# What's the worst song ever that reached #1? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2020, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170 "2020-04-06T04:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/61 "2020-04-06T15:31:10Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > _My Ding-a-Ling_, for two reasons > > 1. It’s a terrible piece of crap, the kind of thing that’s sung at frat parties > > 2. It’s Chuck Berry’s only #1 song, which represents all the injustice in the world I love this song. My junior high school spanish teacher had a second job working at Disneyland. Chuck Berry was scheduled to perform. A la Ed Sullivan and the Doors, he was asked not to perform My Dingaling. He played it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/62 "2020-04-06T15:40:18Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > _My Ding-a-Ling_, for two reasons > > 1. It’s a terrible piece of crap, the kind of thing that’s sung at frat parties > > 2. It’s Chuck Berry’s only #1 song, which represents all the injustice in the world [The original from 1952(!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg6-iU_Y4j8) is actually a pretty fun novelty song. The problem is Chuck drew it out way way too long–it’s over 11 minutes long in its full version! ---
**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:** [April 6, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/63 "2020-04-06T15:58:43Z")
Since someone already beat me to “Having My Baby,” here are a few unpolishables: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) > **[Torn Between Two Lovers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torn_Between_Two_Lovers)** > > "Torn Between Two Lovers" is a song written by Peter Yarrow (of the folk music trio Peter, Paul & Mary) and Phillip Jarrell that speaks about a love triangle, and laments that "loving both of you is breaking all the rules". Mary MacGregor recorded it at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in 1976 and it became the title track of her first album. > "Torn Between Two Lovers" reached No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart in February 1977 and achieved the same position on the Easy Listening chart in the final week of 19... So close…you can smell the outhouse from here: > **[I've Never Been to Me](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_Never_Been_to_Me)** > > "I've Never Been to Me" is a ballad, written and composed by Ron Miller and Kenneth Hirsch and made popular via a recording by American singer Charlene. Although its original release in 1977 barely registered on the Billboard Hot 100, its re-release in 1982 hit #3 in the US and earned her a gold certification in Australia, where it held the #1 spot for six weeks. In addition, the song topped the charts in Canada (4 weeks), Ireland (3 weeks) and the United Kingdom. It was also a top ten triu The... > **[Sometimes When We Touch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sometimes_When_We_Touch)** > > "Sometimes When We Touch" is a 1977 ballad by Canadian pop rock artist Dan Hill, from his album Longer Fuse. It was written by Hill and Barry Mann; Hill wrote the lyrics, while Mann wrote the music. > The song was Hill's biggest hit, peaking at #3 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It has since been covered by a variety of other artists. > "Sometimes When We Touch" began as a song Hill wrote in 1973, at age 19, in an attempt to convince the woman he was ... > **[Electric Avenue (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Avenue_(song))** > > "Electric Avenue" is a song written, recorded and produced by British singer and songwriter Eddy Grant, who released it on his 1982 album Killer on the Rampage. In the United States, with the help of the MTV video he shot for it, it was one of the biggest hits of 1983. The song refers to Electric Avenue in London, and to the 1981 Brixton riot in the Brixton district of the city. > The title of the song refers to Electric Avenue in the south London district of Brixton, the first market street to be... ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/64 "2020-04-06T16:10:56Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Nobody’s mentioned #1 in classical music. I submit Pachelbel’s Canon, which is nothing more than a descending major scale. It started charting back in the 70s, and has remained near the top ever since. People actually play it for their weddings. > > I have a CD called “Pachelbel’s Greatest Hit”, singular. It contains various arrangements of that horrid piece. I’ve never played that CD all the way through. [I’m sure you’ve seen this before](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM). ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/65 "2020-04-06T16:15:15Z")
No hate yet for Debby Boone’s 1977 stinker “You Light Up My Life?” In my high school days, if me droogs and I felt disrespected in a pizzaria or burger joint, we’d load quarters into the juke and cue that sucker up a few dozen times just before leaving. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/66 "2020-04-06T16:15:32Z")
