What are the worst songs of all time?

[ringmastery]

'We Built This City' ranks as the worst record ever

Mon Apr 19, 6:42 AM ET
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY

We Built This City is the single worst single ever constructed, according to Blender's ranking of reeking tunes.

The magazine's list of "The 50 Worst Songs Ever," which hits newsstands Tuesday in New York and Los Angeles and April 27 nationwide, distills the lamest popular rock-era records into one sonic landfill.

Starship's 1985 anthem, the runaway No. 1 stinker, "seems to inspire the most virulent feelings of outrage," editor Craig Marks says. "It purports to be anti-commercial but reeks of '80s corporate-rock commercialism. It's a real reflection of what practically killed rock music in the '80s."

Also sealing the song's fate were Starship's steep fall from grace as the admired Jefferson Airplane and "the sheer dumbness of the lyrics," Marks says.

[Laughing Mirror]

1. People who need people are the luckiest people in the world

by Barbara Streisand

and Feelings, by all-time favorite Imelda Marcos

[Cush]

2. Here's the TOP 10

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-04-18-worst-songs_x.htm

1. We Built This City (Starship 1985)
2. Achy Breaky Heart (Billy Ray Cyrus 1992)
3. Everybody Have Fun Tonight (Wang Chung 1986)
4. Rollin' (Limpbizkit 2000)
5. Ice Ice (Baby Vanilla Ice 1990)
6. The Heart of Rock & Roll(Huey Lewis & The News 1984)
7. Don't Worry, Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin 1988)
8. Party All the Time (Eddie Murphy 1985)
9. American Life (Madonna 2003)
10. Ebony and Ivory (Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder)

[The Zanti Regent]

31. How could they forget William Shatner?????????

Please, "Mr Tamborine Man" IS the worst performance of all time, except for Billy's crooning of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

Shatner makes Sonny Bono's "Pammy's on a Bummer" sound like a Metropolitan Opera performance.

BTW, You can hear the Immortal Sonny croon his MESSterpiece at:

http://www.aprilwinchell.com/multimedia/media/mp3/Bummer%2Emp3

[muriel_volestrangler]

47. Those are great songs, but massacred

in a way, that, through its sheer awfulness, is outstanding. I think it's the songs themselves (eg cheesy lyrics) they're ranking.

[hangar18]

51. She's like the wind

by Patrick Swayze - Hands down the worst song ever to grace the airways

[Lori Price CLG]

3. 'This Kiss,' not sure of title/ artist, but by one of the 'say nothings'

...that the Reichwing promotes, so that any political lyrics cannot circulate.
-Lori

[jdsmith]

54. Faith Hill

But it strikes me as a pretty elegant little piece of moron-pop.

[LDS Jock]

4. Macarena

I so hate that song and that stupid dance.

[wtmusic]

5. Ah...who left out "Silly Love Song"?

A glaring omission.

[LagaLover]

28. It's Silly Love SONGS

And once you know the story behind it, it's not so bad!

[trogdor]

43. It was satire, dammit!

This was Beatle Paul making the not-unfounded comment that he could write these meaningless little ditties by the hundreds (back in the 70's) without much effort and most of them would wind up in the Top 40.

[wtmusic]

45. Yea surrre

I guess it just went WAY over my head... :eyes:

[LynneSin]

38. I think his "Someone's Knocking on the Door" is WORSE

but Silly Love Songs rates rate up there

[Mrs. Overall]

6. Muskrat Love

by the Captain and Tenille (I think that's how you spell her name).

[bif]

42. And yet Toni Tenille has a great voice

I have a record of her singing standards with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Excellent album.

[jdsmith]

53. She also appears on _The Wall_

Not that I'm a Pink Floyd fan, but that struck me then and strikes me now as a completely cool flip-off to the fans.

[REP]

7. "MacArthur Park"

"Windy"

The entire repetoire of Rush (the band, not the inhalant or Rimjob).

[Fenris]

9. I found a pristine copy of Harris' LP yesterday

I think I'll buy it.

And I left my cake out in the rain.

[ForrestGump]

10. Yes. The 1968 original is an aural atrocity.

The horror...

[wtmusic]

11. MacArthur Park was twisted

but it had a bizarre, gothic, overblown beauty to it (surrre, wt):crazy:

[Rhiannon12866]

27. I liked both of those

"You Light Up My Life" would be my choice.:puke:

[Zomby Woof]

8. Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

:puke:

[rucky]

12. Someone Left A Cake Out In The Rain

[radiclib]

13. Until you've heard

PAMMY'S ON A BUMMER by Sonny Bono, you don't know bad. From a "solo" LP circa 1967.:puke:

[Tom Kitten]

14. "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

I think it was by Bonnie Tyler? Whatever, it was a total atrocity of pseudobombacity and I despised it it the moment I heard it...Spending the night in a motel in Pasco, Washington, and seeing the video on a very early MTV, featuring altar boys with glow in the dark eyes ala Village of the Damned cemented its reputation in my mind as a thoroughly obnoxious stab at pretentiousness...I know others might like it but to me it is awful awful awful!

[kitkatrose]

37. I like that song,

but then I've only heard the techno version by Nicki French. I nominate anything by Brittney Spears and most of popular music for the last two or so years.

