List of music considered the worst
The list of music considered the worst consists of albums or songs that have been considered the worst music ever made by various combinations of music critics, television broadcasters (such as MTV), radio stations, composers and public polls. A piece of music needs to have been notable, popular, or memorable to be deemed the "worst ever", or it would be unlikely to top all-time public polls a few years after it was released. As such, a piece usually needs to have had a high profile at the time of its release, such as an unexpected hit that was highly disliked outside of its fanbase. Scholarly accounts of the "worst music ever" are rare. Most polls or critical lists are light-hearted in nature, especially in pop music. Magazines reflect the preferences of their readers, and if polls are influenced by too small a group of readers or critics, they provide unreliable results. Most "worst ever" lists do not aim to take into account all music ever created, but are limited to certain time periods, styles of music, and geographical areas. Furthermore, individual tastes can vary widely, to the point where very little consensus on a worst song can be achieved; the winning song in a CNN e-mail poll received less than 5 percent of the total votes cast.[1] There are a handful of scholars who have done more in-depth analysis of music perceived to be bad, including Irwin Chusid, Barry Hansen (better known by the stage name Dr. Demento) and Darryl W. Bullock, author of the 2013 book The World's Worst Records.[2]
Albums
Due to their longer playing time than songs, albums contain material that most people, apart from fans and professional critics, will not have heard and have serious flaws. Therefore, "worst-ever" lists usually contain poorly recorded albums that many readers or viewers have not heard in their entirety, or the "worst" or most disappointing albums by well-regarded artists. An artist's actions or reputation might also influence the results. Such lists are harder to compile in the form of a public poll, unlike singles or music videos, which will usually have been heard or seen even by non-fans of the artist.
- Philosophy of the World, The Shaggs (1969)
- The Shaggs, who had previously had minimal exposure to music, recorded this album at the behest of the band members' father, Austin Wiggin; the album achieved wide release in 1980, long after the band had disbanded and Wiggin had died. Chris Connelly wrote for Rolling Stone: "Without exaggeration, [Philosophy of the World] may stand as the worst album ever recorded."[3] Debra Rae Cohen, also writing for Rolling Stone, was so enthralled by the album's poor quality that she referred to it as "the sickest, most stunningly awful wonderful record I've heard in ages".[4]
- Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, Screaming Lord Sutch (1970)
- This supergroup led by Sutch, a man with dubious musical talent but a pioneer in the horror rock genre, included a list of some of Britain's best known rock musicians, many of whom disowned the record when it was released. It was mentioned as the worst record ever released in a 1998 BBC poll.[5] A negative review published in Rolling Stone called Sutch "absolutely terrible" and lamented that under the restrictions of the project, the collection of talented musicians on hand were made to sound "like a fouled parody of themselves".[6]
- Having Fun with Elvis on Stage, Elvis Presley (1974)
- The album was a recording of an Elvis Presley concert that contained almost no actual music, and instead consisted mainly of banter and jokes from between numbers, compiled in a seemingly incomprehensible manner. It ranked No. 1 in Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell's list of the worst rock and roll albums in the 1991 book The Worst Rock and Roll Records of All Time, duly noting the lack of rock and roll on the album.[7]
- Metal Machine Music, Lou Reed (1975)
- A reputedly "unlistenable" album, consisting entirely of guitar feedback loops, ranked No. 2 in the 1991 book The Worst Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time by Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell.[8] In 2005, Q magazine included the album in a list of "Ten Terrible Records by Great Artists", and it ranked #4 in Q's 50 worst albums of all-time list.
