# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/101 "2022-03-11T15:39:17Z")
Years ago we had a poll on the Dope to determine scientifically what the worst song ever written was and [Tears of a Clown by SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fD-CstUnfw) scored high marks ( if it just didn’t outright win, I can’t remember). I have always liked it. It’s upbeat and catchy. I’m not sure I’d put it on my driving mix but I would smile and turn it up if I heard it on the radio. ---
**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 11, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/102 "2022-03-11T15:47:32Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Years ago we had a pole on the Dope to determine scientifically what the worst song ever written was and [Tears of a Clown by SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fD-CstUnfw) scored high marks ( if it just didn’t outright win, I can’t remember). What??!? That song is a straight-up Motown classic. Wouldn’t describe it as upbeat, exactly, but it’s definitely a catchy tune. It name-checks Pagliacci, for God’s sake. What more do you want from a song?? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/103 "2022-03-11T15:50:57Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > > [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > > > Up, Up and Away > > Oh hell, there’s one! I love that song. Bet that’s not a common opinion. Great tune! And not just because I was drooling over the 5th Dimension singer Florence LaRue. > **[Florence LaRue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_LaRue)** > > Florence LaRue (born February 4, 1942) is an American singer and actress, best known as an original member of the 5th Dimension. > She received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from California State University. > In 1966, LaRue was approached by Lamonte McLemore and Marilyn McCoo to join their recently formed group the 5th Dimension. LaRue nearly always sang female lead on one song per album, with McCoo taking the lead on one song as well; otherwise she sang the alto voice parts along w... > [@solost](#): > > A problem I have with songs from a certain era, say beginning to mid 70s, is in distinguishing between a pleasant sense of nostalgia and whether I actually like the songs now on their own merit. For most (?) people, music takes them back to a specific time in life. It can evoke who you were dating, what you ate, how you were(n’t) getting along with parents, and a whole lot more. Those things can give me the warm fuzzies…hard to separate from the song’s merits. Likewise, I think of songs associated with painful times yet I still like them. > [@Sitnam](#): > > Years ago we had a pole on the Dope to determine scientifically what the worst song ever written was and [Tears of a Clown by SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fD-CstUnfw) scored high marks ( if it just didn’t outright win, I can’t remember). OK, that’s just wrong. Catchy hook, great orchestration, literary reference—who could ask for anything more? I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more, Toto! (ETA: Ninja’ed by Solost) ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/104 "2022-03-11T15:54:39Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Great tune! And not just because I was drooling over the 5th Dimension singer Florence LaRue. Gotta admit, her beauty to size of mouth ratio is off the charts. ---
**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 11, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/105 "2022-03-11T18:56:07Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > > > Freebird is a rocking good anthem. > > I have a rule: When Ronnie says, _“Turn it up!”_ , I alway do. \*Sweet Home Alabama 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/106 "2022-03-11T19:00:35Z")
I do not revile many songs. In fact, I can think of only one right now and that’s Sweet Home Alabama. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/107 "2022-03-11T20:59:47Z")
The 5th Dimension could do no wrong. Not wishing to make this a competition (please, no wagering), but I’m a Marilyn McCoo fiend. Ties with Karen Carpenter (maybe Linda Ronstadt) for best female singer. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/108 "2022-03-11T21:07:15Z")
If you are a fan of the 5th Dimension, you’ve probably seen _**[Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Soul)**_, from last year (it’s among the nominees for Best Documentary Feature this year). If you haven’t, I’d recommend you find it ASAP. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/109 "2022-03-11T21:16:36Z")
Thanks! Looks like a winner. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/110 "2022-03-11T21:41:11Z")
There are quite a few here I like, but can I just single out two > [@Biggirl](#): > > Sugar, Sugar by the Archies > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” - in order to say what I usually say at times like these: there’s always a place in the world for the perfect pop song. To which I’ll add: I just don’t get the hate for Macarena. Again, perfect pop song. And I just love Cotton Eye Joe. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mOYZaiDZ7BM/maxresdefault.jpg "Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe (Official Music Video) [HD] - RednexMusic com") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOYZaiDZ7BM) j ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/111 "2022-03-11T21:50:12Z")
