The Nickelback 'Rockstar' mystery

Never underestimate the power of a decent music video or the British punter's ability to baffle. At the end of 2007, Nickelback seemed like a distant and rather uncomfortable memory. The grunge-lite stomp of 'How You Remind Me', which wooed the nation back in 2001, was far enough in the past to be dismissed as an unfortunate and ill-judged fling - Chad Kroeger, the band's beardy, gruff-voiced singer had long since scuttled back to his native Canada.

Alas, the story does not end there. As we saunter through the early months of '08, we find the hairy guitar-sluggers back at the top of the pop tree with their 'Rockstar' single, which has slowly wiggled - like a rather sinister snake - up to number three in the charts. The track's success is made even more baffling by its age: it's taken from the band's 2005 album All The Right Reasons, an LP that pretty much sank without trace upon its original release.

So how do we explain this lapse in taste from the British record-buying public? Not since the days of Robson and Jerome, Zig and Zag and Wet Wet Wet have we experienced this kind of chart shocker. Well, there are two possible explanations: either a) we've warmed to Chad Kroeger's humorous and original look at the rocker lifestyle, or b) we're all just suckers for mildly amusing music videos with celebrities in.

To help you make your mind up, here's the vid:



What do you think of the Nickelback single? Is Chad Kroeger a rock 'n' roll genius or a walking atrocity? Give us your views in the usual place.