> [@txjim](#): > > **Sugar Sugar** by The Archies spent 4 weeks as #1. Various stories claim that Don Kirshner tried to force it on The Monkees prior to assembling a studio band, leading to demands for more autonomy in their music. > [@pulykamell](#): > > No! That’s a great bubblegum pop song! No one shall besmirch “Sugar Sugar” on my watch! First song I thought of. Although I love some bubblegum pop, I hate that song. Sugar Sugar was 1969’s #1 song of the year in the Billboard Charts. That New Year’s Eve my friends and I were listening to KLIV’s countdown and when we heard the Archies come up in that final spot we couldn’t believe it. I mean, come on, consider the competition! [Billboard 1969 Hot 100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1969). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/67 "2020-04-06T16:37:36Z")
[Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay6CIDryEAQ) - Middle of the Road. #1 on the British pop charts. Listen at your own mental health risk. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/68 "2020-04-06T16:44:17Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > First song I thought of. Although I love some bubblegum pop, I hate that song. > > Sugar Sugar was 1969’s #1 song of the year in the Billboard Charts. That New Year’s Eve my friends and I were listening to KLIV’s countdown and when we heard the Archies come up in that final spot we couldn’t believe it. I mean, come on, consider the competition! [Billboard 1969 Hot 100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1969). Maybe we need to set it up like a tournament. Which is more offensive: Arches/Sugar Sugar -or- Ohio Express/Yummy Yummy Yummy And the winner (loser) is… [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4aQiFaCod8) Sorry, it didn’t quite make #1. Poetic justice? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/69 "2020-04-06T16:44:31Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > The Baby Boomers were in kindergarten. Whaddaya expect? The first Boomer was born in 1946, kid. Blame Woody Woodpecker in 1948 on the “Greatest” Generation. Like everything else people now blame the Boomers for. The pre-Beatles charts produced lots of r’n’r classics, some gorgeous songs, and tons of novelty tunes at number one, plus treacle so bad it makes “Billy, Don’t be a Hero” sound like Dylan. 1960 alone saw “Running Bear” by Johnny Preston; “Teen Angel” by Mark Dinning; “Alley Oop” by the Hollywood Argyles; “I’m Sorry” by Brenda Lee; “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini” by Brian Hyland; and “Mr. Custer” by Larry Verne all hit number one. So did Percy Faith’s version of “Theme from A Summer Place,” which is gorgeous but also one of the most syrupy songs ever to top the charts. And you can either count Chubby Checker’s “Twist” among the worst or greatest of hits. Honestly, why anyone was surprised when the British Invasion took over the charts in 1964 baffles me. You can argue forever about all the hidden classics but the stuff that was most played and most heard was 90% crud. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/70 "2020-04-06T17:02:50Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Maybe we need to set it up like a tournament. Which is more offensive: > > Arches/Sugar Sugar > > -or- > > Ohio Express/Yummy Yummy Yummy > > And the winner (loser) is… > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4aQiFaCod8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4aQiFaCod8) > > Sorry, it didn’t quite make #1. Poetic justice? Damn you. I like both those songs. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/71 "2020-04-06T17:04:16Z")
I went back to the lists between 1970 and looked at random years up until 2010 or so. A lot of stuff I don’t love, some I’ve never heard of, but then I saw it. That crap titled _At This Moment_by some twat named Billy Vera. Jayzus, even his name pisses me off:mad: I agree that there are plenty of songs being mentioned that don’t bother me at all, and certainly nowhere close to the dreck that is _ATM_. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/72 "2020-04-06T17:59:16Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > No! That’s a great bubblegum pop song! No one shall besmirch “Sugar Sugar” on my watch! I’m standing right beside you, Puly. j ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/73 "2020-04-06T18:11:13Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Since someone already beat me to “Having My Baby,” here are a few unpolishables: > [https://tinyurl.com/2fcpre6](https://tinyurl.com/2fcpre6) > [Torn Between Two Lovers - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torn_Between_Two_Lovers) > > So close…you can smell the outhouse from here: > [I've Never Been to Me - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_Never_Been_to_Me) > [Sometimes When We Touch - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sometimes_When_We_Touch) > [Electric Avenue (song) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Avenue_(song)) I agree with you about “Sometimes When We Touch.” Uuurrrrggghhhhhh. However, I’ve always loved “Electric Avenue”, which only made it to #2 in the U.S. (The album it was from was one good song and the rest was filler, unfortunately.) > **[Electric Avenue (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Avenue_(song))** > > "Electric Avenue" is a song written, recorded and produced by Guyanese-British singer and songwriter Eddy Grant, who released it on his 1982 album Killer on the Rampage. In the United States, with the help of the MTV video he shot for it, it was one of the biggest hits of 1983. The song refers to Electric Avenue in London, and to the 1981 Brixton riot in the Brixton district of the city. > The title of the song refers to Electric Avenue in the south London district of Brixton, the first market str... ---
