Do you ever wonder?

I could list dozens but I'll stick with just one.I never could figure out why Elvis Costello is so well regarded in the music world.He has a few catchy tunes but I see nothing special about him,certainly not the musical genius that lots of people claim him to be.Of course this is just my opinion.

Yes Audiofeil, I do have a list for you. However I do not listen to (or really even think about) pop music, so it is jazz and classical.

I cannot understand how Winton Marsalis or his brother ever could be considered great jazz figures. They are both second rate revisionist imitators, makers of 'parodies' and farces. In the classical world, I cannot understand the adulation given to the Kronos Quartet. They playing sucks the life out of anything that is not 'obvious', and they 'mainstream' anything they touch.
And of course, I cannot understand why people do not see through Keith Jarrett. New age fluff, nothing more.

I used to wonder about Philip Glass but haven't thought about him for awhile?

I used to wonder about these names but mostly can appreciate them now after looking more closely.

Sometimes I think people often don't get something that others do because we form early first impressions based on pre-cnception or whatever and never take the time to look more closely.

Chuck Berry
Little Richard
Carl PErkins
Foreigner
Chuck Mangione
Dick Dale + surf music in general
Herb Albert
The Beach Boys
Jim Capaldi
Fusion Jazz
Van Der Graaf Generator
The Church
The Clash
Alan Parsons Project

I still often do not get a lot of Steely Dan material that others think is just the bomb. The last concert I went to that I can say I was honestly bored at was Walter Becker.

This issue is only interesting if you separate your subjective tastes from plain-old odd popularity. It's about stepping outside yourself and trying to observe music objectively.

I don't like Celine Dion's music but I understand her popularity. Same for Phil Collins. Etc.

PS - Did someone actually list Queen on their list of "why?" I have a suggestion for you, Cam3366 - try actually turning on the power button on your amp and listening to Sheer Heart Attack (the album, to be clear). You may not love it but to be puzzled about the high regard in which this band is held is simply obtuse.

Mapman - We are one about the Clash. There's an Alan Parsons song about the death of a friend (one of the few pop songs I know of about mortality) that I think you would like if you heard. Not a particular fan of that band but any one who wrote that song can't be all bad.