In the Internet era, there are more ways than ever for the mean, stupid things we all do to get out into the public eye, which means that we're constantly flooded with apologies from actors, politicians, musicians, and basically anyone who's famous. There were a ton of big apologies in 2014 from musicians, so here are the 10 most memorable.
1. Bono
Though a free album from one of the world's biggest bands sounds like a pretty neat idea, not everyone was thrilled that U2's latest album Songs of Innocence just popped up in their iTunes library one day. In a Facebook Q&A, Bono apologized for the album's unconventional release, saying it was a "beautiful idea" that "got carried away."
2. Weezer
Weezer may have recorded two of the greatest rock albums of the '90s, but they've spent the last 10 years squandering their good name with comically bad albums such as Weezer (The Red Album) and Raditude. This year, however, Weezer finally owned up to their mistakes with their single "Back to the Shack," which opens with the lines, "Sorry guys, I didn't realize that I needed you so much/I thought I'd get a new audience, I forgot that disco sucks."
3. Henry Rollins
Though the tragic death of Robin Williams this past summer prompted an outpouring of grief across the entertainment industry, former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins took a much different stance, writing a column titled "F**k Suicide," which criticized people who had committed suicide. After predictably receiving a ton of backlash for the column, however, the (almost) always-reasonable Rollins gave a sincere apology, and even wrote a second column retracting his first.
4. Mark Kozelek
The year's greatest music feud started at the Ottawa Folk Festival in September, when Sun Kil Moon's set was drowned out by Philly rockers The War on Drugs from a nearby stage, which prompted Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek to jokingly re-title his next song "The War on Drugs Can Suck My F**king D**k." Later in the month, however, Kozelek wrote a message of apology to the War on Drugs, assuring them that his insults weren't personal, and that he "still would have made jokes" no matter what band was drowning him out. Despite the apology, the feud hasn't quite been settled.
5. The Flaming Lips
Earlier this year, The Flaming Lips were involved in a messy and complicated war of words with former drummer Kliph Scurlock, who claims that he was fired for calling singer Wayne Coyne a racist after Coyne defended his friend Christina Fallin for photographing herself wearing a Native American headdress. Coyne later apologized for his defense of Fallin's photo, but called Scurlock a "hateful...pathological liar" who was fired for musical differences. Scurlock responded with another apology, saying that Coyne is "NOT a racist" and that he himself "wasn't a perfect soldier in the band."
6. Pharrell
If we've learned anything from the Flaming Lips debacle, it's that non-Native Americans should not wear Native American headdresses. However, Pharrell apparently wasn't paying enough attention to that story, and appeared on the cover of Elle UK wearing a headdress. The "Happy" singer later apologized, saying that he respects and honors "every kind of race, background, and culture."
7. Jack White
This was a huge year for Jack White, but it didn't come without at least a few apologies. Following a Rolling Stone interview in which he criticized the Black Keys, Lana Del Rey, Adele, Duffy, and even his former bandmate Meg White, White issued a public apology towards all of them, wishing them all great success, and assuring that he loves Meg White "dearly."
8. Warpaint
If there are two women in the music business that you should absolutely refrain from criticizing, it's Beyoncé and Rihanna. During an interview with Q, Warpaint guitarist Theresa Wayman allegedly called Beyoncé "a slut" and said Rihanna's music should be "more subtle and artful," though she later apologized for these comments, saying that she's "a fan" of Bey and Ri. However, Wayman also laid blame on the journalist who wrote the interview, claiming that there were "many long conversations behind that statement...sound bites and quotes are chosen not by their merit but by the level of sensationalism."
9. Nicki Minaj
Most people aren't big on Nazis, and if Nicki Minaj didn't understand this before she released the lyric video for her song "Only," she definitely understands now. After coming under fire for the very Nazi-esque imagery used in the video, Minaj tweeted out an apology, saying that she takes "full responsibility if it has offended anyone."
10. Snoop Dogg
Like pretty much every rapper in 2014, Snoop Dogg had some harsh words for Iggy Azalea, though his criticisms had more to do with her appearance than her talent. However, Snoop eventually apologized after speaking with Iggy's labelhead and mentor T.I., saying in an Instagram video that "It's officially over. No more bad talk. I apologize...I won't do it again," though he never actually specifies what he's apologizing for.
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