardless of how you may feel about them, I think everybody should give them a chance.

Like most things in life, music tastes and preferences are subjective. There is no foolproof way to determine what types of music is objectively the best. There are great bands and music that everybody loves (like the Beatles or Queen) and there are also great musicians that don’t get half as much exposure as they deserve (the 80’s new wave band The Outfield). What I may define as great music may be the opposite of your definition. For the purpose of making my point however, we’re going to assume that the majority can’t stand Nickelback.

I believe discovering what we don’t like is key to finding what we do like. Knowing what doesn’t work helps us appreciate what does work. Nickelback, for example, is something that pretty much everybody hates. But when a really great song comes after a bad Nickelback song on one of my playlists, I appreciate it even more than I already do.

It’s for this reason that I think listening to music we don’t like or doing things we don’t like is important to being a well rounded person. Well for one, you’ve experienced it instead of making up your mind without giving it a try. But you’ve also deepened your perception of beauty. Nickelback is so cringey at times that of all things it can help you understand what beauty means to you.

My definition of beauty in music is probably different to yours. Especially when it comes to music because I listen to classic rock from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, but I’ll name a few. I still get chills when I listen to some of Edward Van Halen’s guitar solos on Van Halen albums. I’ve cried listening to Steve Perry sing power ballads in Journey songs. I can’t forget mentioning the otherworldly experience it is listening to Eddie Vedder sing on any Pearl Jam album. I’d be a fool not to shout John Bonahams drumming on Led Zeppelin albums, or the incredible songs Neil Peart wrote for Rush, or the pure emotion that Pink Floyd packs into every song. I could go on, but I’ll spare you the time.

As you can probably tell, music touches me in a deep and profound way. I’ve learned to appreciate all the aforementioned things even more – all because of Nickelback. Finding out what I don’t like has helped me love the things I do even more. It’s a weird thing isn’t it, that the things we don’t like help us define what we do. So for that I say, give Nickelback a chance. You don’t have to like it, and chances are you will probably still hate them. But at least you have a newfound respect for the things you love.