- Two the Hard Way, Allman and Woman (1977)
- This was the only significant collaboration between the husband-and-wife team of Cher (who had recently divorced from Sonny Bono) and Gregg Allman, the surviving namesake of the recently broken-up Allman Brothers Band. Reviews of the album, the genre of which is difficult to define, were resoundingly negative, with a review in the Rolling Stone Record Guide labeling the album "worthless", "bottom of the barrel" and the most "inappropriate combination (imaginable)". The unsuccessful Two the Hard Way Tour, marred by financial losses and the return of Allman's alcoholism, led to the couple's breakup. Cher, who acquired the rights to the album, has refused to allow it to be rereleased in any form.[9]
- Soundtrack to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, various artists (1978)
- A glam rock and disco Beatles cover album, the release was named "worst ever" by Maxim in April 2000— in a top 30 list which mostly contained pop albums from the '70s to '90s.[10][11] The soundtrack proved a disaster in the career of the Bee Gees (who were hurt even further by the backlash against disco a year later) and the other artists involved in the soundtrack, except for Earth, Wind & Fire, whose well regarded cover of "Got to Get You Into My Life" sold one million copies and reached the Top 10 in the United States when issued as a single.[12] It was the first album in history to "return platinum" as stores took over four million copies of it off their shelves to ship back to their distributors. The RSO Records organization destroyed hundreds of thousands of copies, providing the company with a huge financial hole from the soundtrack's failure.[13]
- Elvis' Greatest Shit, Elvis Presley (1982)
- A posthumous bootleg compilation album, consisting largely of outtakes and a selection of Elvis' movie soundtrack songs of the 1960s, was deliberately made to highlight the worst of his career. Critics largely agreed that the pseudonymous compiler of the record succeeded in picking Presley's worst work.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
- Thank You, Duran Duran (1995)
- A cover album, named the worst ever album by Q magazine in March 2006.[24][25]
- Playing with Fire, Kevin Federline (2006)
- The only album recorded by Kevin Federline, the ex-husband of Britney Spears. The record holds the distinction of being the lowest-scoring on review aggregator Metacritic, with a rating of just 15.[26] It was also a commercial failure, with second-week sales of only 1,500.[27]
- Chinese Democracy, Guns N' Roses (2008)
- Mired in development hell for 14 years, this album received widely polarized responses, ranging from positive to scathing. Popular music historian Stephen Davis named it "the worst album ever".[28] Ayre Dworken, former music editor of the now-defunct Heeb magazine,[29] wrote: "Chinese Democracy is the worst album I have heard in years, if not, in all my life of listening to music."[30] The "terrible" record was included in Wired magazine's unranked list of the "5 Audio Atrocities to Throw Down a Sonic Black Hole",[31] and placed first in Guitar Player's "10 Awful Albums by 10 Amazing Bands".[32] In Time Out New York, both music editor Steve Smith and columnist Jay Ruttenberg named Chinese Democracy as the worst record of 2008.[33]
- Eoghan Quigg, Eoghan Quigg (2009)
- Quigg's only album met with universal derision, and has been described by numerous reviewers as the worst record ever made.[34] One such writer was Peter Robinson of The Guardian, who called it an "album so bad that it would count as a new low for popular culture were it possible to class as either culture... or popular".[35] Contemplating the worst record of all time, a Popjustice critic said that "decades into the future, Eoghan Quigg's album Eoghan Quigg will be the one that scoops the accolade".[36]
- JLS, JLS (2009)
- The lowest-rated album of all time at review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic?[37]
- Lulu, Lou Reed and Metallica (2011)
- Stuart Berma in Pitchfork Media awarded the album 1/10, and, in pondering its "Worst Album of All Time" status on the internet, wrote: "Even in that regard, Lulu disappoints. For all the hilarity that ought to ensue here, Lulu is a frustratingly noble failure."[38] In response to massive backlash from previous Metallica fans, Lou Reed stated: "I don't have any fans left. After Metal Machine Music (1975), they all fled. Who cares? I'm in this for the fun of it."[39]
- Streets in the Sky, The Enemy (2012)
- Daily Record writer Rick Fulton reported that several of his readers considered Streets in the Sky to be "among the very worst releases of the year [2012], and indeed, all time".[40] Critics were similarly harsh: the album is the second-lowest rated in history at review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic?,[37] and is the worst-reviewed of 2012 at fellow aggregator Album of the Year.[41] John Calvert of Drowned in Sound awarded the record an unprecedented 0/10 and described it as "the un-music";[42] Neil Kulkarni in The Quietus agreed that the album is not "actually music", and is akin to "shite, in the noonday sun, attracting flies".[43] Both critics wished for no further recordings from the band.[42][43]
- Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven, Kid Cudi (2015)
- Kid Cudi's debut psychedelic rock album was met with brutal reception from critics upon release in late 2015, notably that of popular Youtube critic and entertainer The Needle Drop, whom of which awarded it his second ever 0/10 rating and a spot at the top of his "Worst Albums of 2015" list.[44] The album has since seen much ridicule and negative reception across the internet, even despite open endorsements from fellow musicians such as Kanye West and Erykah Badu.[45]
Songs
The following songs have been named by critics, broadcasters, composers and listeners as the "worst ever". Examples of sources include VH1's "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever" and Blender's "Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!".
Because of the nature of the pop single that developed in the 20th century, most of these entries are five minutes long or less.
