List of music considered the worst on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
This list consists of albums or songs that have been considered the worst music ever made by various combinations of music critics, television broadcasters (such as
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and
VH1), radio stations, composers and public polls.
Albums
1960s–1970s
;''
Philosophy of the World
''Philosophy of the World'' is the only studio album by the American band the Shaggs, released in 1969.
The Shaggs formed at the insistence of their father, Austin Wiggin, who believed that his mother had predicted their rise to fame. ''Philosoph ...
'',
the Shaggs
The Shaggs were an American rock band formed in Fremont, New Hampshire, in 1965. The band was composed of the sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin (vocals and lead guitar), Betty Wiggin (vocals and rhythm guitar), Helen Wiggin (drums) and, later, Rac ...
(1969):The Shaggs were formed in 1965 by the teenage sisters Dorothy, Betty and Helen Wiggin. Though they had no interest in becoming musicians, they were forced to write, rehearse and record an album by their father, who believed that his mother had predicted their rise to fame.
They composed bizarre songs with
untuned guitars, erratically shifting
time signatures
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note valu ...
, disconnected drum parts, wandering melodies and rudimentary lyrics about pets and families.
''Philosophy of the World'' developed a
cult following
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
,
with fans including
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...
and
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
.
After it was reissued in 1980, ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' suggested that it was the worst album ever recorded.
In 2022, ''
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' wrote that it was the "best worst album of all time".
;''
Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends
''Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends'' is the debut album of English rock singer Screaming Lord Sutch. Recording began in May 1969 at Mystic Studios in Hollywood and it was released on Cotillion Records in 1970. The album featured an all-star line-up ...
'',
Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch (10 November 1940 – 16 June 1999), who had his name legally changed from David Edward Sutch, was an English musician and perennial parliamentary candidate. He was the founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party a ...
(1970) : This supergroup was led by Sutch, a pioneer in the horror rock genre. It included some of Britain's best known-rock musicians, such as
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...
's
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
(who also produced the album) and
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...
, guitarist
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...
, session keyboardist
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...
, and
the Jimi Hendrix Experience
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
's bassist,
Noel Redding
David Noel Redding (25 December 1945 – 11 May 2003) was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress.
Following his departure from the Experience in 1969 ...
. Many of these players disowned the record when it was released. It was mentioned as the worst record ever released in a 1998
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
poll. ''Rolling Stone'' called Sutch "absolutely terrible" and lamented that the collection of talented musicians on hand were made to sound "like a fouled parody of themselves".
;''Attila'',
Attila
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and E ...
(1970) : ''Attila'' is the only album by psychedelic rock duo Attila, notable for featuring a young
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...
.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...
of AllMusic wrote, "''Attila'' undoubtedly is the worst album released in the history of rock & roll—hell, the history of recorded music itself. There have been many bad ideas in rock, but none match the colossal stupidity of ''Attila''." Joel has described it as "psychedelic bullshit".
;''
Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!'',
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...
(1970) : Bennett, in the midst of a career collapse, recorded the album under duress on orders from
Clive Davis
Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000.
From 1967 to 19 ...
at
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
. It consisted of
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...
s of popular songs of the 1960s, and though some effort was made to select songs that were in line with Bennett's
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.
Definition
According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" i ...
standards,
he was not eager to record the material, which he saw as banal.
Retrospective reviews by Allmusic and
''Time'' considered the album a "disaster".
A particular low point was Bennett's refusal to sing
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "
Eleanor Rigby," instead
reciting the song in the style of William Shatner.
The album led to a mutual breakup between Columbia and Bennett from which his career would not recover until his son Danny revitalized his father's career in the 1980s.
;''
Having Fun with Elvis on Stage
''Having Fun with Elvis on Stage'' is a 1974 spoken word concert album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley consisting entirely of dialogue and banter, mostly jokes, by Presley between songs during his live concerts, with the songs them ...
'',
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
(1974) : The album is a compilation of excerpts from Presley's concerts, containing almost no actual music and instead consisting mainly of banter and jokes between numbers. Many of the jokes refer to specific songs not included on the album. It ranked atop Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell's list of the worst rock and roll albums in the 1991 book ''The Worst Rock and Roll Records of All Time'', bemoaning the lack of music on the album.
[Guterman, Jimmy and O'Donnell, Owen. ''The Worst Rock n' Roll Records Of All Time'' (Citadel Press, 1991.)]
