Pop Stars Who Regret Their Own Hit Songs Revealed, Including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande & More

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Apr 29, 2026

Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl”

Katy Perry had big success with “I Kissed a Girl,” but looking back, she might have worded things a little differently with what she knows now.

“That was in 2008 when it came out. I think we’ve really changed, conversationally, in the past 10 years. We’ve come a long way. Bisexuality wasn’t as talked about back then, or any type of fluidity,” she said while reacting to a cover for Glamour.

“If I had to write that song again, I probably would make an edit on it. Lyrically, it has a couple of stereotypes in it. Your mind changes so much in 10 years, and you grow so much. What’s true for you can evolve.”

Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

The late Kurt Cobain eventually grew to resent the band’s big hit, and often refused to play it at live shows.

“Everyone has focused on that song so much. The reason it gets a big reaction is people have seen it on MTV a million times. It’s been pounded into their brains. But I think there are so many other songs that I’ve written that are as good, if not better, than that song, like ‘Drain You.’ That’s definitely as good as ‘Teen Spirit’. I love the lyrics, and I never get tired of playing it. Maybe if it was as big as ‘Teen Spirit’, I wouldn’t like it as much,” he told Rolling Stone.

Radiohead, “Creep”

The massive song also started to annoy the band, resulting in their refusal to play it live at shows.

“We seemed to be living out the same four and a half minutes of our lives over and over again. It was incredibly stultifying,” Johnny Greenwood said, recalling that audience members would leave after it was played. Thom Yorke also yelled “F–k off, we’re tired of it” at an audience at one point.

Lady Gaga, “Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly)”

While Lady Gaga kept a version of the song as a duet with Christina Aguilera, the original version that appeared on ARTPOP with R. Kelly was removed amid allegations against the entertainer.

”I made both the song and video at a dark time in my life, my intention was to create something extremely defiant and provocative because I was angry and still hadn’t processed the trauma that had occurred in my own life,” she revealed in a letter before removing the song from streaming platforms.

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