- "I Want My Baby Back", Jimmy Cross (1965)
- In 1977, British DJ Kenny Everett named the novelty song as the absolute worst of a bottom thirty song listing done after a public vote. The single was a moderate commercial success but killed the singing career of its vocalist, Jimmy Cross, who failed to achieve any kind of traction with serious work afterwards. A parody of the teenage tragedy song trend, the lyrics of the song feature a male protagonist lamenting the death of his girlfriend before finally joining her in her coffin. In the book The World's Worst Records: Volume One, music critic Darryl W. Bullock wrote that the track is "[r]outinely considered the worst record of all time".[46]
- "MacArthur Park", Richard Harris (1968)
- The Jimmy Webb-penned "MacArthur Park" is popularly held as the worst song ever written.[47] In 1992, Miami Herald journalist Dave Barry conducted a poll among his readers who selected the Harris original as the worst track ever recorded, both in terms of "Worst Lyrics" and "Worst Overall Song". Barry commented: "[I]t's hard to argue with survey respondents who chose it as the worst."[48]
- "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", The Beatles (1968)
- "Loathed" by band member John Lennon,[49] this track was voted the worst ever recorded in a listener poll organised by Mars.[50] It also appeared in Blender's "50 Worst Songs Ever".[51]
- "(You're) Having My Baby", Paul Anka (1974)
- The No. 1 worst song as voted on by CNN.com users in 2006; even at the time of the song's release, it received extensive backlash from feminists for its traditional portrayal of pregnancy.[1]
- "Dance with Me", Reginald Bosanquet (1980)
- A disco song with lyrics narrated in the style of a British newscast (Bosanquet was a news anchor for Independent Television News at the time), was voted number one 1 in the Bottom 30 by listeners of British DJ Kenny Everett in 1980.[52]
- "The Birdie Song", The Tweets (1981)
- Voted the most annoying track of all time in a 2000 Dotmusic poll.[53] The Clash guitarist Mick Jones also named it the worst song ever written (along with "Billy Don't Be a Hero" by Paper Lace),[54] as did Simon Burnton in The Guardian.[55]
- "True", Spandau Ballet (1983)
- "True" was named the single worst song in history by Guardian journalist Luke Williams[55] and St. Petersburg Times music columnist Sean Daly.[56] Williams had particular derision for Gary Kemp's lyrics, saying: "I mean, 'Why do I find it hard to write the next line?'. It's because you're a crap songwriter, idiot."[55] Seattle Post-Intelligencer critic Robert Jamieson called it the worst love song of all time.[57] The track has also appeared in unranked lists such as the Houston Press' "10 Songs We Never, Ever Want to Hear Again, Ever",[58] and NME's "50 Worst Pop Lyrics of All Time".[59]
- "Agadoo", Black Lace (1984)
- Many newspaper and Internet music critics agree that this song is one of the worst ever. When it was re-released in 2009, many newspapers printed the headline "worst song ever".[60] It was ranked the worst song in pop history in a Guardian newspaper article in 2009. It was banned from being played on BBC Radio 1 for a period because it was not "credible".[61] It was also rated the worst song ever in a 2003 Q magazine poll.[62]
- "Sussudio", Phil Collins (1985)
- Critic Michael Saunders in the Sun-Sentinel named "Sussudio" as the worst song of the rock era, describing it as "insipid" and "indefensibly stupid".[63] Guardian journalist Tom Service wrote: "'Sussudio' brings me out in a cold sweat... there's no colder or more superficial sound in popular music."[64] In listing the track as the second-worst ever, Michael Musto in The Village Voice said that it "could have been the theme song for the Third Reich, it was that insidious and evil".[65] Creative Loafing Charlotte writer Matt Brunson called it "the worst song of the [1980s], no question".[66] The track has also been criticised for sounding too similar to Prince's "1999";[67] Mark Caro in the Chicago Tribune labelled it a "ripoff".[68]
- "We Built This City", Starship (1985)
- Despite this single off the group's album Knee Deep in the Hoopla being a No. 1 hit, it ranked No. 1 in "Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!" list in Blender,[69] and "The 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s" in Rolling Stone.[70] Penned by songwriters outside of the band, the track has been disowned by the group's lead singer, Grace Slick.[69]
- "Don't Worry, Be Happy", Bobby McFerrin (1988)
- This song was named by Village Voice critic Michael Musto as the worst of all time,[65] and it topped Q100 DJ Bert Weiss's list of tracks he would forever ban from radio.[71] In the "50 Worst Songs Ever", Blender said that "it's difficult to think of a song more likely to plunge you into suicidal despondency than this", and also lambasted its "appalling" lyrics.[69]
- "Ice Ice Baby", Vanilla Ice (1990)
- This track has garnered the label of the "worst song of all time".[72] Spinner editors ranked it the second-worst track in history,[73] while Blender staff placed it fifth.[69] A Houston Press critic named it as the worst song ever to emanate from the state of Texas, and said it "set back the cause of white people in hip-hop a decade".[74] The track was also said to have "ripped off" the 1981 Queen and David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure",[75] which Ice initially denied but later admitted to.
