- 8 months ago
From annoying earworms to controversial lyrics, some songs just rub people the wrong way. Join us as we explore the musical tracks that have historically made listeners reach for the mute button! Our countdown includes notorious hits that dominated charts but earned widespread criticism for various reasons.
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00I'm sold 3,008, you sold 2,000 and late, I got that boom boom boom, that future boom boom boom, let me get in a
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the songs that have historically had people scrambling to unplug their sound systems
00:17Check out the hook while my DJ revolves in
00:19Number 30
00:24Dance Monkey, Tones and I
00:26They say, oh my god, I see the way you shine
00:29Take your hand, my dear, and place them both in mind
00:34The only positive thing we can think of to say about this song is that Tones came out of nowhere to deliver one of this century's biggest hits, becoming one of the most stream songs ever. That's where the praise ends.
00:47Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh, I never seen anybody do the things you do before
00:55Dance Monkey lays a legitimate claim to being one of the most annoying songs ever recorded, with tones shrieking wails giving way to an unfortunate earworm of a chorus. If nothing else, you can't say that Dance Monkey is forgettable, if only because everyone who hears it wishes they could forget it.
01:14Just like a monkey, I've been dancing my whole life
01:17Number 29
01:19Miracles
01:20Insane Clown Posse
01:22If magic is all we've ever known, then it's easy to miss what really goes on, but I've seen miracles in every way
01:29Look, it's hard to argue that Violent J and Shaggy Too Dope had good intentions when crafting this ode to the beauty of everyday life. But the goodwill we've extended to them begins to run dry when you realize just how easily explainable some of the miracles listed by this song truly
01:46ours.
01:47Over a beat that sounds like what you hear when the bank puts you on hold, the Juggalo kings express
01:53amazement at such wonders of the world as giraffes, cats and dogs, and everything chilling underwater. Listening to a grown man demanding to know how magnets work before calling scientists liars will make you question whether or not the internet was a good idea.
02:0128 Facts
02:02They call me offensive, controversial, it's only two genders, boys and girls. They can't cancel my message because I'm the biggest independent rapper in the whole friggin' world.
02:07Viral hip-hop performer Tom McDonald is seemingly a walking contradiction. The rapper hails from
02:12Canada but makes mega-rap, a right wing political sub-genre that's noted for its vocifiability of
02:19this, not one of the most famous people in the world.
02:20The rapist is more than one of the most famous people who have ever been on the internet.
02:22So if you're just a high-level band, you're just gonna have to be a popular band.
02:27They can't cancel my message because I'm the biggest independent rapper in the whole
02:30friggin' world."
02:31Viral hip-hop performer Tom McDonald is seemingly a walking contradiction.
02:36The rapper hails from Canada but makes mega-rap, a right-wing political sub-genre that's noted
02:41for its vociferous support of American President Donald Trump.
02:45As such, McDonald's music routinely ticks off such hot-button, culture-war topics as
02:50quote-unquote wokeism, the anti-gender movement, and the supposed tyranny of the political
02:55left.
02:56Facts may serve as McDonald's most crystal-clear expression of his ideology to date, so much
03:08so that the song features a lifeless rap verse by firebrand conservative pundit Ben Shapiro.
03:13Tired, cliched, and just plain petulant, Facts aims to provoke controversy but instead elicits
03:19yawns from bored listeners.
03:22Homie, I'm epic, don't be a wap, dog it's a yarmulke, homie no cap, look at the graphs,
03:26look at my charts, you're blowin' money on strippers and cars.
03:2927.
03:30Stupid Ho, Nicki Minaj
03:32This pounding promo single off Minaj's Roman Reloaded album is reviled enough for even the
03:45most diehard barbs to defend.
03:47Over an unrelenting, deeply annoying beat, Nicki tears Lil Kim, her biggest rap rival, to shreds
03:54without doing her own career any favors.
03:57While a few of Nicki's bars may have you nodding your head in surprising approval, Stupid Ho
04:02is a repetitive, grating, and bizarrely squeaky misfire.
04:13The whole thing feels like a half-thought-out sketch of a song.
