# Songs that make you cringe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 1, 2022, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173 "2022-11-01T21:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/21 "2022-11-02T15:18:45Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Ringo Starr - “You’re Sixteen, You’re beautiful and you’re mine” Hey, I sang that to my girlfriend the day she turned 16. I was the same age. She’s now 64 and we’re still married, and it’s one of “our songs”. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/22 "2022-11-02T15:26:04Z")
Hey, Screamin’ Jay fans get an enormous release from that song. Speaking of cringeworthy songs, way back when we had a coal-black guinea pig named Black Betty. She was the consort of a cavy named Eno. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/23 "2022-11-02T15:31:02Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > She’s now 64 and we’re still married, and it’s one of “our songs”. Is the other one When I’m 64? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/24 "2022-11-02T15:32:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Is the other one When I’m 64? indeed that’s another one of our songs now. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/25 "2022-11-02T15:52:36Z")
> [@solost](#): > > John Lennon - “She was just 17, if you know what I mean…” Paul McCartney primarily — and he was, like, what, 19 when they started writing it? Though I have had the perverse thought of what if in 1998 there would have been a collab on stage between Macca and B. Spears on that track, just to make people extraordinarily uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/26 "2022-11-02T15:54:34Z")
Neil Diamond - _Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon_ ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/27 "2022-11-02T16:01:05Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > John Lennon - “She was just 17, if you know what I mean…” > > Paul McCartney primarily — and he was, like, what, 19 when they started writing it? According to [this article](https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-beatles-sang-she-was-just-17-i-saw-her-standing-there.html/) (which is quoting the book _The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Write — The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song_) Paul came up with the line “She was just 17 / Never been a beauty queen” but neither Paul or John really liked it, so… > John came up with the lyric “She was just 17/If you know what I mean.” Paul said the new line could be seen as innocuous or provocative. After all, 16 was the age of consent in England at the time. Even years later, the song still provoked controversy. According to the BBC, Jerry Seinfeld once told Paul “‘Just Seventeen, you know what I mean’? I’m not sure we do know what you mean!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/28 "2022-11-02T16:01:23Z")
**Speedy Gonzales** , Pat Boone [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v4s2AMKPHnE/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGHIgXChCMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDeh1sadozLyQfjvlITRDZcHkJldw "Pat Boone - Speedy Gonzalez") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4s2AMKPHnE) **Don’t Go Near The Eskimos** , Ben Colder [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8NOhQomiFZM/hqdefault.jpg "DON'T GO NEAR THE ESKIMOS BEN COLDER") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NOhQomiFZM) ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/29 "2022-11-02T16:50:23Z")
> [@solost](#): > > After all, 16 was the age of consent in England at the time. Even years later, the song still provoked controversy. It still is! > **[Age of consent reform in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_consent_reform_in_the_United_Kingdom)** > > Restrictions on sexual activity involving minors in the United Kingdom and its predecessors have existed since medieval times. During the 1970s, there was some political advocacy in favour of significantly reducing the age of consent, supported by various 'youth liberation' organizations and mostly by members of an international British activist group. Meanwhile, over a similar time period, the unequal age of consent for straight and gay young people was campaigned against by the LGBT rights... ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/30 "2022-11-02T17:25:33Z")
But if you do, emphasize the self-defence aspect. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/31 "2022-11-02T20:14:18Z")
> [@solost](#): > > > [@enipla](#): > > > > Ringo Starr - “You’re Sixteen, You’re beautiful and you’re mine” > > > > Uhhh… > > John Lennon - “She was just 17, if you know what I mean…” > > No John, I DON’T know what you mean…care to elaborate? Pfft. ZZ Top has them both beat. Their “Francine” just turned 13! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/32 "2022-11-02T20:28:09Z")
Turning from sex to violence we have this little gem Burton Cummings threw together while with the Guess Who. The song is obviously supposed to be a parody/homage to 50’s rockabilly, but it got a little out of hand. I’ll kill your kid sister, I’ll murder your dad I’ll rip the lashes off your eye, I’ll slaughter all your cattle and I’ll burn your crops If you’re dancin’ with another guy. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/g8NsHSnCIVc/maxresdefault.jpg "Don't You Want Me (2003 Remastered)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8NsHSnCIVc) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/33 "2022-11-03T02:28:53Z")
I always thought David Bowie’s _China Girl_ was kind of cringeworthy, but I guess Bowie’s [parody of racism](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/01/20/how-david-bowies-china-girl-used-racism-to-fight-racism/) went over my head. ✈ ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/34 "2022-11-03T12:20:13Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Pfft. ZZ Top has them both beat. Their “Francine” just turned 13! In the studio version of the Rolling Stones song _Stray Cat Blues_, about an underage groupie, there’s the line “I can see that you’re just 15 years old”. Then in the live version on _Get YerYa-Yas Out_, they change the age to 13. As if 15 is not gross enough. Yeah, it may not be a _ **capital** _ crime, Mick, but it’s still a very serious crime. On Bob Seger’s Live Bullet album, at one point he segues into a bit of Chuck Berry’s song 'Little Queenie". He changes the Chuck Berry line from “Too damn cute to be a minute over 17” to _ **13** _. Ewww. Lot of icky underage references in 60s-70s rock. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/35 "2022-11-03T12:33:20Z")
In Rod Stewart’s _Every Picture Tells A Story_ are the lyrics > Listen, on the Peeking ferry, I was feelin merry > Sailing on my way back here > I fell in love with a slit-eyed lady > By the light of an eastern moon Really tough to get past that line. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/36 "2022-11-03T12:55:27Z")
I despise Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” for lots of reasons, but the fact that it’s clearly about incest doesn’t seem to keep stations from playing it. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/37 "2022-11-03T13:05:37Z")
It’s not, from everything I’ve read, though of course you’re still allowed to despise it 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/38 "2022-11-03T13:07:37Z")
So “little sister” is just a pet phrase for a woman he wants but isn’t related to? Or is it actually his sister, but he’s urging her to marry someone else? Please fight my ignorance! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/39 "2022-11-03T13:14:29Z")
> **[The Meaning of Billy Idol's “White Wedding”](https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-of-billy-idols-white-wedding/)** > > The meaning of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" has nothing to do with Billy Idol’s actual sister. Sister is actually slang for "bae" in England. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173/40 "2022-11-03T13:18:12Z")
Okay, it does seem to be about his sister marrying someone else. And yet: > Idol added, “Then I thought about this incestuous kind of sick brother…" [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-make-you-cringe/974173.md?page=3)