- "Achy Breaky Heart", Billy Ray Cyrus (1992)
- "Achy Breaky Heart" regularly appears at the top of "worst songs ever" lists.[76] The track was named the worst of all time in The Independent on Saturday,[77] and was ranked second in Blender's "50 Worst Songs Ever".[69] It also placed first in a Sydney Morning Herald reader poll to determine the worst track of the 1990s,[78] and was voted by Chicago Tribune readers as the worst song of 1992.[79]
- "Could It Be Magic", Take That (1992)
- This cover of the 1975 Barry Manilow track was voted the worst song in history in a 2004 public poll organised by Diesel.[80] NME reviews editor Anthony Thornton called it "the worst song in the world".[80]
- "What's Up?", 4 Non Blondes (1993)
- In an Independent interview, composer Stuart Braithwaite named this track the worst ever written,[81] while peer Dean Ween told The A.V. Club: "Everything about the song is so awful that if I sat down and tried to write the worst song ever, I couldn't even make it 10 percent of the reality of how awful that song is."[82] Tara Dublin in The Huffington Post wrote that is it, "without question, the worst song of the 1990s".[83] Gawker journalist Brian Moylan included the track in an unranked list of the "10 Party Songs We Never Ever Want to Hear Again".[84]
- "Mr Blobby", Mr Blobby (1993)
- Blobby's self-titled Christmas release is regarded by many as the worst single,[85] and indeed, song,[86] of all time. It has been ranked at, or near, the top of various "worst songs" lists compiled from both journalistic[87][88][89] and public opinion.[90][91][92]
- "Life", Des'ree (1998)
- Although "Life" was Des'ree's biggest hit in Europe ("You Gotta Be" was a bigger hit in North America), the song was widely mocked for its lyrics. The song, and in particular the verse "I don't want to see a ghost/It's the sight that I fear most/I'd rather have a piece of toast/Watch the evening news", has been voted as having the worst lyrics ever in polls by the BBC,[93] The Independent,[94] and the Herald Sun.[95]
- "Thong Song", Sisqó (1999)
- Placed first in a Pioneer Press reader poll to determine the worst song in history.[96] The track has also been labelled as sexist.[97]
- "The Millennium Prayer", Cliff Richard (1999)
- VH1 labelled this the worst number one record of all time after a poll.[91]
- "The Christmas Shoes", NewSong (2000)
- The song has appeared on various "worst Christmas song" lists.[98][99][100][101][102] In 2011, the song was named "The Worst Christmas Song Ever" by Gawker.com, following a weeks-long survey of commenter votes.[103]
- "Who Let the Dogs Out?", Baha Men (2000)
- Number one on Spinner's "Top 20 Worst Songs Ever".[104]
- "The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)", The Cheeky Girls (2002)
- Voted the no. 1 "worst pop record" by Channel 4 viewers in a poll broadcast in January 2004.[105]
- "You're Beautiful", James Blunt (2005)
- Voted by music fans as the most irritating track ever recorded in a OnePoll survey.[106] Spike writer D. Sussman called it "the worst song in the history of mankind",[107] and Gigwise editors placed it first in "The 20 Worst Love Songs Of All Time".[108] It was also ranked first in Heavy.com's recounting of the worst tracks of the 2000s.[109]
- "My Humps", The Black Eyed Peas (2005)
- Oakland Tribune music columnist Oliver Wang reported that the track is "considered by most critics as either the worst song of this decade or in all of recorded music history".[110] Writers who named it as the worst track ever include Nathan Rabin in The A.V. Club,[111] Laura Barton in The Guardian,[112] Joseph Kugelmass in PopMatters[113] and Shaun Bruce in The Stranger;[114] Bruce stated that it "may actually represent the nadir of human achievement".[114] The track gained an "overwhelming" first place vote in a Rolling Stone reader poll of the all-time "20 Most Annoying Songs",[115] and its lyrics were voted the worst in the history of dance music in a Global Gathering survey.[116]
- "Laffy Taffy", D4L (2005)
- Despite the song's success, many have considered "Laffy Taffy" to be among the worst songs of all time. HipHop365.com rated the song as the worst hip hop song of all time.[117] In 2013, Bennett the Sage of Channel Awesome rated it the worst song to chart No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, criticizing the beat, flow and confusing title metaphor.[118]
- "Rockstar", Nickelback (2006)
- Some critics have given it the distinction of the worst song of all time.[119][120] The song was listed at number 2 in Buzzfeed's list of the 30 worst songs ever written. They said: "If aliens came to earth and asked why everyone hates Nickelback so much, this song would be a perfect explanation."[121] A 2008 Popjustice poll voted "Rockstar" as the worst single of the year.[122]
- "Baby", Justin Bieber (2010)
- Voted worst song ever in a Time Out poll.[123]
- "Miracles", Insane Clown Posse (2010)
- CraveOnline deemed it the worst rap song of all time, and the most embarrassing rap moment of all time.[124] The Phoenix deemed it the worst song ever recorded.[125] The lyrics, most notably "Fucking magnets, how do they work? And I don't wanna talk to a scientist / Y'all motherfuckers lying, and getting me pissed" have been noted as the worst lyrics of all time.[125][126][127][128]
- "Surrounded by Silence", Design the Skyline (2011)
- Released on 13 March 2011 onto YouTube by the band and critically panned after the group was signed to Victory Records. Many social sources and magazines credited the band as "the worst band ever" and the song as "the worst song ever", pointing out the song has no musical structure, is badly out of sync, has a lack of any sensible rhythm within their playing, has near-unintelligible vocals consisting of screaming, and the members' physical appearances.[129][130][131] It was also voted the second worst song of 2011 behind Rebecca Black's "Friday" on AbsolutePunk's "Worst Song of 2011 (so far)" poll.[132]
- "Friday", Rebecca Black (2011)
- "Friday" has been widely described as the worst song ever recorded, attracting derision for its weak lyrical content and excessively auto-tuned vocals.[133] It became an Internet sensation, making it the subject of multiple parodies and ridicule.[134]
- "Swagger Jagger", Cher Lloyd (2011)
- Critic Jan Moir described the track as "dire" and "the worst song in the history of pop".[135] Missing Andy singer Alex Greaves also named it the worst track ever, saying: "Just awful. I hope most people bought it for a joke otherwise there's something really wrong."[136] The song appeared in NME's unranked list, "32 of the Very Worst UK Number One Singles of All Time".[137]
- "Hot Problems", Double Take (2012)
- Uploaded to YouTube by Drew Garrett and Lauren Willey who make up the group known as Double Take, the song and accompanying music video received highly negative reviews.[138][139] Many have called it "the worst song ever",[140] with some YouTubers proclaiming it to be worse than Rebecca Black's "Friday".