;''
Metal Machine Music
''Metal Machine Music'' (subtitled ''*The Amine β Ring'') is the fifth studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed. It was recorded on a three-speed Uher machine and was mastered/engineered by Bob Ludwig. It was released as a double album ...
'',
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades ...
(1975) : An album consisting entirely of guitar feedback loops, ''Metal Machine Music'' ranked No. 2 in the 1991 book ''The Worst Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time'' by Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell. In 2005, ''Q'' magazine included the album in a list of "Ten Terrible Records by Great Artists" and ranked it #4 in its list of the 50 worst albums of all time.
;
Soundtrack to ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'', Various artists (1978): This is a
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
and
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
Beatles cover album that was named the "worst ever" on ''Maxim''
's April 2000 list of pop albums from the 1970s to 1990s. The ''Sgt. Pepper's'' movie soundtrack was the first album in history to achieve "return platinum" status as stores took over four million copies of it off their shelves to ship back to their distributors.
RSO Records
RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation.
RSO managed the careers of several ma ...
destroyed hundreds of thousands of copies, crippling the company with a large financial loss. The
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
, prominently featured on the soundtrack and in the film, were tarnished by the album's failure. However, they would recover with their next album ''
Spirits Having Flown
''Spirits Having Flown'' is the fifteenth album released by the Bee Gees. It was the group's first album after their collaboration on the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. The album's first three tracks were released as singles and all reach ...
'', the success of which led to this soundtrack being largely forgotten.
1980s–1990s
;''
Elvis' Greatest Shit
''Elvis' Greatest Shit'' is a bootleg recording of Elvis Presley, released in July 1982. It assembles a number of studio recordings—including some film scores—and outtakes intended to represent the worst recordings Presley made in his career.
...
'',
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
(1982): A posthumous bootleg compilation album consisting largely of outtakes and a selection of Presley's movie soundtrack songs of the 1960s that was made to deliberately highlight the worst of his career. Critics largely agreed that the compiler of the record succeeded in picking Presley's worst work.
[ .]
;''
Thank You
"''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...
'',
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band we ...
(1995) :''Thank You'' is a
cover album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
named the worst-ever album by ''Q'' magazine in March 2006. ''Q''
's deputy editor Gareth Grundy said: "Duran Duran was the one that united everyone in agreement. We put it on in the office to remind ourselves how bad it was. Sometimes these things are redeemed by some sort of kitsch or novelty value, but it didn't even have that. It's not funny for even a split second and not even the sort of thing that you would put on for a laugh if you were drunk." Ken Scott, the engineer of the album, also thought "it turned out pretty badly" and the band considered it commercial suicide. Chris Gerard of ''
Metro Weekly
''Metro Weekly'' is a free weekly magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Washington, D.C., United States. It was first published on May 5, 1994. ''Metro Weekly'' includes national and local news, interview ...
'' ranked it as Duran Duran's worst album.
2000s–2010s
;''
Playing with Fire'',
Kevin Federline
Kevin Earl Federline (born March 21, 1978), often referred to, and also known as K-Fed, is an American dancer, rapper, actor, model, wrestler and DJ. He is known for his two-year marriage to American singer Britney Spears, for whom he was previou ...
(2006) : The only album recorded by Kevin Federline, ex-husband of
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...
, ''Playing with Fire'' is review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
's lowest-scoring album with a rating of 15. It was also a commercial failure, with first-week sales of only 6,000 in the U.S.
;''
Chinese Democracy
''Chinese Democracy'' is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on November 23, 2008, by Black Frog and Geffen Records. It was the first Guns N' Roses studio album since the 1993 covers album ''"The Spaghet ...
'',
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
(2008): This album was mired in
development hell
Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are Media industry, media and Software industry, software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between d ...
for eight years, and it received widely polarized responses ranging from very positive to scathing. Popular music historian
Stephen Davis named it "the worst album ever." Music editor Ayre Dworken wrote: "''Chinese Democracy'' is the worst album I have heard in years, if not in all my life of listening to music." It was included in ''Wired'' magazine's unranked list of the "5 Audio Atrocities to Throw Down a Sonic Black Hole" and placed first on ''Guitar Player''s "10 Awful Albums by 10 Amazing Bands" list. ''Chinese Democracy'' was ranked as the worst record of 2008 by several publications, including ''
Time Out New York'', ''
Asbury Park Press
The ''Asbury Park Press'' is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state. It has been owned by Gannett since 1997.
Its reporting staff has been awarded numerous national ho ...
