This thread is devoted to songs that don't quite make the "Worst of . . ." lists. Songs that may actually be pretty good except for one or two annoying aspects.

My first pick:

"Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve -- a hauntingly beautiful melody undermined by the singer's incessant whining. I wanted to yell "Get over yourself!" at the radio.

Worse, the band was sued by the Rolling Stones for plagiarising one of their earlier records. (Plagiarists always rate low in my book.)

"Mo Money, Mo Problems" was as catchy as could possibly be for a late 90's hip hop song. But upon closer review a few things were apparent: the creative focus of an entire record label (and by extension, huge part of the genre) was becoming more concerned about being commercial and appeasing to a larger audience than breaking new ground.

It marks the transition from perhaps the best age ever in rap music to the era that's been in place since. The raw 'truth' feel of the early 90's rap (even when humorous) was replaced with a genre wide notion of playing it safe, giving the audience what it wanted and showing how cool you were instead of how you really were. Hip-hop entered it's glam metal phase.

Puffy could never make a good song on his own, but he knew how to bring out the best in others. Here he decided instead of doing just that, he'd exploit them to get his own fame--even his dead best friend.

"Friday" by Rebecca Black! It's good/bad.

No Such Thing
John Mayer

The sound is great, I like that a lot. But the LYRICS! The narrator (whether an amalgamation of the singer/songwriters or a fictional character) is an insufferable teenager sure that he is the only one who sees things for what they really are and everyone else is just another sheep. Maybe that's the point, but still...ugh.


Underneath It All
No Doubt

More lyrics problems. "And when it's bad I guess it's not that bad" ?!?! The whole thing sounds like someone justifying the type of relationship that involves repeated calls to the cops.

"Her Diamonds" - Rob Thomas

I don't buy his music, but always get into the energy and vibe when Thomas is played on the radio. This song just felt like a retread of things he has done so much better in the past. No punch.

Teeds -- I agree with both of those. For years, I thought Gwen Stefani was singing, "Unbelievable".

"Love Is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar

I like the concept of the song and Benatar's anguished/angry vocals, but the bass line is annoyingly repetitive. Worse, every time I hear the song, I still think of the goofy video, in which too-old-to-play-a-teenage-runaway Pat stands up to a pimp -- while dancing, no less!

The literal video version is hilarious!

^

"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'connor

Not sure why but I never really knew whether I liked or hated this song. I guess that makes it a perfect choice (for me anyway) for this thread.

"Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider

An awesome song with a message about hatred that's even more relevant today than it was in 1981 -- but Tom Cochrane's reedy voice renders the lyrics almost impossible to decipher and ruins the effect that the song should have had.

(Curiously enough, this wasn't a problem for Cochrane's later solo hit, "Life Is a Highway".)

Bryan Adams' "Run To You" is a great hook/melody line thrown away on his boring-ass singing and paint-by-numbers lyrics.

Somebody like Marshall Crenshaw or T-Bone Burnett wouldn't have wasted an opportunity like that.

That was too funny, Rocky! Thanks for the link.

I feel that way about pretty much every Bryan Adams song (though I do like "Summer of '69").

I don't share Teeds' extreme dislike for Ben Folds' "Brick." But it doesn't really do anything for me. It's supposed to be about abortion, and I'm all for songs about the human side of controversial events. However, the song's actual content is so vague and listless that it could theoretically be about anything. Or nothing.

Folds is better when he sticks to snarky humor a la' "Uncle Walter" and "Rockin' the Suburbs."

I always thought "Brick" was about a girlfriend who's dying.

I have to throw it in for C & C Music Factory - Everybody Dance Now.

The song itself is horrible, and makes my ears want to bleed, but at the same time I find myself bobbibg my head and wanting to bust a move lol.