- "Chinese Food", Alison Gold (2013)
- An independent song produced by Patrice Wilson, who also produced Rebecca Black's "Friday". "Chinese Food" has been criticized as the worst song ever[141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148] created and the worst song of the year by Time magazine.[149] The song has also been criticised for being racist and offensive.[144][148][150]
- "Spoons", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (2016)
- Tom Breihan in Stereogum named "Spoons" as "the worst song ever recorded", as well as "the blandest, safest, most self-consciously twee piece of rap music I have ever heard in my 36 years on this planet".[151]
Others
In 1997, artists Komar and Melamid and composer Dave Soldier released "The Most Unwanted Song", designed after surveying 500 people to determine the lyrical and musical elements that were the most annoying. These elements included bagpipes, cowboy music, an opera singer rapping, and a children's choir that urged listeners to go shopping at Wal-Mart. As described by the online service UbuWeb, "The most unwanted music is over 25 minutes long, veers wildly between loud and quiet sections, between fast and slow tempos... with each dichotomy presented in abrupt transition." The conceptual artists also had project known as "The Most Wanted Song", organized similarly. Both tracks include, as an in-joke, references to famous philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.[152]
Classical music media have run fewer "worst-ever" lists than pop, either for composers or individual pieces. There have been articles on the worst recorded versions[153] and the worst classical album covers.[154]
In film music in the United States, the worst song of the year is given the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song. This "award" was given from the ceremony's inception in 1980 until 1999 and resurfaced in 2002. It parodies the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Some publications have compiled lists of the "worst" music videos ever.[155][156][157] Album cover artwork has also been subject to "all-time worst" lists.[158][159][160][161]
See also
- List of controversial album art
- List of films considered the worst
- List of automobiles notable for negative reception
- List of television shows considered the worst
- List of video games notable for negative reception
- The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records
- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song
References
- 1 2 Todd Leopold (27 April 2006). "The worst song of all time, part II: CNN.com users pick their (least) favorites". CNN.com.
- ↑ Bullock, Darryl W. "The World's Worst Records". ISBN 148262446X.
- ↑ Connelly, Chris (11 December 1980). "Is Rock Ready for the Shaggs?". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (332): 19.
- ↑ Cohen, Debra Rae (30 October 1980). "Philosophy of the World". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (329): 56.
- ↑ The Top 1000 Albums of All Time, Colin Larkin
- ↑ Young, J.R. (2 April 1970). "Lord Sutch and his Heavy Friends". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (54): 66.
- ↑ Guterman, Jimmy and O'Donnell, Owen. The Worst Rock n' Roll Records Of All Time (Citadel Press, 1991.)
- ↑ "Rocklist.net...Steve Parker...Slipped Discs". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ↑ "Ask Billboard: Sharing Cher On CD". Billboard. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ↑ "Maxim: 30 Worst Albums of all time" Mombu.com. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "Maxim Magazine's 30 Worst Albums of All Time" Listsofbests.com. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ Denisoff, Serge R. & Romanowski, William D. Risky business: rock in film. Transaction Publishers. p. 244.
- ↑ David N. Meyer (2013). The Bee Gees: The Biography. Da Capo Press. pp. 196–198. ISBN 9780306820250.
- ↑ Heylin, Clinton (2003). Bootleg: The Rise & Fall of the Secret Recording History. London New York: Music Sales Group; Omnibus. pp. 145–146. ISBN 978-1-84449-151-3.
- ↑ "Elvis' Greatest Shit, Dog Vomit Records SUXOO5". Angelfire.com. 1983. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ Marcus, Greil (1999). Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural Obsession. Harvard University Press. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-0-674-19422-9.
- ↑ Guralnick, Peter (1999). Careless Love. Boston: Tarab Editions. p. 743. ISBN 0-316-33297-6. ISBN 978-0-316-33297-2.