'' and ''
IGN''. The ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' noted the record in its end-of-year appraisal of 2008's worst in arts and entertainment. However, ''Rolling Stone'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...
'', ''
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...
'' and ''
Ultimate Classic Rock
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
'' all included the album on best-of year-end lists.
;''
Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Karl Christopher Quigg (; born 12 July 1992) is a footballer and pop singer from Dungiven, Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest ''The X Factor'' in 2008.
As a result of ...
'',
Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Karl Christopher Quigg (; born 12 July 1992) is a footballer and pop singer from Dungiven, Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest ''The X Factor'' in 2008.
As a result of ...
(2009) : Quigg's only album met with derision and has been described by numerous reviewers as the worst record ever made. One such writer was
Peter Robinson of ''The Guardian'', who called it an "album so bad that it would count as a new low for popular culture were it possible to class as either culture… or popular". and said on his
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for '' NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cr ...
website that "decades into the future, Eoghan Quigg's album ''Eoghan Quigg'' will be the one that scoops the accolade" of worst record of all time.
Gigwise
''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England.
History
Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...
placed the album at number one on its 20 Worst Albums of 2009 list.
;''
Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
'',
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades ...
and
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
(2011) :
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
's Stuart Berman awarded the album a score of 1/10 and wrote that ''Lulu'' disappoints even in its "worst of all time" status. "For all the hilarity that ought to ensue here, ''Lulu'' is a frustratingly noble failure."
NME also noted that the album was "one of the worst reviewed albums ever" and "one of the most critically panned albums of recent years". In response to massive backlash from Metallica fans, Lou Reed stated: "I don't have any fans left. After ''
Metal Machine Music
''Metal Machine Music'' (subtitled ''*The Amine β Ring'') is the fifth studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed. It was recorded on a three-speed Uher machine and was mastered/engineered by Bob Ludwig. It was released as a double album ...
'' (1975), they all fled. Who cares? I'm in this for the fun of it."
;''
Streets in the Sky
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...
'',
the Enemy (2012): ''Daily Record'' writer Rick Fulton reported that several of his readers considered ''Streets in the Sky'' to be "among the very worst releases of the year
012 012 may refer to:
* Tyrrell 012, a Formula One racing car
* The dialing code for Pretoria, South Africa
See also
* 12 (disambiguation)
Twelve or 12 may refer to:
* 12 (number)
* December, the twelfth and final month of the year
Years
* 12 BC
...
and indeed, all time". Critics were similarly harsh; the album is the second-lowest-rated ever at review aggregator site
AnyDecentMusic?
AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adju ...
,
and was the worst-reviewed of 2012 at fellow aggregator Album of the Year. John Calvert of ''Drowned in Sound'' awarded the record an unprecedented 0/10 and described it as "the un-music";
Neil Kulkarni in ''The Quietus'' agreed that the album is not "actually music" and is akin to "shite, in the noonday sun, attracting flies".
Both critics wished for no further recordings from the band.
Songs
The following songs have been named by critics, broadcasters, composers, and listeners as the "worst ever". Examples of sources include
VH1's "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever" and ''
Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...
'' magazine's "Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!".
1950s–1960s
; "
Yes, Sir, That's My Baby", Harry Kari and His Six
Saki Sippers (1953) : The mock-Japanese novelty record (a cover of a 1925 hit) was one of many released by
dialect comic Harry Stewart
Harry Stewart (October 21, 1908 – May 20, 1956), born Harry Skarbo, was an entertainer, singer, comedian, and songwriter. He was best known for his portrayal of Yogi Yorgesson, a comically exaggerated Swedish American.[Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...]
'' may have earned the record enough publicity to
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...
on the magazine's own charts and prompted radio stations to play it. One radio disc jockey disparaged the record on-air as "the worst record (he had) ever heard" when playing it, and the record's poor quality inspired those in the music industry to record intentionally bad songs under the logic that if Stewart's record could be a hit, so could theirs (one example being "
There's a New Sound" which purports to popularize the sounds made by worms).
; "!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT",
Napoleon XIV
Jerrold "Jerry" Samuels (born May 3, 1938) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Under the pseudonym Napoleon XIV, he achieved one-hit wonder status with the Top 5 hit novelty song "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" i ...
(1966) : This record consists solely of "
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
"They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" is a 1966 novelty record written and performed by Jerry Samuels (billed as Napoleon XIV), and released on Warner Bros. Records. The song became an instant success in the United States, peaking at No. 3 o ...
