There were some awful ones, including at least one Partridge Family offering, but I have to go with “Candyman” by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Wow! I’m shocked. I never got so tired of a song as that one.
It makes me throw up in my mouth alittle. :smack:
Over at Stereogum, they have the tri-weekly The Numbers Onescolumn where all the #1 Billboard singles since 1958 are reviewed. Right now, the column is up to 1980 and so far, Paul Anka’s “You’re Having My Baby” from 1974 ranks at the bottom with Donny Osmond’s 1972 cover of “Go Away Little Girl” not far behind. Although there have been some other #1 songs that annoy me almost as much, I have to agree with Stereogum’s assessment of Anka’s failed attempt at being a sensitive male.
I’m not posting a link to the song because I have a sense of basic human decency. Instead, here’s Stereogum’s review. https://www.stereogum.com/2045758/the-number-ones-paul-ankas-youre-having-my-baby-feat-odia-coates/franchises/the-number-ones/
A lot of these are pretty tame where “Worst Ever” is concerned, I think. Maybe we just have a greater capacity for the truly, cataclysmically dire here in the UK, but In the Year 2525 really isn’t that bad.
Especially when you consider There’s No-one Quite Like Grandma by St. Winifred’s School Choir, Grandad by Clive Dunn, or Mr. Blobby by Mr. Bobby.
Duplicate post
“The Woody Woodpecker Song” hit number in 1948.
The UK chart, until fairly recently, was 100% based on sales, whereas the Hot 100 was always a hybrid of sales and airplay. (Both charts now include streaming as well.) As a result, it was a lot easier for novelty songs to chart in the UK - perhaps most prominently demonstrated when “Killing in the Name” beat out a Miley Cyrus cover to become the Christmas #1 in 2009.
*Shaddap You Face *by Joe Dolce, the song that kept *Vienna *by Ultravox forever a #2.
The Carpenters’ “Close to You” is really pretty awful. If anyone but Karen Carpenter had sung it, it would have sunk like a rock. It’s really her voice that made it to #1, not Burt Bacharach’s lyrics.
But just to make sure, I listened to “Honey” again. Well, about 25 seconds of it.
Yup, that’s the worst. I have to put “Close to You” at #2. “Close to You” is sort of the Plan 9 from Outer Space of pop songs, which means it does have entertainment value, just unintended. “Honey” is someone telling a story, but singing it. A really boring, stupid story you are looking around, trying to find an excuse to walk away from. “Oops,” there’s my bus. Yeah, tree. You’ll meet someone else. Don’t call me, I’ll call you."
The Baby Boomers were in kindergarten. Whaddaya expect?
Hal David’s lyrics, right?
My two picks are taken.
All right, let’s get some teamwork together here. I need someone from Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, or Switzerland to get in here and nominate “What’s Up” 4 Non Blondes. I’m surprised to see that even though this is an American band, the song actually performed better on international charts than the U.S. one. I guess we Americans just have better taste than the rest of y’all. 
100% thought this would just be people saying The Macarena over and over again
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.
Lou Bega’s version of Mambo no. 5 (A little bit of Monica…) got kind of irritating. Wish I could mention something more recent. No, wait, that’s why I stopped listening to pop radio, so I’m thankful I can’t mention anything more recent.
James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful. There are more vomit-inducing songs around (like All for Love, Nine Million Bicycles, All I Wanna Do), but how this turd rose to No. 1 is beyond me.
People in this thread are naming a lot of good or at least decent songs.
I wanted to say Muskrat Love, but it never got higher than #4, which is still more than it deserved.