My wife and I used to frequent a gay club with a friend of ours (who often performed in the drag shows), and I asked him why they always played that song.
He smiled and said that it was because the mumbling “ah boo dee ah boo die” sounded like “I’m in need of a guy”…and damn it, to this day, that’s all I hear whenever that song (infrequently) gets played!
The White Stripes have some song that starts with something like
“I’ve been think about my love bell, when you gonna ring it? When you gonna ring it?”
I cannot say if its the worst song ever, because I’ve successfully managed to destroy whatever sound device is emitting the song within the first ten seconds of it being played.
Perhaps the song develops into a beautiful composition that would make Beethoven weep with joy. I don’t know.
Anything Blood, Sweat and Tears song sung by David Clayton Thomas (that’s all of them after the first album, which he wasn’t on). The worst may be his butchering of “Sympathy for the Devil.”
After DCT/BST, the worst song I’ve ever heard is “Green Tamborine,” by the Lemon Pipers. Worse, even, than “Honey.”
Yeah, the horror of a gang rape is breezed over, to get to the glory of a guy showing he’s not afraid of a bar fight.
I must say, though, that on reflection, the Kenny Rogers version of that song may not be as bad as the cover by …the Chipmunks… although at least that master showman Alvin had the sense to turn the rape into a beating of the coward’s buddy.
To be “truly the worst” a song would have to be both poorly conceived and poorly executed. Most of the tripe listed here may be one or the other, but not both.
KCSuze has a real competitor with the Shaggs.
For me, the answer is simple: Louie Louie by the Kingsmen. Indecipherable lyrics, poorly sung, with ameturish accompaniement and 5th-rate production standards.
Nah, you lose. Abba was a fantastic pop band. Great hooky melodies, fun harmonies, dancy tunes… What more do you want from pop music. They should be the very blueprint for good pop songwriting.
Anyhow, my submission, actually, I’ll give you an entire album:
Attilla, Billy Joel’s unbelievingly embarassing attempt at prog rock (before he found his voice as a rather vanilla pop singer with some decent tunes.) Read the review. I cannot do this record justice.