," a
novelty
Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...
hit for Jerry Samuels under the Napoleon XIV stage name, played in reverse, to the point that even the titled artist is not Napoleon or even Samuel, but "Vix Noelopan", the stage name spelled in reverse. In
Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as '' Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has ...
's 1981 book ''The Book of Rock Lists'', Marsh describes the song as the most obnoxious song to have ever been placed in a
jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...
, noting it once caused a diner with 40 customers to be evacuated in the time it took to play the record in its entirety (shortly over two minutes).
; "Paralyzed",
Legendary Stardust Cowboy
Norman Carl Odam (born September 5, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas), known professionally as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, is an outsider performer who is considered one of the pioneers of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s. ...
(1968): This record features
T Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in fil ...
on drums and consists of one-chord strums, random and mostly unintelligible screaming, and an abrupt bugle solo. It was identified in the 1994 book ''The New Book of Rock Lists'' as the worst song ever released by a major label. Rhino Records also included it on ''The World's Worst Records''. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy developed a cult following and is an outsider music icon who has received praise for his unorthodox work.
; "
MacArthur Park",
Richard Harris
Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...
(1968) : In 1992, ''Miami Herald'' journalist
Dave Barry
David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comi ...
conducted a poll among his readers, who selected the Harris original as the worst track ever recorded, both in terms of "Worst Lyrics" (written, along with melody, by
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...
) and "Worst Overall Song". This is despite the fact that it topped the music charts in Europe and Australia, won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, and would again become a number-one hit during the
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
era in the form of a 1978 cover by
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her musi ...
; it would also be spoofed by
Weird Al Yankovic
Weird derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Wyrd, meaning fate or destiny. In modern English it has acquired the meaning of “strange or uncanny”. It may also refer to:
Places
* Weird Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S.
People
*"Weird Al" Yankovic ...
in 1993 as "
Jurassic Park
''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
".
; "
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Following t ...
",
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
(1968): This song was loathed by band members
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, and was voted the worst track ever recorded in a listener poll organized by
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021.
Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest pri ...
. It also appeared in ''Blender'' magazine's "50 Worst Songs Ever", where it is ranked 48th.
1970s–1980s
; "
(You're) Having My Baby
"(You're) Having My Baby" is a song written and recorded in 1974 by Canadian singer Paul Anka. Recorded as a duet with female vocalist Odia Coates, the song became Anka's first No. 1 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 15 years, since 1959's " L ...
",
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...
(1974) : The No. 1 worst song as voted by CNN.com users in 2006, the song was criticized for its perceived patronizing take on pregnancy from the expecting father's point of view.
[
; "Dance with Me", ]Reginald Bosanquet
Reginald Tindal Kennedy Bosanquet (9 August 1932 – 27 May 1984) was a British journalist and broadcaster who was an anchor of '' News at Ten'' for ITN from 1967 to 1979.Eddie Dyj"Bosanquet, Reginald (1932–1984)" BFI screenonline
Early ...
(1980) : A disco song with lyrics narrated in the style of a British newscast. Bosanquet had recently resigned as a news anchor for Independent Television News
Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, N ...
. It was voted number one in the Bottom 30 by listeners of British DJ Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid-1960s, he was one of the fi ...
in 1980.
; " The Birdie Song", The Tweets
The "Chicken Dance", also known and recorded as Der Ententanz, Tchip Tchip, Vogerltanz, the Bird Song, the Chicken Song, the Birdie Song, the Bird Dance, Danse des Canards, the Duck Dance, El Baile de los Pajaritos, Il Ballo del Qua Qua, Check O ...
(1981) : A straight cover of the popular children's novelty dance the "Chicken Dance
The "Chicken Dance", also known and recorded as Der Ententanz, Tchip Tchip, Vogerltanz, the Bird Song, the Chicken Song, the Birdie Song, the Bird Dance, Danse des Canards, the Duck Dance, El Baile de los Pajaritos, Il Ballo del Qua Qua, Check O ...
" by Werner Thomas
Werner Thomas is an accordionist from Davos, Switzerland credited with composing a tune popularly known as the "Chicken Dance
The "Chicken Dance", also known and recorded as Der Ententanz, Tchip Tchip, Vogerltanz, the Bird Song, the Chicken ...
. Voted the most annoying track of all time in a 2000 Dotmusic poll. The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
guitarist Mick Jones also named it the worst song ever written (along with "Billy Don't Be a Hero
"Billy Don't Be a Hero" is a 1974 pop music, pop song that was first a UK hit for Paper Lace and then, some months later, a US hit for Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. The song was written and composed by two British songwriters, Mitch Murray an ...
