Felix_dup1 Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 No votes for Beastie Boys "Brass Monkey" or "Girls"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrafon Posted April 24, 2006 Author Share Posted April 24, 2006 I would like to try to re-direct this thread. I did not originally intend this to be a "list your worst song ever" thread (even though I'm guilty of fueling the fire). Rather, I'm more curious as to WHAT makes a song BAD? Can a song that is a "hit" be bad? If so, why? Is there any objective standard for "badness"? Would any of us put out a "bad" song if we new it would be a top 10 hit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by Mark Zeger: I can't even begin to think what I'd do to make "Seasons In the Sun" tolerable. Easy - you make it an industrial heavy metal anthem. Didja ever hear Laibach\'s versions of The Beatles ? Same sort of thing.... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Mr. Copacabana, Barry Manilow, was on The Larry King show over the weekend. He said that he has written many tunes that he thought would be hits that never were. And, on the flip side, many tunes that he thought weren't going anywhere turned into hits. Mandy was originally called 'Brandy', but they changed it because there was another tune called 'Brandy' and released the year before by a group called The Looking Glass. Jeez this guy has written a lot of songs though. Here's the list: http://members.aol.com/garyoye/barrynet/bmnet260.htm "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP3 Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by Mark Zeger: I can't even begin to think what I'd do to make "Seasons In the Sun" tolerable. This might explain why the original Brel version has it's intensity. Seasons in the Sun" had been written in French in 1961 under the title of "Le Moribond" (The Dying Man), by Belgian poet-composer Jacques Brel. "Le Moribond" is the story of a dying man, bidding farewell to loved ones who have shared his life. Jacques Brel retired, at the peak of his popularity. Fans around the world were stunned, but the composer would give no reason. Finally, the truth was revealed. After a quiet, six-year battle against cancer, Brel succumbed to the disease and died, on October 9, 1978. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Coury Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 "Closing Time" Closing timeOpen all the doors and let you out into the worldClosing timeTurn all of the lights on over every boy and every girlClosing timeOne last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beerClosing timeYou don't have to go home but you can't stay here I know who I want to take me homeI know who I want to take me homeI know who I want to take me home Closing timeTime for you to go out to the places you will be fromClosing timeThis room won't be open till your brothers or your sisters comeSo gather up your jackets, move it to the exitsI hope you have found a friendClosing timeEvery new beginning comes from some other beginning's end I know who I want to take me homeI know who I want to take me homeI know who I want to take me homeTake me home "Oh yeah, I've got two hands here." (Viv Savage) "Mr. Blu... Mr. Blutarsky: Zero POINT zero." (Dean Vernon Wormer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Ward MP Hall of Fame Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Alright, everyone who blasts tiny tim is getting punched in the unmentionables. Sorry guys. Anyway... The Night Laura's Daddy Died I heard my mama cryI heard her pray the night Laura's Daddy diedBrother what a night it really wasBrother what a fight it really wasGlory b... Angina's Tough! "...Keytar in a heavy metal band is nothing more than window dressing" - Sven Golly Cursed Eternity - My Band Dick Ward - My Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd8dky Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 "Who Let the Dogs Out" - actually, I don't have a clue who does that song http://www.weisersound.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Ward MP Hall of Fame Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: Originally posted by Mark Zeger: I can't even begin to think what I'd do to make "Seasons In the Sun" tolerable. Easy - you make it an industrial heavy metal anthem. Didja ever hear Laibach\'s versions of The Beatles ? Same sort of thing.... dB Check out Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. They do a pretty fair punk version of Seasons in the Sun. At the very least, it is played faster and is shorter than the original. That should appease a great many of you. "...Keytar in a heavy metal band is nothing more than window dressing" - Sven Golly Cursed Eternity - My Band Dick Ward - My Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue JC Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by Ed Coury: [QB] "Closing Time" If you guys are anything like me, the last song you hear on a gig sticks with you the rest of the night - especially if you, like me, don't listen to music on your way home. I think "Closing Time" deserves a special mention as a "Worst Song Ever" because we were subjected to it night after night after night while tearing down and loading out. Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer. W. C. Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by Blue JC: I think "Closing Time" deserves a special mention as a "Worst Song Ever" because we were subjected to it night after night after night while tearing down and loading out. Ugh. Try "The Party's Over"... Just as bad. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by garrafon: I would like to try to re-direct this thread. I did not originally intend this to be a "list your worst song ever" thread (even though I'm guilty of fueling the fire). Rather, I'm more curious as to WHAT makes a song BAD? Can a song that is a "hit" be bad? If so, why? Is there any objective standard for "badness"? Would any of us put out a "bad" song if we new it would be a top 10 hit? What makes a song bad? Some suggestions: 1. Inane, cliched lyrics 2. Poor prosody (words and music don't match well) 3. Meandering melodies 4. Dull harmonies 5. Rhythms that don't groove in any sense 6. Song is generic - doesn't really EXPRESS anything I'm sure there are others. Could a bad song be a hit? I surely think so! Lots of bad movies and plays and TV shows are hits, too! Because the public in general is not that demanding... I am NOT calling people stupid, but people just want to be entertained and not put any mental effort into reading and listening carefully. (I can't throw too many stones, since sometimes I just veg out in front of the TV, too!) Would I deliberately write a bad song in order to get on the Top 40? Right now I'm trying to learn to write GOOD songs! I'll cross that other bridge later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYKeys Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 CNN must visit our board check this out. http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/04/19/eye.ent.worstsong/index.html