04:16Look at its closing moments, in which Minaj's sing-songy delivery sounds more or less improvised.
04:22We can't imagine Lil Kim was terribly offended by it anyway.
04:2926.
04:31Thongsong
04:33While it may be a guilty pleasure for some, Thongsong is a total cringe-fest for the rest
04:47of us.
04:48Ostensibly intended as a sensual come-on to a potential lover, Sisko's crowning achievement
04:53instead comes across as a deeply corny and weirdly specific plea.
04:57Let me see that thong, baby.
05:04Can you believe that it was originally intended for, take a moment to try and guess, Michael
05:09Jackson of all people.
05:11A creepy, embarrassingly sexist time capsule, Thongsong is good for a few laughs, but
05:17not much else.
05:18And that's not saying anything about actor Matthew Morrison's jaw-droppingly bad cover
05:23on Glee.
05:24Let me see that thong, baby.
05:31Number 25.
05:32The Fox
05:33What does the fox say?
05:34Ilvis
05:35Frog goes woof, cat goes meow, bird goes tweet and mouse goes squeak.
05:43In fairness, the Norwegian comedy duo, consisting of brothers Vigard and bard Ilvis Saker, was
05:49never attempting to make the next Let It Be with The Fox.
05:53An objectively silly novelty song, even by its creator's own admission, The Fox surpassed
05:58the brothers' wildest dreams and became a global phenomenon and sleeper hit.
06:03But there's one sound that no one knows, what does the fox say?
06:09The Ilvis Sakeres have admittedly claimed that they never set out to make a hit record.
06:15And we definitely believe them.
06:16Over the course of its time in the spotlight, The Fox morphed from a pleasantly diverting
06:21earworm into an omnipresent headache.
06:23We'd almost rather listen to Baby Shark at this point.
06:34Number 24.
06:35Who let the dogs out?
06:37Baha Men
06:38Who let the dogs out?
06:39Who?
06:40Who?
06:41Who?
06:42Who let the dogs out?
06:43Would you believe that this vapid sing-along was originally intended as a feminist anthem?
06:49According to Trinidadian songwriter Anselm Douglas, who first recorded the song as Doggy, revealed
06:54in an interview that the titular dogs were actually men who catcalled women.
06:59This was in addition to using degrading language to describe them.
07:02When the party was nice, the party was pumping.
07:05Hey-ya!
07:06E-I-O!
07:07As it turns out, it wasn't even the Baha Men's idea to cover Doggy in the first place.
07:11That dubious honor belongs to their manager, Steve Greenberg.
07:15Although the Bahamian group reluctantly complied, they never could have expected that Who Let
07:19the Dogs Out?
07:20would become a worldwide smash that would quickly wear out its welcome.
07:24I've never pulled my shots on!
07:25Who let the dogs out?
07:27Who?
07:28Who?
07:29Who?
07:30Who?
07:31Who?
07:32Who?
07:33Who?
07:34Who?
07:35Who?
07:36Who?
07:37Who?
07:38Who?
07:39Who?
07:40Who?
07:41Who?
07:42Who?
07:43Who?
07:44Cyrus first rose to mainstream prominence with his debut single, Eggie Breakey Hearts.
07:49It became an unexpected crossover hit, hitting No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping
07:55the charts in countries around the world.
07:57Don't tell my heart, my eggie breakey heart, I just don't think you'd understand.
08:04While it may have been beloved at the time, Eggie Breakey Heart has since developed a reputation
08:09as a song that people just love to hate, and that people hate to love.
08:13If you're going by its inclusion on VH1's 50 awesomely bad songs ever list in 2024.
08:19And if you tell my heart, my eggie breakey heart, he might blow up and kill his man.
08:2822.
08:29Boom Boom Pow, Black Eyed Peas
08:31We're not sure there was a song before Boom Boom Pow, or has been since, that's more about
08:45nothing.
08:46Over five excruciating minutes, the members of the Black Eyed Peas expound at lengths about
08:51their own greatness, determining themselves to be literally thousands of years ahead of
08:56the competition.
08:57And that's pretty much it.