" by Paper Lace
Paper Lace are a British pop/rock band, formed in Nottingham, who rose to success in 1974 and during that year had three UK Top 40 hit singles. In the United States they are considered a one-hit wonder, having a single US top 40 hit. There are ...
), as did Simon Burnton in ''The Guardian''.Ebony and Ivory
"Ebony and Ivory" is a song that was released in 1982 as a single by Paul McCartney featuring Stevie Wonder. It was issued on 29 March that year as the lead single from McCartney's third solo album, ''Tug of War'' (1982). Written by McCartney, ...
", Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
featuring Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...
(1982): This duet used the materials that constitute the black and white keys on musical keyboards as a metaphor for racial harmony. It ranked number one in a BBC 6 Music poll of the worst duets in history and number 10 in ''Blender''s poll of worst songs ever, and it has repeatedly been described as "saccharine" for its heavy-handed approach to its subject.
; "True
True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality.
True may also refer to:
Places
* True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States
* True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States
* ...
", Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...
(1983) : "True" was noted as the worst song ever by ''St. Petersburg Times'' music columnist Sean Daly and ''The Guardian'' journalist Luke Williams;soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...
". ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' critic Robert Jamieson called it the worst love song of all time. The track also appeared in the ''Houston Press'' "10 Songs We Never, Ever Want to Hear Again, Ever" while the line "I bought a ticket to the world but now I've come back again" was included in ''NME''s "50 Worst Pop Lyrics of All Time".
; " Agadoo", Black Lace
Black Lace are a British pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, " Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they ...
(1984) : The song was voted worst song of all time by a panel of professional music writers and industry experts published in a 2003 Q magazine poll. It was also banned from being played on BBC Radio 1 for a period because it was not viewed as a "credible" song.
; "Sussudio
"Sussudio" is a song by English singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released as a single in January 1985. The song is the first track on Collins' third solo studio album, ''No Jacket Required'', released in February of the same year. The song entere ...
", Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
(1985) : Critic Michael Saunders in the ''Sun-Sentinel'' named "Sussudio" as the worst song of the rock era, describing it as "insipid" and "indefensibly stupid". ''Guardian'' journalist Tom Service
Tom Service (born 8 March 1976) is a British writer, music journalist and television and radio presenter, who has written regularly for ''The Guardian'' since 1999 and presented on BBC Radio 3 since 2001. He is a regular presenter of The Proms f ...
wrote: "'Sussudio' brings me out in a cold sweat… there's no colder or more superficial sound in popular music." Michael Musto
Michael Musto (born December 3, 1955) is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. Musto is best known as a columnist for '' The Village Voi ...
in ''The Village Voice'' listed it as the second worst song ever and said that it "could have been the theme song for the Third Reich, it was that insidious and evil".Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
's "1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
"; Mark Caro in the ''Chicago Tribune'' labelled it a "ripoff".
; "We Built This City
"We Built This City" is a 1985 song by American rock band Starship. It was released as their debut single on their album '' Knee Deep in the Hoopla''. It was written by English musicians Martin Page and Bernie Taupin, who were both living in Lo ...
", Starship
A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between planetary systems.
The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1882 in '' Oahspe: A Ne ...
(1985) : This single from the group's album ''Knee Deep in the Hoopla'' is often cited as the worst song of all time. It was ranked number one on ''Blender'' magazine's list of the worst songs of all time[Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!](_blank)
''Blender'', May 2004. Wayback Machine archive of 24 January 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2015. and "The 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s" in ''Rolling Stone''. It was called the worst song of all time by '' GQ'' and '' The A.V. Club'', and named one of the worst songs of all time in a readers' poll in ''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
''. It has been disowned by the group's co-lead singer Grace Slick
Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing; October 30, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter, artist, and painter. Slick was a key figure in San Francisco's early psychedelic music scene in the mid-1960s. With a music career spanning four decades, ...
.Don't Worry, Be Happy
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a 1988 song by American musician Bobby McFerrin, released as the first single from his fourth album, '' Simple Pleasures'' (1988). It was the first ''a cappella'' song to reach number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 c ...
", Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...
(1988) : This song was named by ''Village Voice'' critic Michael Musto
Michael Musto (born December 3, 1955) is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. Musto is best known as a columnist for '' The Village Voi ...
as the worst of all time,
1990s–2000s
; "Ice Ice Baby
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song by American rapper Vanilla Ice, K. Kennedy and DJ Earthquake. It was based on the bassline of the song "Under Pressure" by British rock band Queen and British singer David Bowie, who did not receive songwritin ...
", Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...
(1990) : ''Spinner'' editors ranked this the second-worst track in history, while ''Blender'' staff placed it fifth.Achy Breaky Heart
Achy may refer to:
* Suffering from pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associate ...
", Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
(1992) : The song has appeared on multiple "worst songs ever" lists. It was named the worst of all time in ''The Independent on Saturday'', and was ranked second in ''Blender's'' "50 Worst Songs Ever".Could It Be Magic
"Could It Be Magic" is a song with lyrics by Adrienne Anderson and music by Barry Manilow, inspired by Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Opus 28, Number 20.
The song was initially released in 1971 by Featherbed (a group of session musi ...
", Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
(1992): This cover of the 1975 Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...
track was voted the worst song in history in a 2004 public poll organized by Diesel. ''NME''s Anthony Thornton said of the result, "Thank God that 'Could It Be Magic?' has finally been recognized as the worst song in the world. It is the kind of track that makes you wake up screaming."
; " What's Up?", 4 Non Blondes (1993) : Composers Carl Barât
Carl Ashley Raphael Barât (; born 6 June 1978) is a British musician and actor, best known for being the co-frontman with Pete Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and ...
and Stuart Braithwaite
Stuart Leslie Braithwaite (born 10 May 1976) is a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter. He is the guitarist of post-rock band Mogwai, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums. He is also a member of the British alternative rock supergrou ...
named this track the worst ever. Dean Ween
Michael Melchiondo Jr. (born September 25, 1970), better known by his stage name Dean Ween, is an American guitarist, singer and a founding member of the alternative rock group Ween. He is currently active in the groups Ween, Moistboyz and The ...
said: "It's as bad as music gets…. Everything about the song is so awful that if I sat down and tried to write the worst song ever, I couldn't even make it 10 percent of the reality of how awful that song is." Tara Dublin in ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' wrote that it is "without question, the worst song of the 1990s".
; " Mr Blobby", Mr Blobby (1993) : Blobby's self-titled Christmas release is regarded by many as the worst single of all time. It has been ranked near the top of various "worst songs" lists compiled by journalists and those created from public-opinion surveys.Barbie Girl
"Barbie Girl" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released in April 1997 as the third single from the group's debut studio album, ''Aquarium'' (1997). The song was written by Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, René Dif, and ...
", Aqua (1997) : Despite its success, with UK sales of 1.83 million as of 2016,Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...
", Des'ree
Desirée Annette Weekes (born 30 November 1968), known by her stage name Des'ree (), is an English pop recording artist who rose to popularity during the 1990s. She is best known for her hits " Feel So High", " You Gotta Be", "Life", and " Kiss ...
(1998): "Life" was Des'ree's biggest hit in Europe, whereas "You Gotta Be
"You Gotta Be" is an R&B/soul song by British singer and songwriter Des'ree, written by her with the producer, Ashley Ingram. It is the third track on the singer's second album, ''I Ain't Movin (1994), and the opening track on the US relea ...
" was a bigger hit in America, but it was widely mocked for its lyrics. One verse has been voted as having the worst lyrics ever in polls by the BBC, ''The Independent'', and the ''Herald Sun'': "I don't want to see a ghost/It's the sight that I fear most/I'd rather have a piece of toast/Watch the evening news."
; "Nookie
Nookie may refer to:
Music
* "Nookie" (Limp Bizkit song), 1999
* "Nookie" (Jamesy P song), 2005
* "Nookie", a 2004 song by Jacki-O from the album ''Poe Little Rich Girl''
* "Nookie", a 2019 song by D-Block Europe
* Nookie (Daria Stavrovich), v ...
", Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...
(1999)
: "Nookie" was listed at number 1 in Buzzfeed's list of the 30 worst songs ever written. Buzzfeed contributor Ryan Broderick
Ryan Broderick is an American journalist. He worked for ''BuzzFeed'' from 2012 to 2020, where he was a senior journalist at the tech news desk until he was fired for plagiarism. He has also reported for ''Vice'' and ''Gawker''. Broderick has run ...
said that "It should be against the law to be Fred Durst."Thong Song
"Thong Song" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Sisqó. It was released on February 15, 2000, as the second single from his solo debut studio album, '' Unleash the Dragon'' (1999). "Thong Song" garnered four Grammy nominations and numero ...