- ↑ Boyles, Ernie, Jr. "Elvis' Greatest Shit". Ernie's Import Lp Corner. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- ↑ Wolfson, Eric (1 September 2012). "The Top 5 Worst Elvis Songs of All-Time". American Wolf. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- ↑ Epstein, Dan (8 January 2010). "Elvis Presley: 75 Things You Didn't Know About The King". Hot Topic — Everything about the music. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ Compare Cover photo at discogs.com
- ↑ "Elvis' Greatest Shit — first pressing and second pressing". Elvis on CD. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ↑ "Elvis Greatest Sh*t". ElvisNews.com. 17 July 2004. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ "Q Magazine's 'The 50 Worst Albums Ever!'" Listsofbests.com. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "Q - The 50 Worst Albums Ever! Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "Reviews for Playing With Fire by Kevin Federline". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ↑ "Justin, Christina, Fergie Take Now 23 To The Top - Rhapsody Music Downloads". VH1.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ↑ Berndtson, Chad (13 December 2008). "Author Stephen Davis has chronicled rock royalty". The Enterprise. GateHouse Media. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ "Shana Warshawsky, Arye Dworken". The New York Times. 2 December 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ↑ Dworken, Arye (26 November 2008). "AU CONTRAIRE: Guns N' Roses, "Chinese Democracy" (Geffen)". Self-titled. Pop Mart Media. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ Thill, Scott (30 June 2009). "5 Audio Atrocities to Throw Down a Sonic Black Hole". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ "10 Awful Albums by 10 Amazing Bands". Guitar Player. NewBay Media. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ↑ "The best (and worst) of 2008". Time Out New York. Time Out Group. 16 December 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ↑ Walker, Gail (21 April 2009). "Don't you worry Eoghan, it hasn't all gone pop just yet". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media.
His [Quigg] eponymous debut album, released a couple of weeks ago, has been met with universal hoots of derision... Indeed, it is widely described as the worst album ever.
- ↑ Robinson, Peter (27 May 2013). "Factored out". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
- ↑ "The Eoghan Quigg album: it's turned out not to be very good" Popjustice. 29 March 2016.
- 1 2 "AnyDecentMusic? - All Time". WebCite. AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- ↑ Berma, Stuart (1 November 2011). "Lou Reed/Metallica: Lulu". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ↑ Gunderson, Edna (1 November 2011). "Metallica, Lou Reed go on a genre bender with 'Lulu'". USA Today. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ↑ Fulton, Rick (8 January 2013). "Your Best and Worst". Daily Record.
- ↑ "The 25 Worst Albums of 2012". Album of the Year. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- 1 2 Calvert, John (25 May 2012). "The Enemy – Streets in the Sky". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- 1 2 Kulkarni, Neil (17 May 2012). "The Enemy – Streets in the Sky – Review". The Quietus. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- ↑ Fantano, Anthony (22 December 2015). "TOP-10 WORST ALBUMS OF 2015". The Needle Drop. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ "Kid Cudi Says 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven' Is 5 Years Ahead of Its Time". Complex. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ Darryl W. Bullock (2015). The World's Worst Records: Volume One. Bristol Green Publishing. pp. 67–70.
- ↑ Queenan, Joe (23 August 2007). "Recipe for disaster". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ↑ Barry, Dave (2000). Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-0-7407-0600-4.
The worst song in modern history, at least in the opinion of the people who responded to the Bad Song Survey is ... "MacArthur Park," the 1968 hit written by Jimmy Webb and sung hyperdramatically by Richard Harris ... [I]t's hard to argue with survey respondents who chose it as the worst.
- ↑ Leopold, Todd (27 April 2006). "The worst song of all time, part II". CNN. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ↑ "Beatles classic voted worst song". BBC. 10 November 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
- ↑ "50 Worst Songs Ever" (p.1). Blender.
- ↑ Everett, Kenny. "The Bottom 30: 1980", Capital Radio, 4 April 1980. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
- ↑ "Birdie Song tops hall of shame". BBC. 24 July 2000. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ↑ Cripps, Charlotte (3 November 2008). "Music & Me: Mick Jones". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 "England v Australia - as it happened!". The Guardian. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ "Spandau Ballet's 'True'". St. Petersburg Times. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ "The best and worst love songs of all time". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ "10 Songs We Never, Ever Want to Hear Again, Ever". Houston Press. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ "50 worst pop lyrics of all time". NME. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ↑ "Worst song Agadoo re-released". BBC News. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 22 Dec 2013.
- ↑ "Agadoo, voted the worst song in pop history, is back". "The Guardian". 21 March 2009. Retrieved 22 Dec 2013.
- ↑ "Agadoo tops list of worst songs". "BBC News". 23 November 2003. Retrieved 22 Dec 2013.
