Nickelback have long sparked many heated conversations amongst music lovers. For years, clout-chasers have shunned the anthemic wonder of ‘Photograph’ in favour of praising Thom Yorke’s most uninspired work or failed to recognise the sheer rocket power behind the Canadian band’s kingdom-conquering live show.
Although some members of the general public may not seem to be on the Nickelback train, the band have constantly left a positive imprint on pop culture. From feature film name drops to the wild world of WWE, Nickelback have been pretty much inescapable not only on radio, but all mediums.
To celebrate the band’s return to Australian shores this week, off the back of their 2017 release Feed The Machine, we’ve taken a look back on the five best times Nickelback have crossed over with pop culture.
Deadpool 2
Deadpool was a total cinematic phenomenon upon release, with movie-goers flocking to witness the potty-mouth anti-hero conquer all. In Deadpool, Deadpool comes to the band’s defense, clapping back at Fred Savage’s criticism with an arsenal of facts.
“Yeah, but you’re Marvel licensed by Fox. It’s kinda like if the Beatles were produced by Nickelback. It’s music, but it sucks…They’re overproduced, formulaic ear garbage,” says Savage.
Deadpool notes the fact that Nickelback is the “11th-best-selling musical act of all-time,” has six Grammy nominations, and is “Billboard‘s most successful rock group of the last decade.” It ends with Savage and Reynolds jamming out to “How You Remind Me.”
Spider-Man
Toby Maguire’s Spider-Man is a zeitgeist marker for the early-00s like no other. From capturing actors like Kirsten Dunst and James Franco in their prime to their focus on print journalism, the films mark an era in time that gets the nostalgia treatment like no other.
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In 2002, Nickelback were tapped with the honour of recording the film’s theme song, ‘Hero’ – a rousing hard rock ballad that showcases the band’s proclivity for the sentimental and feelsy.
The film’s soundtrack also features the likes of Alien Ant Farm, Theory Of A Deadman and Stone Sour – we’ll leave it up to as to whether you’d like to activate Spotify private mode for this one.
WWE Raw
The WWE Raw intro track honour is one previously bestowed on only a handful of artists including Marilyn Manson, Motorhead and Papa Roch. Nickelback revieved the honour between 2009 and 2012 with their massive 2009 hard rock banger ‘Burn It To The Ground’.
Fans have said that the track truly captured the essence of RAW at the time – in order to get fans geared up for a night of wrestling, your track has got to be certified badass and ‘Burn It To The Ground’ is about as mosh-inducing as they come.
The Punisher
Action films and hard rock go hand in hand. Nickelback were enlisted to sountrack 2004’s The Punisher, a blood-pumpin action thriller starring John Travolta.
Much like Spider-Man‘s soundtrack, The Punisher signifies the era’s obsession with pos-grunge, with Nickelback starring alongside genre faves likePuddle Of Mudd, Trapt and Chevelle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1w369zGeuc
Guitar Hero
Over the course of their career, Nickelback have made three contributions to Guitar Hero, the ultimate 00s video game that combined our fading obsession with rock music and the world’s growing infatuation with technology.
Don’t tell us your fingers didn’t bleed whilst trying to master ‘How You Remind Me’ on expert level in Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock.
Nickelback 2019 ‘Feed The Machine’ Australian Tour
Supported by Bad Wolves
Wednesday, 13th February
Entertainment Centre, Brisbane (All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
Friday, 15th February
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
Saturday, 16th February
Rod Laver Area, Melbourne (All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