09:06To the peas, the future seems to consist exclusively of references to robots, technology, and surpassing
09:13their haters.
09:14Despite this, Boom Boom Pow was an enormous hit, staying atop the Billboard Hot 100 for
09:2012 weeks, becoming the group's first to hit number one.
09:23We'll have to wait until 3008 to see if it can outlive its hated reputation.
09:3021.
09:31Ice Ice Baby, Vanilla Ice
09:33In 2021, Robert Vanilla Ice Van Winkle boldly claimed that if you released Ice Ice Baby today,
09:52it would fit into today's lyrical respect among peers.
09:56At least, I'm saying something.
09:58But while the jury is still out on that one, Ice Ice Baby has garnered substantial levels
10:03of hate for its abject silliness, paper-thin content, and unauthorized yanking of a queen's
10:09sample.
10:10To the extreme, I rock a mic like a vandal, light up a stage and watch a chump like a candle.
10:13Dance!
10:14Corrust the speaker that booms, I'm killing your brain like a poisonous mushroom.
10:17The latter charge resulted in a massive financial loss for Ice once his sampling of Under Pressure
10:23had come to light.
10:24Whether you hate Ice Ice Baby for its lack of originality, or simply for its vapidity,
10:29one thing is for sure.
10:30At least, it's something we can all agree on.
10:3320.
10:38Rockstar, Nickelback
10:41This Canadian rock band from Alberta has quite a stigma attached to their music.
10:46While they consistently found success on the radio, many of their songs seem to be disliked,
10:51including the very meme-worthy Photograph.
10:54Look at this photograph
10:56Every time I do it makes me laugh
10:59But perhaps the most hated of them all is Rockstar.
11:03Perhaps not so coincidentally, both appear on the same studio album, 2005's All The Right Reasons.
11:09Despite being a successful single, Rockstar has never really been liked.
11:21It has been called a terrible song by the likes of The Guardian and Buzzfeed, and it was even
11:26named the worst single of the year in a Pop Justice poll.
11:30Maybe it's a little too Dad Rock for most.
11:3319.
11:35Timber
11:36Pitbull featuring Kesha
11:39Is there anything more 2013 than Pitbull and Kesha?
11:42Timber was an enormous commercial success, and per Billboard, it was one of the Hot 100 songs of the 2010s.
11:49But just because it was popular doesn't necessarily mean it was any good.
12:01It may have been a club banger, but its incessant harmonica really tends to grate on the old ears.
12:07Plus, it just feels like both Pitbull and Kesha are more talented than this.
12:12It's going down, I'm yelling Timber, you better move, you better dance.
12:19That's saying nothing of the lyrics, which give off a rather dirty and skeezy vibe, or the
12:24involvement of controversial producer Dr. Luke.
12:27Let's all yell Timber and get rid of this song for good.
12:3118.
12:33Swagger Jagger
12:35Cher Lloyd
12:36We mean, you know what you're getting into with a title like Swagger Jagger.
12:41You can't stop looking at me
12:43Staring at me
12:44Be what I be
12:45You can't stop looking at me
12:47This was the first single from Cher Lloyd, who found success on the seventh season of The X Factor.
12:53It was… not a good debut to say the least.
12:56Parts of the song's melody blatantly ripped off Oh My Darling Clementine, so we're already annoyed about that.
13:03Then it bombards us with some obnoxious vocals and a piercing digital beat that sounds like a thousand vuvuzelas at a soccer game.
13:10Swagger Jagger, Swagger Jagger, you should get some of your own
13:17There's also the fact that the lyrics come across as very egotistical and self-centered.
13:22Lloyd may have Swagger, but she failed to make a good record in this instance.
13:2717.
13:28The Ketchup Song
13:30Aceraje
13:32Las Ketchup
13:34While not an enormous hit in the United States, the ketchup song swept Europe and many other countries throughout 2002.
13:40Listeners have compared the song to the Macarena as they share many stylistic traits.
13:52It has a similar propulsive dancing beat, it's also in Spanish, and it's meant for nothing more than to get people up and moving.
13:59The ketchup song was tailor-made for success, dance routine and all.
