While The Beatles remain one of Corey Taylor’s favourite bands, not everything they made was to his taste. In an unflinching analysis, Taylor even described one of their most beloved creations as “one of the biggest pieces of shit I’ve ever heard in my life”.
Although The Beatles and Slipknot are from opposite ends of the musical spectrum, often with colliding messages in their music, Taylor does hold the Fab Four in the highest regard. Of course, this should be unsurprising, given the pioneering nature of The Beatles and how they helped integrate heavy rock into the public consciousness.
Reflecting on the work of his earlier career – and offering some scope of their influence – John Lennon once discussed the song ‘Ticket To Ride’ during an interview with Playboy’s David Sheff in 1980.
He said: “That was one of the earliest heavy-metal records made. Paul’s contribution was the way Ringo played the drums”. Additionally, ‘Helter Skelter’ is another example of The Beatles expressing their heavier side.
However, the Beatles were also incredibly flowery in other moments, such as on ‘All You Need Is Love’. The 1967 track was written amid the ‘Summer of Love’, and the band provided an anthem for the blissful times they were living in. Taylor, however, who first heard the song much later, couldn’t abide by the message that omits from the material.
Taylor, who directly responded to The Beatles classic with ‘All I Need Is Hate’ as part of his solo album CMF2, explained the origins of his track on the Zach Sang Show: “The song is satirical.
It’s actually a reaction to one of my least favourite songs on the planet, which was written by one of the greatest bands of all time. I don’t know how big of a Beatles fan you are, first of all, they are one of the best bands that ever lived, and what they accomplished in that short amount of time will never be replicated.”
Taylor added: “However, ‘All You Need Is Love’ is one of the biggest pieces of shit that I’ve ever heard in my life, and every time I hear it, I feel like I’m getting shot at. Put it that way, it’s that bad. That song ‘All I Want Is Hate’ is actually a retort to that, so if you listen to my song, it’s a pseudo-reflection of that song”.
When probed on why he dislikes The Beatles’ song so much, Taylor described ‘All You Need Is Love’ as “hippy garbage” before saying “food” and “oxygen” were more vital to have than love.
The Slipknot man concluded by saying: “‘All you need is love? Get the fuck out of my face. All I need is gas in my car; let’s write a song about that.”
Although the classic track didn’t have the desired effect on Taylor, it still made the Slipknot singer feel a strong emotion, albeit one of disdain. Without the context of the ‘Summer of Love’, and especially during these incredibly testing times, it’s easy to comprehend why ‘All You Need Is Love’ doesn’t sit right with Taylor and why he felt compelled to react with his own song.
