16 Pop Songs With Hidden Insults

You might not think of Justin Bieber as a maestro of shade, but he has repeatedly proven it with "Love Yourself." Whoever the song's intended audience was, they probably felt as terrible as all those guys Carly Simon slammed for being completely vain.

Lovely song lyrics are fine, and besides, songs regarding blind hatred have become simply more enticing. That's even nicer whenever the song isn't just a duvet "I detest this or that," but is evidently based on one person and just how much the pop star despises them. Most of the time, it's fairly obvious what the songs are about. The performer has a strong preference for, dislike, or desire for something. The thing is, songwriters can use their music to deliver a subtle or not-so-subtle smackdown.

Isaac suggested this contest because when he was 13, he thought Green Day's "American Idiot" was the pinnacle of edginess.

Here are a few of history's most venomous musical middle fingers and thumbs.