There’s no point in me naming just a few. If it’s cheesy and from the Seventies (where a lot of reviled songs seem to have originated), I probably like it. That includes disco. I listened to those songs incessantly when I was a kid and young teen, and listening to them now makes me happy because they remind me of good times. I even like serious stinkers like “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” and “In the Year 2525.” It would probably be better to ask me to name the cheesy Seventies songs I _don’t_ like, because it would be a smaller list (three immediate thoughts are “Cherish” (which I think is actually from the Sixties), “Havin’ My Baby,” and “Young Girl.”) ---
**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 11, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/112 "2022-03-11T21:54:22Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > you’ve probably seen _**[Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Soul)**_ Watched it just a couple of weeks ago. Excellent documentary. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/113 "2022-03-11T22:09:02Z")
This is it for me, hands down: [Starship's "We Built This City" - Why the hate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starships-we-built-this-city-why-the-hate/511634) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/114 "2022-03-11T23:36:33Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > If you are a fan of the 5th Dimension, you’ve probably seen _**[Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Soul)**_ , from last year (it’s among the nominees for Best Documentary Feature this year). If you haven’t, I’d recommend you find it ASAP. Thanks for the recommendation! I’m just finishing it on Hulu. They had quite the eclectic lineup of music! Really enjoyed seeing the 5th Dimension and, of course, Florence. Ermahgerd, listen to David Ruffin @ 2:50 on Vimeo. [![]() ](https://vimeo.com/571577973) > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > The 5th Dimension could do no wrong. Not wishing to make this a competition (please, no wagering), but I’m a Marilyn McCoo fiend. That’s another one who fell out of the pretty tree and hit every single branch on the way down. 🤪 They did show them performing this live, which was really nice…I can’t find a clip of it though. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vbCH5lnZ6sA/hqdefault.jpg "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 | 𝗔𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗨𝗦 ♒︎ 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗻 - [Extended]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbCH5lnZ6sA) > [@Infovore](#): > > There’s no point in me naming just a few. You and other readers of the thread may be interested in these. I owned several of Rhino’s “Have a Nice Day” series, which included tons of one-hit wonders. For a stroll down amnesia lane… > **[Rhino Entertainment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_a_Nice_Day_(album_series))** > > Rhino Entertainment Company (Formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. > Founded in 1978, Rhino was originally a novelty and reissue label during the 1970s and 1980s. It released compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes from the 1950s through the 1980s, as well as novelty-song LPs (compiled in-house or by Dr. Dem... ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/115 "2022-03-14T14:02:03Z")
Muskrat Love by America Most of America’s hits Afternoon Delight - I don’t mind it. It sure brings back memories. Most of Nickelback’s hits Most of Journey’s hits I like a lot of the songs mentioned in the above posts, but I guess I didn’t realize that some of them were reviled! ---
**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 14, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/116 "2022-03-14T15:01:33Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > can think of only one right now and that’s Sweet Home Alabama. You’re not the only one. Alabama You got the weight on your shoulders That’s breaking your back Your Cadillac Has got a wheel in the ditch And a wheel on the track ---
**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 14, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/117 "2022-03-14T15:20:35Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Alabama > You got the weight on your shoulders > That’s breaking your back > Your Cadillac > Has got a wheel in the ditch > And a wheel on the track Of course this song and “Southern Man” inspired “Sweet Home Alabama”. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/118 "2022-03-14T15:25:09Z")
Do NOT get me started on that song, I hate it so, so much. A celebration of Alabama’s proud, proud racism and a diss track to those who point it out. Yeup, revile is the word for it. ---
**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 14, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/119 "2022-03-14T15:26:53Z")
Yeah, Neil wasn’t dissing the song, he was dissing southern culture itself. SHA was a response to Neil’s putdowns of the south. I believe I heard that Neil and the band Lynyrd Skynyrd eventually squashed their beef and made nice. ---
**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 14, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825/120 "2022-03-14T15:29:38Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I believe I heard that Neil and the band Alabama eventually squashed their beef and made nice. I’m sure you just mistyped, but the band was Lynyrd Skynyrd. But yeah, Neil Young and the band worked it out. Neil even originally offered “Powderfinger”, one of his best songs, for them to record first. Don’t remember why they didn’t, could have had to do with the plane crash that killed half of the band. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-like-that-are-widely-reviled-by-others/960825.md?page=7)