14:11But sadly, once the initial impact wears off, there's not much to enjoy.
14:16In fact, you're left with an unpleasant aftertaste, metaphorically speaking.
14:20That chorus is very repetitive and tends to get incredibly annoying after a while.
14:2616.
14:27Party In The USA
14:29Miley Cyrus
14:31Initially meant for Jessie J, Party In The USA marked a pivotal time for Miley Cyrus.
14:36With this tune, the superstar proved that she was here to stay, which is fitting since it references a literal move from Nashville to Hollywood.
14:52Now, the song is certainly catchy enough, which helps to explain how well it performed back in 2009, but it also reeks of manufactured pop.
15:01The backing track is filled with annoying whizzes and whoop-whoop style sounds, and there's no variety in the music whatsoever.
15:12In other words, it's a very cheesy number that's entirely carried by Cyrus' strong vocals.
15:1815.
15:20Selfie
15:22The Chainsmokers
15:23Even the title Selfie makes us gag.
15:26The musical duo wanted to capitalize on the titular photo craze of the early 2010s, so we got this grating tune.
15:33When Jason's at the table, I kept on seeing him look at me while he's with that other girl.
15:37Do you think he was just doing that to make me jealous?
15:39From a marketing standpoint, the idea was apparently to make a Harlem Shake-esque smash.
15:45And boy, did it work.
15:47But at least the Harlem Shake was fun.
15:49This was just irksome.
15:51The repetitive beat is insanely irritating, but the worst part is easily the shallow and harmful lyrics.
15:58Lines like, I only got ten likes in the last five minutes.
16:05Do you think I should take it down?
16:07Speaks for themselves.
16:08Can they take the whole song down while they're at it?
16:1114.
16:12The Hamster Dance Song
16:15Hampton the Hamster
16:17This one really brings back memories.
16:19A glorious time capsule back to the early internet.
16:22The Hamster Dance Song makes for great nostalgia but a horrible listening experience.
16:29The Hamster Dance meme came to be in 1998, courtesy of a student named Deidre LaCarte.
16:39The Hamster Dance song was released two years later, presumably to play off its success.
16:45But looking back, that was a mistake.
16:48The squeaky hamster voice makes our ears hurt, and it even features a very unwanted rap portion.
16:53It's just a cute meme, so we obviously weren't expecting Beethoven.
17:05But even so, this was a low point for the internet.
17:08And music.
17:1013.
17:12Stars Are Blind
17:13Paris Hilton
17:14Many listeners were going into Stars Are Blind wanting to hate it.
17:19After all, Paris Hilton was the embodiment of privilege in the early to mid-2000s.
17:23Those are the guys that wanna take me for a ride.
17:28So the idea of her manufacturing a pop career seemed like nothing more than an attempt to attain more popularity.
17:35And it was too much for some.
17:37Stars Are Blind didn't do her any favors either.
17:40Granted, the tune is nowhere near as bad as it could have been.
17:43Even though the guys are crazy, even though the stars are blind.
17:47But her breathy vocals are quite mediocre, leading some to criticize her lack of talent in that department.
17:54It's also a pretty one-dimensional track.
17:56All in all, it can be quite maddening.
17:5912.
18:01Axel F.
18:02Crazy Frog
18:03Here's a fun fact.
18:05The person who made Crazy Frog, Eric Vernquist, originally called it The Annoying Thing.
18:10When the creator is calling it annoying, you know you're in for a wild ride.
18:14The CG creation became known for its remix of Axel F, the famous instrumental from Beverly Hills Cop.
18:27The source material is the only good part of the song.
18:31All the original bits from Crazy Frog are nauseating.
18:34The gibberish singing is infuriating and takes away from an otherwise solid melody.
18:39Let's not even talk about the part where he imitates a revving motorcycle.
18:49Even though he just did.
18:51It gives us a headache.
18:52It's a quaint novelty song, but even the best novelty songs are bothersome.
18:5711.
18:58Blurred Lines
19:00Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams
19:04Blurred Lines isn't necessarily hated for its music.