", Sisqó
Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known professionally as Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He is most prominently known for "Thong Song", his membership in Dru Hill, ...
(2000)
: "Thong Song" placed first in a ''St. Paul Pioneer Press
The ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'' is a newspaper based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the east metro, including Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties, ...
'' reader poll to determine the worst song in history. It has also been labelled as sexist.
; " The Christmas Shoes", NewSong
NewSong is an American contemporary Christian music group that was founded in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. They have had twelve GMA Dove Award nominations, and one Grammy Award Nomination.
They are also the foun ...
(2000): The song has appeared on various "worst Christmas song" lists. It was named "The Worst Christmas Song Ever" in 2011 by Gawker.com following a survey of commenter votes.Baha Men
The Baha Men are a Bahamian junkanoo band formed in New Providence, Bahamas in 1977. They are best known for their Grammy Award-winning hit song "Who Let the Dogs Out".
History
Early years
The Baha Men formed in 1977 as High Voltage, initia ...
(2000): The song ranked atop Spinner's "Top 20 Worst Songs Ever".
; " The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)", The Cheeky Girls
The Cheeky Girls are a Romanian singing duo consisting of identical twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia (both born 31 October 1982). After appearing as auditionees on '' Popstars: The Rivals'', they achieved success in the UK charts with fou ...
(2002): The song was voted the no. 1 "worst pop record" by Channel 4 viewers in a poll broadcast in January 2004.
; "Big Yellow Taxi
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in 1970, and originally released on her album '' Ladies of the Canyon''. It was a hit in her native Canada (No. 14) as well as Aust ...
", Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist Mil ...
featuring Vanessa Carlton (2003): A cover of the 1970 Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...
song, "Big Yellow Taxi" was featured in the film ''Two Weeks Notice
''Two Weeks Notice'' is a 2002 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Marc Lawrence and starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. Although critical response was mixed, the film was successful at the box office.
Plot
Lucy Kelso ...
''. ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...
'' named this cover the worst song of the 2000s. '' NME'' also included it on its list of the worst songs of the 2000s and ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' highlighted the song in its ''Terrible Classic Rock Covers'' series. ''The Village Voice's'' scathing review of the cover is archived and displayed on Joni Mitchell's website.
; " You're Beautiful", James Blunt
James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After ...
(2005): "You're Beautiful" was voted by music fans as the most irritating track ever recorded in a OnePoll survey. Spike writer D. Sussman called it "the worst song in the history of mankind", and Gigwise editors placed it first in "The 20 Worst Love Songs of All Time". It also ranked first in Heavy.com's recounting of the worst tracks of the 2000s. In 2014, Blunt issued a public apology for the record, blaming its ubiquity on the record company's promotion techniques.
; " My Humps", the Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...
(2005): According to Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
of ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...
'' in 2006, "a Black Eyed Peas sex trifle some consider the worst record of all time". ''Oakland Tribune'' music columnist Oliver Wang reported that the track is "considered by most critics as either the worst song of this decade or in all of recorded music history". Writers who named it as the worst track ever include Nathan Rabin in ''The A.V. Club'', Laura Barton in ''The Guardian'', Joseph Kugelmass in PopMatters and Shaun Bruce in ''The Stranger'';Rockstar
Rock Star or Rockstar may refer to:
Films
* ''Rock Star'' (2001 film), an American film starring Mark Wahlberg
* ''Rockstar'' (2011 film), an Indian Hindi-language film by Imtiaz Ali
* ''Rockstar'' (2015 film), an Indian Malayalam-language fi ...
", Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...
(2006): Some critics have named this the worst song of all time.Ryan Broderick
Ryan Broderick is an American journalist. He worked for ''BuzzFeed'' from 2012 to 2020, where he was a senior journalist at the tech news desk until he was fired for plagiarism. He has also reported for ''Vice'' and ''Gawker''. Broderick has run ...
said that "'Rockstar' is the most unequivocally terrible ong Ong or ONG may refer to:
Arts and media
* Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction
* “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip
Places
* Ong, Nebraska, US, city
* Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town
* Ong River, Odisha, ...
of their catalog. If aliens came to Earth and asked why everyone hates Nickelback so much, this song would be a perfect explanation."
2010s–2020s
; "Baby
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
", Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
featuring Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
(2010): The official music video was the most disliked clip on YouTube until 2018. It was also voted the worst ever in a ''Time Out'' poll.Miracles
A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
", Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsl ...