- ↑ Saunders, Michael (6 October 1991). "Rock Bottom: Our Fearless Experts Pick Their 10 Worst Pop Songs Of The Rock Era". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ↑ Service, Tom (20 December 2013). "American Psycho musical and Phil Collins's perfectly vacuous music". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- 1 2 Musto, Michael (17 October 2011). "The Seven Worst Songs of All Time". The Village Voice. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ↑ Brunson, Matt (22 June 2012). "Rock of Ages frequently tone-deaf". Creative Loafing Charlotte. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ↑ Spears, Steve (31 May 2006). "Worst songs of the 80s: 31-40". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ↑ Caro, Mark (1 May 2007). "Yes, Phil Collins' 'Sussudio' ripoff of Prince's '1999' is included". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!, Blender, May 2004. Wayback Machine archive of 24 January 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ↑ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s", Rolling Stone, 6 November 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ↑ Weiss, Bert (2015). "The Songs YOU Would Ban Forever If You Could". The Bert Show. Q100. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ↑ "Mixtape Part Two". Music Times. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Danton, Eric (5 August 2008). "Is 'Who Let the Dogs Out' the worst song of all time?". Hartford Courant. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Lomax, John (29 April 2004). "The worst songs of all time from Texas". Houston Press. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Chapin, Lena (25 February 2010). "Under Pressure". The Carroll News. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Larkin, Mike (23 November 2013). "Achy breaking it in! Billy Ray Cyrus and daughter Noah take Miley's $30K birthday trike for a spin". Mail Online. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ Ryan, Bill (13 November 2010). "Listen". The Independent on Saturday. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ↑ "Worst song of the Nineties". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ "The Worsts, From TV To Teeth". Chicago Tribune. 12 February 1993. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- 1 2 Govan, Fiona (14 March 2004). "What's the worst record ever? Take That slug it out with Des". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ↑ "Music and Me: Stuart Braithwaite and Barry Burns of Mogwai". The Independent. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ Fortune, Drew (6 June 2013). "Mickey 'Dean Ween' Melchiondo on why he hates 4 Non Blondes' 'What's Up?'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ Dublin, Tara (3 August 2010). "Ten Songs Radio Never Should Play Again". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ Moylan, Brian (14 July 2010). "10 Party Songs We Never Ever Want to Hear Again". Gawker. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ Butler, Ben (13 May 2016). "Azealia Banks' music has had less success in the UK than Mr Blobby's". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ "7 songs you can't believe made Christmas number one". Metro. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ Hawksley, Rupert (7 December 2013). "Worst Christmas number ones of all time". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ McColm, Euan (30 March 1999). "Worst Top 10 records in the world". TheFreeLibrary. Daily Record. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ Wheatley, Gemma (23 March 2009). "Agadoo: Worst single ever set for comeback". Daily Star. Northern & Shell. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "Blobby voted worst Christmas hit". BBC News. 3 December 2002. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- 1 2 Oliver, Mark (13 August 2004). "Cliff hit voted worst ever number one". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "The One Hundred... Worst Pop Records". Channel 4. 2004.
- ↑ "6 Music reveals worst pop lyrics in the world... ever!" (Press release). BBC 6 Music. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ↑ John Rentoul (18 December 2011). "Top 10 Worst Lyrics of All Time". The Independent. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ Cameron Adams (7 August 2008). "A selection of the worst song lyrics of all time". Herald Sun. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ Raihala, Ross (1 April 2016). "Here it is. Your worst song ever". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ Dahlager, Jon (1 November 2000). "Feminism struggles in sexist music industry". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ Gael Fashingbauer Cooper (17 December 2012). "Is 'Christmas Shoes' the worst holiday song ever?". Today. NBC. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ↑ Shalini Roy (11 December 2012). "Worst Christmas songs: The 10 most annoying holiday hits". Toronto City News. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ↑ Greg Janda (3 December 2012). "Sounds of the Season: Five Terrible Holiday Songs". Channel 5 (NBC), Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ↑ Moose (December 2012). "#3 of the 25 Worst Christmas Songs...Ever". 96.3 JACK-FM (Nashville). Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ↑ Jeremiah-Tucker (17 December 2009). "'Christmas Shoes' is the worst holiday song". Joplin (Missouri) Globe. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ↑ "We've Found The Worst Christmas Song Ever". Jezebel.com. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ↑ Top 20 Worst Songs Ever, Spinner, 1 August 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
- ↑ "The One Hundred... Worst Pop Records", Channel4.com. The top 100 is listed at "All-Time Top 100 Worst Singles" on Everyhit.com. Retrieved 29 December 2011. The criteria were: "all of the records must have been released as a single in the UK, at one time or another, and have entered the official British chart at number 75 or above."