19:07Rather, a lot of people take umbrage with the song's lyrical content.
19:19Critics and regular listeners alike noticed that the number encourages a type of problematic
19:23behavior where consent is overlooked.
19:26The speaker in the track is not a particularly likable man, and lines like I Know You Want
19:31It have been deemed creepy and uncomfortable.
19:34You could maybe even see them as borderline malicious.
19:41Even the music video has been criticized as sexist, with the unrated version in particular
19:45generating controversy.
19:47It's pretty hard to see past all that.
19:49It's an unnecessarily nasty song that many want nothing to do with.
19:5410.
19:55My Humps
19:57Black Eyed Peas
19:59This band was on top of the world around 2005, but that doesn't mean everything they
20:04were releasing was worth positive attention.
20:06My Humps is arguably the worst song of their career, both in terms of musical and lyrical
20:12content.
20:13It's both boring and redundant, and contains a really awful vocal melody.
20:23Plus, we can only hear My Hump so many times before it turns to gibberish in her ears.
20:28The song's lyrics were also widely criticized, with many arguing that the shameless sexual
20:33content objectifies women.
20:38My Humps has also appeared on numerous Worst Songs Ever style lists, and for good reason.
20:489.
20:49Crank That Soulja Boy
20:51Soulja Boy Tell Em
20:52This song was a bit of a phenomenon in 2007.
20:56It enjoyed seven weeks atop the Hot 100, and the iconic dance was replicated across the
21:01world.
21:02If it wasn't for that routine, Crank That would have probably faded into obscurity.
21:13The vocals are annoyingly loud and obnoxious, and whoever decided on a steel pan loop should
21:18never work in the music industry again.
21:21It doesn't make for a pleasant sound, and hearing it every couple of seconds makes us want to
21:26turn the song off real quick.
21:31Though he didn't stop making music, Soulja Boy disappeared from the mainstream scene as quickly
21:40as he came, leaving us this song to remember him by.
21:45Thanks but no thanks.
21:488.
21:49Look What You Made Me Do
21:51Taylor Swift
21:52We got dark Taylor Swift for the reputation era, and it was… polarizing.
21:57The album's lead single, Look What You Made Me Do, was a drastic departure from her past
22:02style, and it tended to divide critics and listeners.
22:05But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time. Honey, I rose up from the dead, I
22:11do it all the time.
22:13The Tough Girl lyrics are a little cringe and try-hard, like Swift is trying to be villainous
22:18rather than just being villainous.
22:20And the admittedly brilliant pre-chorus is undermined by a very disappointing hook that
22:25simply repeats the title of the song over and over again.
22:29The number had no trouble dominating the charts and getting people talking.
22:32Look what you made me do, look what you made me do, look what you just made me do, look
22:39what you just made me do, look what you just made me do.
22:41But from a musical standpoint, it felt like a disappointing comeback after the pop culture
22:45sensation that was 1989.
22:487.
22:49Cotton Eye Joe
22:51Rednecks
22:53We have to commend redneck's bravery.
22:55Who else would mix techno with bluegrass and expect it to work?
22:59But does it work?
23:08If you ask the charts, then yes, it succeeded wonderfully.
23:12Ironically, this remix of the classic American tune song became a phenomenon throughout Europe.
23:18But in terms of enjoyment, no, it did not work.
23:22The song is all over the place.
23:24Violins and banjos clash with a modern club beat and the constant chanting gets irritating
23:28after a while.
23:29Plus, the way the singing swaps between male and female vocals feels disjointed.
23:41It's a lot to digest and it sounds messy and unpleasant.
23:456.
23:46You're Beautiful
23:49James Blunt
23:50A one-pull survey once named this the most irritating song, which tells you everything you need to
23:57know.
23:58It's not a horrible track in theory, but it's a letdown through execution.
24:10Well, that and the constant radio airplay.
24:12Even James Blunt himself has admitted that it was overplayed, telling Hello Magazine that
24:17it became annoying.
24:19He's not wrong.
24:20The lyrics are a little too saccharine for many, and nasally vocals aren't everyone's
24:25cup of tea.
