# The worst song in the world -- scientifically **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435 "2009-02-18T19:47:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [February 19, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/21 "2009-02-19T03:23:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > They obviously never heard [Florence Foster Jenkins](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4f77T-LoM). > > (I dare you to listen to the whole thing.) Oh, thank you. I’ve read about the inglorious Ms. Jenkins for years but have never had the… pleasure… of experiencing her voice. What the hell made her think she could sing _The Magic Flute_? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/22 "2009-02-19T03:50:02Z")
I heard this on a podcast a couple of weeks ago, and I actually really liked it. I guess I really do have no taste. I was already planning on buying it off iTunes once I have my regular computer back from repairs. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/23 "2009-02-19T04:15:42Z")
I’ve heard of this song before, but never listened to it. It really is the best new song to me I’ve heard all year (2009). They could have made it better, by not skipping tempos too much and having more interesting breaks when they did, but hey, they did _try_ to make a bad song. ---
**Author:** ![Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kneepants_Erasmus_the_Humanist)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/24 "2009-02-19T05:50:07Z")
I listened to it for about 15 minutes. I planned on hearing the entire thing, but it started to feel like I imagine a schizophrenic episode would. Do all your shopping…AT WALMART! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/25 "2009-02-19T05:55:55Z")
I heard bits of this on NPR years ago. I only caught the “Labor Day” bit, and assumed they picked Labor Day because it means the end of summer and that obnoxious, maudlin telethon. Anyway, it’s 7 min in and I’m still listening, though my attention’s flagging a bit. At 3:45 or so, when the tubas and bagpipes collided, I was ROTFL. This music reminds me of the dreams I have when I miss a dose of Effexor. Vivid, random, sensory chaos. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/26 "2009-02-19T05:59:43Z")
I… honestly don’t know how to describe this. On so many levels, it’s not so much _bad_ as it is _hilarious_. Especially the repeated interludes of kids singing about holidays. Those absolutely cracked me up. The regular head-on collisions and musical non-sequiturs had me rolling too. Really, I don’t think they succeeded in their aim, unless I’m one of those “fewer than 200 individuals,” because I actually enjoyed listening to this. I dunno. When I first read “Scientifically Engineered Worst Song,” I thought they had employed neurology and psychology and scientology to assemble a set of chord and melodic progressions that would be universally unenjoyable by all except the deaf. It almost seems like what they’ve done here is simply concatenate a series of individual pieces in the hopes that everybody would find _some_ part of the song objectionable. That seems like cheating to me. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/27 "2009-02-19T06:15:28Z")
You know, upon further reflection, I’m not sure that anything in this piece could be fairly described as a non-sequitur. Despite all the apparent insensibility of the musical combinations and sequences presented, there’s a certain regularity and structure to the whole piece; while the individual parts may be designed to offend the senses through dissonance and outright incoherency, they are nonetheless arranged into an almost articulate whole that one cannot fail to appreciate on subsequent listenings. Its movements may seem frenzied aural flagellations whose only object is to inflict pain upon the listener, but there is an undeniable method to their madness. I realize now that, most often when the sudden onset of some new horror bent me over with laughter, it was not because the new assault was unexpected; rather, I laughed because, on some level, it was _precisely_ what I knew must follow. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/28 "2009-02-19T07:53:30Z")
Holy shit, that was awesome! Sounds like Mr. Bungle plus Nina Hagen on acid. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/29 "2009-02-19T08:09:19Z")
I bought the CD years ago. To me, the “most unwanted song” is better than the “most wanted song.” The “unwanted” song is creative and funny, while the “wanted song” is pap. I think the real purpose of the project is to show how bad art can be when the only goal is to appeal to popular taste. I believe they succeeded. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/30 "2009-02-19T11:04:35Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I bought the CD years ago. Is it still available somewhere? Oh, and personally, I think operatic rapping is gonna be _the_ style of the new millennium. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/31 "2009-02-19T13:16:45Z")
Ya Hoooooooo! Ya Hoooooooo! Ya HOOOOOOOOO! I’m glad I don’t shop at Wal\*Mart or I’d be singing that song in the aisles and getting weirder looks. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/32 "2009-02-19T16:20:49Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Is it still available somewhere? > > Oh, and personally, I think operatic rapping is gonna be _the_ style of the new millennium. Operatic _cowboy_ rapping. To tell the truth, I quite liked it. I routinely hear worse stuff than that on the radio. RR At Wal-Mart! ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/33 "2009-02-19T16:43:31Z")
I wish I could make music this good. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/34 "2009-02-19T17:23:19Z")
How could they fail so miserably? This isn’t even in the top 500 worst songs I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/35 "2009-02-19T17:30:50Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > How could they fail so miserably? This isn’t even in the top 500 worst songs I’ve ever heard. I think they failed to account for emergent properties – all the parts they’ve used are often the aim of scorn and ridicule when it comes to music (kiddie choirs, polka rhythms, bagpipes etc.), but the whole, especially owing to the utterly nonsensical and hilarious combination of the parts, ended up to be something quite bigger than anticipated. Plus, there’s always the effect that something most liked/disliked on average is actually only averagely liked or disliked by the individual – the world’s funniest joke, as decided by a representative cross section of the populace, likely won’t be the one that you in particular laugh at the most. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/36 "2009-02-19T17:42:40Z")
Well, I finished, and I actually quite liked it. The kids singing about holidays was great and I found myself anticipating the next one after every round, and the last movement was really good too. I think they set out to make a good song and tried to get publicity for it by calling it the worst song ever. If they really wanted to make a bad song they would’ve either A) gotten a guy who can’t sing, play an instrument, or write a song to sing, play an instrument, and write a song, or B) made a tweeny-bop song. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/37 "2009-02-19T21:05:04Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I think they failed to account for emergent properties – all the parts they’ve used are often the aim of scorn and ridicule when it comes to music (kiddie choirs, polka rhythms, bagpipes etc.), but the whole, especially owing to the utterly nonsensical and hilarious combination of the parts, ended up to be something quite bigger than anticipated. I like kiddie choirs, polka rhythms, and bagpipes, so that may be why I enjoyed this piece. The obnoxious shouting woman was the only part that really grated on me. RR ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/38 "2009-02-19T21:06:18Z")
What’s there not to like about GEORGE STEPHANOLPOULOS? ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/39 "2009-02-19T21:14:02Z")
These scientists need to listen to some [merzbow](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGzrL8J0t-c). ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435/40 "2009-02-19T21:25:43Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > The same people were behind both projects. The “Most Unwanted” song project was based on an Internet survey. There was an accompanying “Most Wanted” song (a schlocky smooth rock/R&M love song), designed to appeal to the largest group of people. > > The point of all this was more a commentary on commercialized art and the creative process than a genuine attempt to produce the “best” painting or song. I find the “Most Wanted” song rather interesting. It sounds pretty much like every single song I’ve ever heard on the “pop” stations, which suggests that commercial pop music has managed to achieve the same thing by trial and error that these guys did with a survey. The “Most Unwanted” song is difficult for me–there’s stuff that I like (bagpipes), but more than enough stuff that makes me cringe (kiddie choirs) to keep me from making it through more than a few minutes of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-song-in-the-world-scientifically/486435.md?page=3)