- ↑ "Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' named most irritating song". CBC News. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ "Top 10 Worst Songs to Hit #1". Spike. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ "The 20 Worst Love Songs of All Time". Gigwise. 12 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ Jensen, K. Thor (21 December 2009). "Top 10 Worst Songs Of The Decade". Heavy.com. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ Wang, Oliver (3 November 2006). "Will.I.Am — this year's all-around rap success". East Bay Times (then Oakland Tribune). Digital First Media. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ↑ Rabin, Nathan (23 November 2010). "Volume 21 (April 2006)". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Barton, Laura (3 April 2007). "Alanis's My Humps cover gives the Peas a well-deserved black eye". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Kugelmass, Joseph (19 January 2009). "Tha Giggle: On Lil' Wayne". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- 1 2 Bruce, Shaun (11 May 2006). "Funkateers of a Clown". The Stranger. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ "The 20 Most Annoying Songs". Rolling Stone. 2 July 2007. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ↑ Bychawski, Adam (18 July 2012). "Black Eyed Peas' 'My Humps' voted worst dance music lyric of all time". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ "The 25 Worst Songs of All Time". Hiphop365.com. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
- ↑ "The Top 20 Worst Number One Songs". Channelawesome.com. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ↑ Robinson, Peter (9 February 2008). "How bad can Nickelback be? Phenomenally, says Peter Robinson". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
- ↑ "To See Or Not To See: Nickelback". Metro. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
- ↑ Broderick, Ryan (12 June 2012). "Thes are the 30 of the worst songs ever written". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
- ↑ "Popjustice Readers' Poll Results 2008". Popjustice. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ↑ Street, Andrew P (7 February 2014). "What's the worst song ever written? The Nottest 100 winner is revealed!". Time Out. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ "Top Ten Most Embarrassing Hip Hop Moments". CraveOnline.
- 1 2 Chris Faraone (8 April 2010). "In Case You Didn't Already Think That ICP is the Worst Group of All-Time".
- ↑ "Insane Clown Posse, 'Miracles' - Worst Song Lyrics of All Time - XFINITY".
- ↑ Epic Fail: Bad Art, Viral Fame, and the History of the Worst Thing Ever.
- ↑ Jon Ronson. "Insane Clown Posse: And God created controversy". the Guardian.
- ↑ Caraeff, Ezra. "Is Design the Skyline the Worst Band in the History of Music?". End Hits. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ↑ "Worst band of the Week: Design the Skyline". Caught in the Crossfire. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ↑ Fisher, Jason. "DESIGN THE SKYLINE Members Address All The Hate Directed At Them". The Gauntlet. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ↑ "Worst Song of 2011 (so far)". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ↑ Whitworth, Dan (21 March 2011). "'Worst song ever' gets 29m views after going viral". Newsbeat. BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ↑ Staub, Alex (18 March 2011). "16 Covers, Remixes and Parodies of Rebecca Black's 'Friday'". Urlesque. AOL. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- ↑ Moir, Jan (12 August 2011). "Arnie, Irons and why you can't teach dirty old dogs new tricks". Daily Mail. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ↑ "Music and Me: Missing Andy". The Independent. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ↑ "32 of the Very Worst UK Number One Singles of All Time". NME. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ↑ Popkin, Helen. "'Hot Girl Problems' confirms Internet hates teenage girls". MSNBC Technolog.
- ↑ Young, Kevin. "Beauty-Mocking Songs". Trend Hunter.
- ↑ Campbell, Andy. "'Hot Problems' Dubbed Worst Song Ever; Double Take Can't Get Dates To Prom". Huffington Post.
- ↑ Warbux, Michael (15 October 2013). "Stuff You Probably Missed on the Internet Today". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ "Rebecca Black Has Competition In "Chinese Food" For Worst Song Ever". CBS Radio. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ Harris, Jenn (15 October 2013). "'Chinese Food' by Alison Gold: It could be the most annoying song ever". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- 1 2 Poirier, Kaydi. "'Chinese Food' song by 'Friday' producer Patrice Wilson: Offensive or simply terrible?". Newsday. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ Hill, Nick. "'Chinese Food' By Alison Gold Is More Annoying Than Rebecca Black's 'Friday'". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ Kaufman, Gil. "'Chinese Food' Has Us Hungry For More Alison Gold". MTV. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ "Rebecca Black wannabe loves Chinese food". New York Post. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- 1 2 Strapagiel, Lauren. "'Chinese Food' is the best worst racist music video you'll watch today". Postmedia News. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ Dodds, Eric (15 October 2013). "Introducing the Worst Song of the Year: Alison Gold's "Chinese Food"". Times Magazine. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ "The Most Offensive Lyrics and WTF Moments From 'Chinese Food'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ Breihan, Tom (15 February 2016). "Macklemore's "Spoons" Is The Worst Song Ever Recorded". Stereogum. Spin Media. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ↑ "Komar and Melamid & Dave Soldier on UbuWeb Sound". Retrieved 25 December 2013.
- ↑ "The Worst Classical Music Recordings Ever", Gillian Buchanan, Bella (magazine), undated. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "Worst classical music album covers... ever?" Gramilano.com, 7 April 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "Real Turkeys: The Worst Videos Of All Time", Lyndsey Parker, Yahoo! Music, 21 November 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "50 Worst Music Videos Ever", NME.com, undated. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "Worst Music Videos Ever" Boston.com, undated. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "The 30 worst album covers ever", Oliver Jones, Asylum.co.uk, 17 March 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "Must Try Harder: 75 Terrible Album Sleeves" NME.com, 3 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ↑ "The 15 Worst Album Covers of All-Time" Cracked.com, Ben Dennison, 18 November 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ↑ "The 25 worst album covers of all time", Designer Daily, 11 August 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2011.