24:27There's also no denying the cheesiness of the music video, with the singer dramatically
24:36undressing in the rain and then jumping into the ocean.
24:39It's all very hard to genuinely enjoy.
24:425.
24:43I'm a Gummy Bear
24:45The Gummy Bear Song
24:47Gummy Bear
24:48The aughts were a very strange time for the internet.
24:52They were fun, yes, but strange.
24:54The hamster dance song must have really done a number on us because we were suddenly bombarded
24:59with annoying virtual creatures performing painfully irksome songs.
25:035.
25:04About one year after Axl F, I'm a Gummy Bear by the hilariously named Gummy Bear came out.
25:17It's arguably the worst of the 2000s novelty songs, and that's saying something.
25:23The high-pitched and auto-tuned vocals couldn't be more bothersome, and it's just all-around
25:28aggravating.
25:29If anything, the song proves the scary power of internet memes.
25:41If they can turn this into a popular song, then they can really do anything.
25:464.
25:47Whip My Hair
25:48Willow Smith
25:50The best thing we can say about this song is that then-nine-year-old Willow Smith had
25:55a heck of a voice.
25:56Many critics compared it to Rihanna's body of work, and that's no small compliment.
26:01It's a shame that her vocals were overshadowed by one of the worst choruses of the decade.
26:12It consists of nothing but the line, I whip my hair back and forth, which is endlessly
26:17repeated over and over again with an unsavory screech.
26:28It makes the song seem ten times longer than it actually is, and it completely ruins what
26:33could have been otherwise a pleasant listening experience.
26:36We're just a little unclear.
26:37Does she whip her hair back and forth, or not?
26:413.
26:42It's Everyday Bro
26:44Jake Paul featuring Team 10
26:47Jake Paul is one of the most notorious figures on the internet, and not always for positive reasons.
26:52But does the song deserve all the hate it receives?
26:55If you ask us, yes.
27:04It's a diss track aimed at various internet celebrities, but Paul isn't a rapper.
27:09In fact, his rapping is horrible.
27:11And then there are the lyrics.
27:13The Team 10 members shamelessly boast about their riches and fame, and it's not something
27:18that people want to hear.
27:25Plus, you know you're getting a lyrical masterpiece with lines like England is my city.
27:29Sure, the video racked up views, but it was also widely hated.
27:33Why don't they brag about that next time?
27:362.
27:37Friday – Rebecca Black
27:414.
27:42Rebecca Black was really brought through the ringer after Friday was released.
27:46The song was immediately criticized by pretty much everyone and became a national laughingstock.
27:507am waking up in the morning, gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs, gotta have my bowl, gotta
27:56have cereal.
27:57Every aspect of the tune was viciously picked apart, from Black's auto-tuned vocals to the
28:03gloriously meme-worthy lyrics like Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards.
28:09The song spread through social media like wildfire, and was even the most disliked video on YouTube
28:14for a while.
28:15Black herself certainly didn't deserve the vitriol that was spewed her way, but there's
28:25no denying that it really is a dreadful song.
28:28At least it serves as a great throwback to 2011?
28:32Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
28:36about our latest videos.
28:38You have the option to be notified for occasional videos, or all of them.
28:41If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
28:481.
28:49Baby Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris
28:53Justin Bieber has really come a long way since Baby.
28:56Released in 2010, it immediately made him a musical pariah.
29:08The song was widely reviled and, though Bieber's fame grew, he personally attracted hatred the
29:13likes of which was rather staggering.
29:16Despite its chart success, the song remained the most disliked video in YouTube's history
29:20for years.
29:21Aside from a temporary knockdown by Friday, Baby held on to that not-so-desirable spot until
29:26the infamous 2018 YouTube Rewind.
29:38Bieber's hair, the painfully redundant chorus, and even the romantic lyrics crooned by the
29:42teenage singer came together in a mishmash of true musical depravity.
29:46Thankfully, Bieber has long moved on from Baby, growing up and maturing musically, to become an incredibly beloved and respected artist.
29:54Which song on our list do you hate the most?
29:58Are there any you secretly love?
30:00Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
30:02Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Be the first to comment