# Iconic bad song of the decade **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560 "2010-07-13T17:37:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/61 "2010-07-14T03:31:24Z")
The organ sound is horrible (the musical equivalent to fingernails running down a chalkboard… and then back up. Repeatedly). Jim Morrison’s voice lacks the ability to carry a tune. The lyrics make no sense whatsover, especially taken as a whole. It’s extremely overplayed, over-rated, and over-popular (as per the OP). It is a bad song. It is iconic, especially of pretentious late-60s rock songs. Therefore, it gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/62 "2010-07-14T03:39:58Z")
Wow, **Ludovic** , you’re a difficult man to please. Really, early Beatles, Unskinny Bop, and Rockefella Skank are the iconic bad songs of their decades? ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/63 "2010-07-14T06:00:55Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > My Humps Excellent choice. For the 90s I’m going with that terrible "Sex and Candy’ song. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/64 "2010-07-14T10:32:45Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > > [@JohnT](#): > > > > _1960’s: “Light My Fire” by The Doors_ > > :eek::eek::eek:😕😕:mad::mad::mad: Actually, I can see this point of view. If you take this song out of context and listen to it today for the first time, you’d say that the melody is sing-songy, the lyrics are trite and the rhyming is contrived (“no time to wallow in the mire”? please :rolleyes:), the singing is bad, and the instrumental musicianship mediocre. It is perhaps the most popular Doors song but not necessarily their best work. It makes you wonder why Jim Morrison was the object of so much worship. But you could do that kind of analysis with many of the #1 hits of the 60s and have no shortage of criticism. This song is hardly the worst song of the decade. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/65 "2010-07-14T12:08:53Z")
How about this as a contender for the '90’s, No Limits - 2 unlimited - just about epitomises the worst of that decade. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFd5Cci_pE4) for the '80’s this is the one Clouds across the moon - The Rah band [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V4R97AeM6IE/hqdefault.jpg "Rah Band - Clouds Across the Moon") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4R97AeM6IE) …how about this for an absolutely cringmaking performance - the day rock N roll finally gave up and hid away in embarassment [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4vMJMw19iyk/hqdefault.jpg "The London Boys on TV-AM (1989)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vMJMw19iyk) ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/66 "2010-07-14T13:09:52Z")
OK… Loved this question, so I actually thought about my answers for each decade. 1960’s - It’s Now or Never - Elvis 1970’s - Rhinestone Cowboy - Glenn Campbell 1980’s - We Are The World 1990’s - When A Man Loves A Woman - Michael Bolton 2000’s - This is the Night - Clay Aiken ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/67 "2010-07-14T13:14:35Z")
Well good call bringing American Idol into the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/68 "2010-07-14T14:34:33Z")
For the 80’s I think “Lady In Red” by Chris De Burgh deserves a mention. Horrible glurgy stuff. Just A Friend by Biz Markie also needs to be thrown out there. 00’s I gotta mention “Whatever You Like” by TI because of it’s badness. The best thing I can say about it is that it didn’t use the dreaded autotune, but sounds like it needed it. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/69 "2010-07-14T14:45:37Z")
If you’re going to talk about the worst of the '70’s, you have to talk about disco. My nomination: “Get Down Tonight” by KC and Sunshine Band. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/70 "2010-07-14T14:49:55Z")
And I have to say this for the umpteenth time in umpteen threads: If you going to say ‘X’ is a bad singer, you also have to provide us with a ‘Y’ whom you think is a good singer, to provide context and credibility. I’m not getting this Jim Morrisson is a bad singer thing at all. So please provide your good singer examples. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/71 "2010-07-14T14:55:27Z")
:rolleyes: Enrico Caruso There. Satisfied? [Link](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&defl=en&q=define:opinion&sa=X&ei=-s89TNyJOMGBlAfYyMj7BQ&ved=0CBIQkAE) for you and others who are demanding proof as to how one can consider a song/singer/drummer/guitarist/writer/President/ideology/etc. to be “bad” when others like it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/72 "2010-07-14T15:03:47Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > For the 90s I’m going with that terrible "Sex and Candy’ song. Oh yeah, that’s a pretty bad one. I’d like to nominate Kid Rock’s stupidly-rhymed theft of intellectual property, _All Summer Long._ It starts our by directly stealing the opening music of Warren Zevon’s _Werewolves of London_; I assume that if Zevon were still alive he’d have an acerbic remark or two to make about it. Then Kid Rock rhymes “man” and “Michcigan,” “bar” and “fire” (they might rhyme in the Deep South but not in Northern Michigan), and finally, for the _pièce de résistance_, “things” and “things.” At least that _sounds_ less jarring, but you can’t really rhyme a word with itself – that’s not rhyming, it’s just _repeating_. Then he segues into ripping off ANOTHER act’s work, _Sweet Home Alabama_ from Lynyrd Skynyrd. The entirety of the song is dumb and predictable lyrics, horrible or trite rhymes, and a substantial misappropriation of the work of other, arguably more popular musicians. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/73 "2010-07-14T16:01:53Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Oh yeah, that’s a pretty bad one. > > I’d like to nominate Kid Rock’s stupidly-rhymed theft of intellectual property, _All Summer Long._ It starts our by directly stealing the opening music of Warren Zevon’s _Werewolves of London_; I assume that if Zevon were still alive he’d have an acerbic remark or two to make about it. Then Kid Rock rhymes “man” and “Michcigan,” “bar” and “fire” (they might rhyme in the Deep South but not in Northern Michigan), and finally, for the _pièce de résistance_, “things” and “things.” At least that _sounds_ less jarring, but you can’t really rhyme a word with itself – that’s not rhyming, it’s just _repeating_. > > Then he segues into ripping off ANOTHER act’s work, _Sweet Home Alabama_ from Lynyrd Skynyrd. The entirety of the song is dumb and predictable lyrics, horrible or trite rhymes, and a substantial misappropriation of the work of other, arguably more popular musicians. Kid Rock has two songs for which he should be shot. This one (things and things? IDIOCY) and the execrable “Picture.” > [@](#): > > I ain’t heard from you in 3 damn nights > I put your picture away > I wonder where you been > I can’t look at you while I’m lyin’ next to him > I put your picture away > I wonder where you been > I can’t look at you while I’m lyin’ next to him Yep, I haven’t heard from you in three nights so I’m sleeping with this other person. OMIGOD I’M SO TORTURED OMIGOD THE PAAAAAAAAAAAIN. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/74 "2010-07-14T16:25:55Z")
> [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](#): > > For the 80’s I think “Lady In Red” by Chris De Burgh deserves a mention. Horrible glurgy stuff. Just A Friend by Biz Markie also needs to be thrown out there. I weep with joy finding that someone else hates that suckass “Lady in Red” song, but you will take my Biz Markie from my COLD DEAD HANDS! It’s so fabulously bad that it’s great! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/75 "2010-07-14T16:40:30Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > I’m not getting this Jim Morrisson is a bad singer thing at all. Yeah, I’m not getting that one at all. You can call him a bad poet and have a fair argument. But a bad singer? Nah. He has a good strong bass-to-baritone voice. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/76 "2010-07-14T16:40:48Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I’d like to nominate Kid Rock’s stupidly-rhymed theft of intellectual property, _All Summer Long._ It starts our by directly stealing the opening music of Warren Zevon’s _Werewolves of London_; I assume that if Zevon were still alive he’d have an acerbic remark or two to make about it. The song is boring but I don’t think it’s fair to accuse him of stealing anything. They’re samples and he credited them to Zevon and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Werewolves of London and Sweet Home Alabama are pretty much musically identical anyway; they have the same chord progression. So it’s dumb and uncreative but not stealing. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/77 "2010-07-14T16:46:00Z")
60s and 70s, I werent around enough to be able to nominate this. But Light my Fire and Smoke on the water are contenders, really? With a long progressive solo in one, and a monster hook in the other. 80s, I second Lady in Red. Definitely not: Walkin on sunshine. A great and unusual example of a straight happy song. 90s. Some of the synth dance crap. Barbie Girl maybe. Not: Breakfast at Tiffanys is a good representative of that genre of rock, but it’s too catchy. 00s, I second My Humps. Also because the lyrics are so stupid. 10s, The Tik Tik song is a predeclared winner. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![BlueOhio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@BlueOhio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueOhio)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/78 "2010-07-14T17:06:10Z")
2000’s: first song I thought of was “Hey Ya” by Outkast. I swear I heard that every 15 minutes for 6 months. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/79 "2010-07-14T17:18:30Z")
Not mentioned yet and in no particular order: Troglodyte - Jimmy Caster Bunch Brand New Key - Melanie Hot Pants - Gene Summers and the Platinum Fog Muscrat Love - Captain and Tennille Beth - Kiss ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560/80 "2010-07-14T18:16:21Z")
Not to be too much of a party-pooper, but an iconic song of a decade should be one that was fairly ubiquitous in that decade, no? Not something fairly obscure? I have to think about 2000-2009 - I do listen to a lot of music from that era, but if it’s crap, I just delete it from my iTunes. I’ve heard “Anything You Like” once or twice, and it is unbelievably bad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-bad-song-of-the-decade/546560.md?page=5)