**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:** [April 6, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/74 "2020-04-06T18:11:23Z")
I’m pleased to see that posters have - in the main - shown good discipline in NOT posting links to these horrors. In the last few posts there has been a little laxness - come on guys, we need to keep it together on this one! > [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > … _Mr. Blobby_ by Mr. Bobby. For completeness, I researched 40 years of UK Number Ones (giving up as this millenium broke and I became irrelevant). And no, there was nothing worse than Mr Blobby. But **Long Haired Lover From Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond** was every bit as bad. Other dishonourable mentions: Puppy Love - Donny Osmond (helluva family achievement) The Streak - Ray Stevens No Charge - JJ Barrie Earth Song - Michael Jackson\* j - - BTW - [Let’s hear it for Jarvis Cocker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarvis_Cocker#Brit_Awards_incident) ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/75 "2020-04-06T18:27:11Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > This deep into the thread and nobody’s named “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero”? #1 both in the U.K. and the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.\* > > _Billy, don’t be a hero > Don’t be a fool with your life > Billy, don’t be a hero > Come back and make me your wife_ > > If I remember correctly, “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” was inducing nausea somewhere around the same time as “Seasons In The Sun”. Or maybe it was “The Night Chicago Died”. A time of horribleness. > > \*there were two different versions, one by Paper Lace and another by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Blurgghh. You just read my mind. Seriously. You also saved me the trouble of having to post about those exact same 3 songs. For that, I thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/76 "2020-04-06T18:58:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The first Boomer was born in 1946, kid. Blame Woody Woodpecker in 1948 on the “Greatest” Generation. Like everything else people now blame the Boomers for. > > … > > 1960 alone saw “Running Bear” by Johnny Preston; “Teen Angel” by Mark Dinning; “Alley Oop” by the Hollywood Argyles; “I’m Sorry” by Brenda Lee; “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini” by Brian Hyland; and “Mr. Custer” by Larry Verne all hit number one. Personally, I would exclude novelty songs from contention. While they can be highly annoying when played incessantly, they were never intended to be good songs. They’re really just jokes set to music. I think they’re in a different category from the other songs mentioned in this thread, in which the performers were actually trying to produce something good. It’s like comparing _Sharknado_ or _Snakes on a Plane_ to _Showgirls_ or _Battlefield Earth_. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/77 "2020-04-06T19:17:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > No! That’s a great bubblegum pop song! No one shall besmirch “Sugar Sugar” on my watch! > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I’m standing right beside you, Puly. And I shall stand with you as well. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/78 "2020-04-06T19:22:10Z")
Several worthy contenders so far. I’ll vote for the first one that popped into me head: **Sugar Sugar**. But many of the ones already suggested are just as bad. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/79 "2020-04-06T19:54:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > [Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay6CIDryEAQ) - Middle of the Road. #1 on the British pop charts. Listen at your own mental health risk. About every 3 months or so this song randomly burrows into my ear and remains for at least a day or two. Thanks a lot, **Chefguy**. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170/80 "2020-04-06T20:57:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Personally, I would exclude novelty songs from contention. While they can be highly annoying when played incessantly, they were never intended to be good songs. They’re really just jokes set to music. I think they’re in a different category from the other songs mentioned in this thread, in which the performers were actually trying to produce something good. It’s like comparing _Sharknado_ or _Snakes on a Plane_ to _Showgirls_ or _Battlefield Earth_. An occasional novelty song is meaningless. A procession of novelty songs indicates that something’s severely wrong with the business. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-song-ever-that-reached-1/851170.md?page=5)