(2010): CraveOnline deemed this the worst rap song of all time and the most embarrassing rap moment of all time. ''The Phoenix'' deemed it the worst song ever recorded.We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album '' We Are the World''. Wi ...
," which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
and Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...
and recorded by various prominent singers to benefit famine relief in Africa. The cover version was released on February 12, 2010 during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy Greene Wayne G ...
as a CD single and music download. The song was panned by contemporary music reviewers, with criticism focused on the song's new musical additions as well as the choice of artists who appear on the track. However, the song was commercially successful worldwide, charting within the top 20 in multiple countries.
; "Friday
Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...
", Rebecca Black (2011): "Friday" has been widely described as the worst song ever recorded, attracting derision for its weak lyrical content and its vocals that were excessively processed by Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-T ...
. Produced by Patrice Wilson
Patrice Iteke Wilson is a Nigerian-American record producer, songwriter, and singer. He has also adopted the stage name Pato for some of his performances. He founded ARK Music Factory with Clarence Jey in 2010. While there, he produced songs such ...
, the song became an Internet sensation, making it the subject of multiple parodies and ridicule.Swagger Jagger
"Swagger Jagger" is the debut single by English singer Cher Lloyd, taken from her debut studio album ''Sticks and Stones'' (2011). It was released as the album's lead single on 31 July 2011. The song was written by the two production teams The ...
", Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English singer. She finished fourth place in the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' in 2010. Following the seventh series finale, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music. Her debut single, "Swagger Jagger", was re ...
(2011): Missing Andy
Missing Andy is a British mod-influenced band based in Essex. The group comprises Alex Greaves, Jonathan Sharpe, Rob Jones, Steve Rolls, and Elliot Richardson. The band's debut single "The Way We're Made (Made In England)" reached number 38 on ...
singer Alex Greaves named this the worst track ever. The song appeared in '' NMEs unranked list "32 of the Very Worst UK Number One Singles of All Time".
; " Hot Problems", Double Take
Double take may refer to:
Films, radio, and television
* ''Double Take'' (1998 film), a 1998 thriller
* ''Double Take'' (2001 film), a 2001 comedy
* ''Double Take'' (2009 film), a 2009 film
* Double Take (American TV series), a 2018 hidden cam ...
(2012): ABC News stated that this was the worst song of 2012 and of all time.
; "Chinese Food
Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...
", Alison Gold (2013):An independent song also produced by Patrice Wilson, "Chinese Food" has been criticized as the worst song ever createdBillboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' ranked the song first on in its "The 10 Worst Songs of the 2010s (So Far)" list. ''Music Weekly'' named it the worst song of 2014. Several media outlets considered the song to be Misogyny, misogynistic soon after its release.
; "It's Everyday Bro", Jake Paul featuring Team 10 (2017): ''Uproxx'' ranked the song first on its "The Worst Songs of 2017" list. "It's Everyday Bro" was also No. 1 on ''Consequence Of Sound, Consequence of Sounds "The Absolute Worst Pop Lyrics of 2017" list. A Diss (music), diss track, the song was criticized for its ridiculous lyrics, notably "I just dropped some new merch and it's selling like a god church" and "England is my city". It became the fourth-most-disliked YouTube video as well as the second-most-disliked YouTube music video (behind "Baby" by Justin Bieber) of 2017. The song ignited a wave of feuds and disses directed toward Paul.Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
(2020): In a recap of the best and worst music of 2020, ''Business Insider, Insider'' recalled that "Justin Bieber releasing 'Yummy' was the first sign that 2020 would be an awful year." A country remix featuring Florida Georgia Line was placed at number 6 on a list of 2020's worst songs, published by ''Variety (magazine), Variety''. Despite the mainly negative reception, "Yummy" was nominated for a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Solo Performance, though ultimately lost to "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles. ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' later called the nomination of "Yummy" for the award the "least deserved Grammy nomination".
Others
In 1953, following the success of Harry Kari's "Yes Sir...," Tony Burrello and Tom Murray, bitter that their more serious music was struggling to find an audience without success, decided to launch Horrible Records to intentionally record the worst music possible.
Designer Daily, 11 August 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2011. Individual tastes can vary widely such that very little consensus can be achieved. For example, the winning song in a CNN email poll received less than five percent of the total votes cast.
See also
* List of controversial album art
* List of classical music with an unruly audience response
* ''The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records''
* Outsider music
* Cult following
References
{{Worst works
Lists of rated songs, Worst
Lists of albums, Worst
Lists of worsts, Music