# Songs you like that are widely reviled by others **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 10, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825 "2022-03-10T14:16:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [March 10, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/41 "2022-03-10T16:51:17Z")
My vote goes to a whole band. Never understood the hate for Nickelback. I like their music and and they put on a great show when seen live. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/42 "2022-03-10T16:56:38Z")
Stephen Foster. I can understand why most of his songs’ lyrics push someone’s hot button, they make me wince too. But he could write a good melody. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/43 "2022-03-10T17:07:23Z")
Lots of folks like to hate on the Carpenters, but the song Superstar is great to sing along with. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T7ZLIqJ8RN4/hqdefault.jpg "Tommy Boy singing Superstar by The Carpenters") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ZLIqJ8RN4) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/44 "2022-03-10T17:32:02Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > True story: I used to wonder why so many people hated “Afternoon Delight,” until I realized that the song I thought was called “Afternoon Delight” was in fact the Residents’ “Act of Being Polite.” That must have been exhausting. > [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > Stephen Foster. > > I can understand why most of his songs’ lyrics push someone’s hot button, they make me wince too. But he could write a good melody. No argument - the man was a genius for a musical hook, but to say the songs have aged badly would be an understatement. On the other hand, he did give the world this… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RwrSu38v8ck/maxresdefault.jpg "If You've Only Got a Moustache - Stephen Foster") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwrSu38v8ck) (If that sounds familiar, it was adapted for _A Million Ways To Die in the West_.) ---
**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:** [March 10, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/45 "2022-03-10T17:38:33Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > My vote goes to a whole band. Never understood the hate for Nickelback. I like their music and and they put on a great show when seen live. The knock I’ve heard on NB, other than their sheer cheesetastic-ness, is that all their songs sound the same: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NHPj5YokEOY/maxresdefault.jpg "Proof All Nickelback Songs Are the Same") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHPj5YokEOY) Happy birthday, BTW! ETA: after re-listening to that video (for more than the first 30 seconds this time) it does work really well as a mashup. Listening to that is the Nickelback song catalog equivalent of the part in ‘The Matrix’ where they instantly upload the knowledge of how to fly a helicopter into Neo’s brain 😁 ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/46 "2022-03-10T17:53:01Z")
> [@solost](#): > > that single was printed on the back of a cereal box (Super Sugar Crisp?). It was actual grooved plastic laminated on the box itself or something. Ha-ha, I think I remember that! > [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > The Beatles’ “You Know My Name (Look up the Number).” Damn straight. That was actually running through my head earlier today. Of course, it’s meant to be silly, but I really like the way they wind up the “lounge singer” part. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/47 "2022-03-10T18:11:59Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Wow, that brings back memories. I was five years old, and that single was printed on the back of a cereal box (Super Sugar Crisp?). It was actual grooved plastic laminated on the box itself or something. I was amazed that a record could be printed onto a box that way. My parents removed it from the box for me and I played it over and over and over on our old-fashioned console record player, until either it wore out or my parents secretly threw it out while I was asleep. That was an Eva-Tone Sound Sheet. The first one of those I had was “It’s a Gas” by Alfred E. Neuman. It was an insert in a Mad Magazine. The last one I had was by Billy and The Boingers from a Bloom County compilation book. In between I also had the Archies one. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/48 "2022-03-10T19:31:41Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Lots of folks like to hate on the Carpenters, but the song Superstar is great to sing along with. You mean Superstar, the great song… _because it’s a Leon Russell song?_ ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/49 "2022-03-10T19:35:27Z")
Beat me to it. Excellent hooks all the way through. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/50 "2022-03-10T19:36:43Z")
Oh, Kee-riyst. There’s something off with me. I didn’t see any song in this thread that I truly _dislike._ There are a few where I would have changed the station, but none so bad that I would have commented, negatively, aloud to those in my presence. Gun to my head … ‘MMMBop’ comes closest 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/51 "2022-03-10T19:40:00Z")
Always liked that song. Ron Dante and Toni Wine. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/52 "2022-03-10T19:40:38Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Oh, Kee-riyst. There’s something off with me. I didn’t see any song in this thread that I truly _dislike._ Hey, it’s OK. This is a safe space, where you can share your beliefs, thoughts and feelings without judgement. Even if you are a weirdo 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/53 "2022-03-10T19:49:30Z")
So what exactly is wrong with _Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves_? ---
**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:** [March 10, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/54 "2022-03-10T19:54:02Z")
Nothing at night, when all the men would come around, and lay their money down. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/55 "2022-03-10T20:02:05Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > The Beatles’ “You Know My Name (Look up the Number).” > > Often voted the worst song in the entire Beatles catalog. To me it is Monty-Python-level hilarious. I agree 100%. For me the worst songs in the catalogue are R#9 (by a mile, and technically it isn’t even a “song”); The Inner Light; Within You, Without You; Mr. Moonlight. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/56 "2022-03-10T20:06:23Z")
I’m not sure it’s “widely reviled” but I love **In a Gadda Da Vida** (but only once or twice in any given year). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/57 "2022-03-10T20:13:04Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > **In a Gadda Da Vida** If loving it is wrong, I don’t wanna be right. > [@Railer13](#): > > So what exactly is wrong with _Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves_ ? Not a damn thing! ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/58 "2022-03-10T20:30:24Z")
I give you Elton John’s “Victim of Love”. Generally considered his worst album, containing his worst songs. But I like it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/iIjdraKhUuk/maxresdefault.jpg "Victim Of Love") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIjdraKhUuk) ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/59 "2022-03-10T20:38:23Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And I love all of MacArthur Park. I’m actually not sure why it is so hated. Probably how seriously it takes itself, and its seven minute run time? I blame Dave Barry, who bashed the song in his popular column (and later in his _Book of Bad Songs_). Musically there’s nothing wrong with it; I’m a classical music guy, and I’m always intrigued when a pop song goes beyond the usual ABA structure. Barry’s rant is mostly about the lyrics—particularly the “cake out in the rain” line—although I don’t think the song is any more opaque than the beloved “American Pie.” The only thing I don’t like about “MacArthur Park” is the line about the “strip-ed pair of pants.” I have heard (but not been able to verify) that Jimmy Webb omits that when he performs the song himself. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/60 "2022-03-10T20:44:37Z")
I admit that I find Madonna’s cover of “American Pie” quite ok, I enjoy it when it comes on the radio. I also like Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”. it’s a fun drinking song, what’s wrong with drinking songs? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825.md?page=4)