[no name no slogan]

15. "Billy Don't Be A Hero",

"Run Joey Run", and a few more truly abyssmal 70s one-hit wonder pop songs come to mind.

Oh and "Crazy Horses" by the Osmond Brothers, in their post-Donny and Jimmy "heavy metal" phase. Imagine Sly and the Family, without the funkitude and/or talent. OUCH.

[WilliamPitt]

16. MacArthur Park

Someone left their cake out in the rain, oh fuck off.

[VelmaD]

17. I actually played MacArthur Park...

in jazz band in high school and it isn't so bad if no one is singing.

I can certainly think of worse songs. That awful "My Heart Will Go On" song from Titanic springs immediately to mind. Ack.

[guitar man]

18. Mickey

Toni Basil :puke:

"
Also,Culture Club:

"Do you Really Want to Hurt Me"

Yes,we do.

[LagaLover]

29. DYRWTHM was a GREAT song!

[theoceansnerves]

19. that lollipop song

lollipop, lollipop.. ba dum dum dum

[Forkboy]

20. Stairway to Boredom...er,Heaven

or Dream On or Hotel California.They're all a load of self indulgent crap.

[neoteric lefty]

21. they may be self-indulgent

but they are still great songs. At least I still love listening to them. To each, their own, I guess.

[Forkboy]

22. Hey,that's cool

we all like different stuff (in my case REAL different stuff :) ).Don't sweat it...my opinion is just that,and not worth worrying over.

[neoteric lefty]

23. i wasn't really worrying over it

your original post just kinda jumped out at me. I hope I didn't come across as agressive; I didn't mean to. What type of "different" stuff dd you like?

[Forkboy]

24. you didn't come across aggressive at all

just defending your music :)

I like stuff like Sun City Girls,Khanate,Melt Banana....in other words noisy stuff that most people hate :D

I like a lot of jazz too,but that's almost normal.

[BigMcLargehuge]

39. right there with you on those Forkboy

Dream On is so godawful. When the kids in high school were all lusting after that Aerosmith record I was stunned and surprised. It's such a syrupy/crappy song. And Hotel California, the whole album, is like accidentally shooting novicain into your temple. Stairway to Heaven was the song that always ended out middle and high school dances, and I always scored at least one long slow dance with a cute girl, so I have fond memories of the song, but to listen to it now is hard. It's like spending three hours with a talky Tolkein afficianado who won't shut the hell up about the Ring.

[Dees]

25. Having my Baby

Paul Anka:puke:

[T_i_B]

26. Wannabe by the spice girls

:puke:

[LagaLover]

30. Afternoon Delight

by the Starland Vocal Band is #1 worse song ever
#2 is Don't Worry, Be Happy (and that stupid song won a freakin' Grammy!)

[Champ]

32. Anything by ICP

Insane Clown Posse.

[FunBobbyMucha]

33. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by whatever lousy hair band that was

and "17" by Winger.

Lest us forget, "Never Been To Me" by some dumb chick.

But the top five should include "Midnight at the Oasis."

[Bertha Venation]

34. "Having My Baby" "You Light Up My Life"

can't get much worse than those

[Bonhomme Richard]

35. " Feelings "

Can't stand that tune.

[LynneSin]

36. That stupid "Someone's Knocking on My Door" by McCartney and Wings

I think we should have taken back the "Sir" title just for the fact that he recorded that song and it actually got airplay

[bif]

40. "Ebony and Ivory" & "Horse With No Name"

The first time I heard "Ebony and Ivory" all I could say is, "They shot the wrong Beatle."

[BlueJazz]

41. I vote for "Love Shack"

The song is cornball from the get-go.
The lyrics juvenile, the singing atrocious.
The B-52's make any other band sound like great musicians.
I watched an interview with the B-52's where they stated that their unusual harmonies really were an "art form"...WTF?? Root-Third Fifth?????
What a pack of Hacks!

[AntiCoup2K4]

44. Worst song ever from the worst piece of shit album ever recorded

Song: "How Many Say I?"
Album : Van Halen III
Band : A bunch of talentless imposters claiming to be the once mighty Van Halen

[Commendatori]

46. We Like To Party (The Vengabus)

Thanks to someone here at DU who pointed out a site where you could look up commercial tunes (wish I could remember who it was so that I could give credit where credit is due), I was able to finally learnt he name of the worst song I've ever heard, and it's this one. It's currently being used as a Six Flags commercial theme with some decrepit old guy busting out into dance. I have never heard a song as bad as this one, and that includes "Ring My Bell" and "We Built This City."

[T_i_B]

50. Pretty much ANY Euro-dance music

makes the worst songs list automatically.

And please don't get me started on Craaaaiiiiig Daaaaaviiiid.

[Commendatori]

52. True, but

the one I mentioned is the worst I've heard by FAR. If I were a captured CIA agent, I'm sure I could take a little bit of the pins-under-the-nails and rubber-clubs-to-the-abdomen, but an enemy service could make me spill my guts by playing that goddamned song just once. That song is where my threshold of pain ends.

[muriel_volestrangler]

48. "Without You" by Harry Nilsson

or "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks. Both whiny self-pitying garbage.

[terrya]

49. "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro would be the worst song of all time.

Actually, anything by Bobby Goldsboro would qualify as the worst of all time. Mawkish, syrupy, maudlin, insincere drivel.

Terry