# The most cringeworthy moment in pop music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258 "2016-10-11T17:48:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/101 "2016-10-17T03:56:26Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Everyone always blames Mr. Mojo Risin’, even when the song is by Igor Beer-Biker. Hey, Biffy – got any cool anagrams for the other two Odors? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/102 "2016-10-17T04:48:00Z")
Earmark Zany. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/103 "2016-10-17T05:17:45Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Earmark Zany. Can’t beat that. Which leaves Me No Nerd, Josh. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/104 "2016-10-17T09:09:22Z")
Awesome – thanks to you both! ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/105 "2016-10-17T12:51:07Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > I’d like to nominate almost anything involving my previous neighbour Simon Fat Fuck Le Bon. Then I presume you also have hatred in your heart for anything by your other neighbour, Ozzy Osbourne. For someone whose supposed to be “The Prince of Darkness” and the epitome of cool, he sure has a soulless voice. That coupled with the meter of the lyrics just always sounds off to me. It’s like he knows the words but sings like he’s doing karaoke; he doesn’t \*own \*the song. Don’t get me started on Kevin “filthy overalls, toora loora” Rowland of Dexy’s Midnight Runners 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/106 "2016-10-17T12:57:47Z")
This video is addictive in its sheer badness: [David Hasselhoff - Hooked on a Feeling - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJQVlVHsFF8) Hasselhoff actually has a great voice but why he agreed to all the weird leaves me wondering if he was hooked on or high on something. The timing of saying “girl, you turn me on” while his daughter(s) are floating on the screen always skeeved me. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/107 "2016-10-17T19:46:16Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Then I presume you also have hatred in your heart for anything by your other neighbour, Ozzy Osbourne. For someone whose supposed to be “The Prince of Darkness” and the epitome of cool, he sure has a soulless voice. That coupled with the meter of the lyrics just always sounds off to me. It’s like he knows the words but sings like he’s doing karaoke; he doesn’t \*own \*the song. > > Don’t get me started on Kevin “filthy overalls, toora loora” Rowland of Dexy’s Midnight Runners 😛 [Just be grateful you were spared pouting 90’s dress-wearing Kevin Rowland, which may just be the most cringeworthy moment in pop history.](http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/letter_t/thunderroad_cov-kevinrowland_alb.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/108 "2016-10-17T20:44:25Z")
[quote=“Eddie The Horrible, post:91, topic:768258”] Most may disagree, but I thought this was one of the wonderful, uplifting moments in the pantheon of pop music history: (things really heat up from :47 to 1:04) [/QUOTE] Jeebus haploid… now I know that my memory of singing along with this in the car as a child is not a hallucinatory fever-dream. (shiver) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/109 "2016-10-17T21:50:33Z")
This doesn’t qualify since it’s many many cringeworthy moments, but Meat Loaf’s new **Braver Than We Are**. It just made me sad. I am trying to pretend it never happened, and overdosing on Bat Out of Hell and selected others of his. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/110 "2016-10-17T22:04:51Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > [Just be grateful you were spared pouting 90’s dress-wearing Kevin Rowland, which may just be the most cringeworthy moment in pop history.](http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/letter_t/thunderroad_cov-kevinrowland_alb.jpg) Ca. 1990, I dated a man who owned a used record store, and EVERY.SINGLE.TIME someone purchased Prince’s “Lovesexy”, they would cringe and say “…the cover…” 😛 I wonder how many of the kids’ parents knew what they were doing when they allowed them to participate in this. (RHCP’s “Aeroplane”) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vV8IAOojoAA/maxresdefault.jpg "Red Hot Chili Peppers - Aeroplane [Official Music Video]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV8IAOojoAA) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/111 "2016-10-18T03:16:57Z")
I always cringe when the song “Take the money and run” plays and that point where they try to rhyme “taxes” with “facts is” comes up. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/112 "2016-10-18T04:36:40Z")
Did I miss someone mentioning Celine Dion’s cover of [“You Shook Me All Night Long?”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21iW_YMLvmU) ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/113 "2016-10-18T05:11:46Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > After Bob Saget left “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, he did some profanity-laden HBO specials. > > There was something very incongruous about him dropping F bombs right and left. By all accounts, Saget was always blue, he just covered it up for the networks. His take on the [Aristocrats](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HW4mPZmKPM)(NSFW) is probably the gold standard. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/114 "2016-10-18T11:26:17Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > [Just be grateful you were spared pouting 90’s dress-wearing Kevin Rowland, which may just be the most cringeworthy moment in pop history.](http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/letter_t/thunderroad_cov-kevinrowland_alb.jpg) :eek::eek:Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa??? Part of me so wants to look this up but the other part of me knows that won’t be good for anyone. ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/115 "2016-10-18T14:48:39Z")
[quote=“nearwildheaven, post:110, topic:768258”] I wonder how many of the kids’ parents knew what they were doing when they allowed them to participate in this. (RHCP’s “Aeroplane”) [/QUOTE] One of the parents was the bands bassist, Flea whose daughter is front and center. And I think I heard that the other kids were from her class. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/116 "2016-10-18T21:20:26Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > [Just be grateful you were spared pouting 90’s dress-wearing Kevin Rowland, which may just be the most cringeworthy moment in pop history.](http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/letter_t/thunderroad_cov-kevinrowland_alb.jpg) I heard that “My Beauty” was actually a fairly good album, but it sold something like 500 copies in large part as a protest against the cover. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/117 "2016-10-19T13:22:22Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > [Just be grateful you were spared pouting 90’s dress-wearing Kevin Rowland, which may just be the most cringeworthy moment in pop history.](http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/letter_t/thunderroad_cov-kevinrowland_alb.jpg) This is the “winner”. Cross-dressing may not have been as accepted in 1999 as it is now but come on, it had pretty much ceased to be seen as absolutely outrageous. So, this cover already fails if it was attempting to cause a scandal. If it was trying to be all progressive then, good for him, but his posture and facial expression totally undermines the message. He just looks embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/118 "2016-10-19T13:38:57Z")
I can heartily recommend to everyone in this thread “Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs”, reading from which has become something of a family tradition. It’s not current, but for a historical perspective on this important issue it is essential. I think some posters may already be familiar with it, given some nominations. DBBoBS made me aware of several songs which are constant cringe – the big winner, of course, MacArthur Park – a song about a _cake_ in the _rain_ (and the vocals! OMG. I played the song to my husband and he thought it was a Weird Al parody – there is one of it, though, it’s pretty good, “Jurassic Park”). But the cringiest is either the chorus from “I Am, I Said” (Neil Diamond) I am, I said to no one there and no one heard at all not even the chair I say ‘not even the chair’ all the time… Or maybe the whole song “Timothy” – nothing like a pop song about cannibalism. Anyway, read the book! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/119 "2016-10-19T13:49:37Z")
I honestly don’t believe you people. Do you know nothing? 🙂 [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQRUnH7Fuxo) is the nadir of a once proud career. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258/120 "2016-10-19T18:05:51Z")
Breakfast Can Wait by Prince https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x15z5hk Starts off ok. Then there’s the helium break. A real station switcher. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-cringeworthy-moment-in-pop-music/768258.md?page=7)