MY Toys - Kurzweil PC1X, Roland A-90, Yamaha KX88, Yamaha CS1x, Novation 49SL MkII, Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2, JBL PRX615M My Music Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoo schultz Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Hey NYKeys, did you read the opening post in this thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluMunk Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by Pursuitboy: Never understood what made "We Built this City" such an unlikeable song? I always figured that it was the fact that it was so clearly a cheesy synth-pop tune coming from that once-psychadelic Jefferson and/or Airplane and/or Starship. Originally posted by Bridog6996: James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" has the most pathetically trite lyrics I've heard in a long time, maybe ever. Whenever I hear his music I seriously consider taking my own life (but I usually just switch the station). "And I saw your face in a crowded place and I don't know what to do 'cause I'll never be with you." I think this song is the worst song lyrically on the radio today. It's soulless, pathetic, and childishly rhymed. Originally posted by Cydonia: And of course, in the "Worst song ever - Keyboard-oriented bands category", we have the infamous ELP's Love Beach. All I have to say is two words: "Shit Beach." And, to add my own suggestion; usually I can keep this song out of my head most of the year, and in fact this past October/November/December I managed to not hear it once by selectively choosing my radio stations around the holidays, but I have always maintained that Christmas Shoes is the worst Christmas song ever, and definitely deserves a place in the upper eschelon of worst songs ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damoncrockett Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Lyrics that try to be profound but miss badly, songs with unwavering rhythms (I can't stand perfect metronome time), songs with annoying refrains repeated endlessly, songs full of crunchy guitar with the mids cranked up (that includes almost ALL metal), songs where the singer's voice sounds affected - this is BAD to me. Some examples - these are songs I absolutely loathe, but which enjoy popular approbation (except maybe the third one): 1. Springsteen - Born to Run2. The Who - Baba O Riley3. BTO - Takin Care of Business There are probably songs which are far worse, but I am much less likely to hear them - people actually love the above songs, so encounters with them are more frequent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYKeys Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 lol I read everything but that one MY Toys - Kurzweil PC1X, Roland A-90, Yamaha KX88, Yamaha CS1x, Novation 49SL MkII, Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2, JBL PRX615M My Music Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Lyrics that try to be profound, but miss badly, yes I agree... especially if delivered in a condescending, preachy manner! Maybe that's because I've grown into a crotchety curmudgeon over the years.... with a high degree of BS alert.. except my OWN, of course, but that's DIFFERENT! Seriously, a sense of humor.. or at least a little irony is very helpful in a lyric, IMHO! I think of a lot of old blues tunes, like Sonny Boy Williamson's on "Down and Out Blues". Not that every song has to be a comedy routine, either, of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 BOOM BOOM BOOM LETS GO BACK TO MY ROOM WHERE WE CAN DO IT ALL NIGHT, AND YOU CAN MAKE ME FEEL RIGHT. Botch In Wine there is Wisdom In Beer there is Freedom In Water there is bacteria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 I don't know which is worse... 1. A singer/composer that takes a hook and repeats it 100,000 times in a song. Example would be most any origional Sheryl Crow song. 2. Radio stations that play a song 100,000 times. Example for my area - Wake Me Up When September Ends. I would rather listen to Barbie Girl than either of these. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synapse Collapse Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Anything by Sammy Hagar: "Crank out the drums, crank out the bass, crank out the Les Paul....in your face." ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Originally posted by Rabid: 2. Radio stations that play a song 100,000 times. One of those ruined Steely Dan for me, back in the late '70s. "A cheerful heart is good medicine." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Well, I guess I got no taste at all, because I really like a few Neil Young songs, and I still like Color My World. Though, it did help A LOT that I actually didn't hear it for about 10 years -- it was so overplayed back in the 70's. Sure, the songs that bug us the most are often pretty decent songs, that we've just been asked to play one or two (thousand) too many times, like Proud Mary, or Celebrate. Of course, can't forget FREEBIRD! (The new Proud Mary, the difference being the folks asking are even more obnoxious about it.) I always though that Louie Lou-eye (or however you spell it) was pretty much the worst song to become a hit. Next to Achy-Breaky I guess. The difference being that while LL is a pretty awful song, it can be a whole lot of fun to play, with enough alcohol in ones blood and the right audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridog6996 Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Originally posted by learjeff: Of course, can't forget FREEBIRD! (The new Proud Mary, the difference being the folks asking are even more obnoxious about it.)"Play Freebird!" or "Play some Skynyrd!" in my experience are just things that someone in the audience will shout out, and they don't want or expect you to play it. It's usually just someone that's drunk or trying to be funny. My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PianoJazz1951 Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 1)Wayne Newton's-"Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast" 2)Anythng by Don Kirshner and his 1910 Fruitgum Company empire of the late '60's. 3)Archie Bell and the Drells-"Tighten Up" We will not waiver; we will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail! George W. Bush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Coury Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 double post "Oh yeah, I've got two hands here." (Viv Savage) "Mr. Blu... Mr. Blutarsky: Zero POINT zero." (Dean Vernon Wormer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Coury Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Originally posted by Synapse Collapse: Anything by Sammy Hagar: "Crank out the drums, crank out the bass, crank out the Les Paul....in your face." ????? I believe it's crank UP the Les Paul in your face -- it's rock and roll, man....get it??? "Oh yeah, I've got two hands here." (Viv Savage) "Mr. Blu... Mr. Blutarsky: Zero POINT zero." (Dean Vernon Wormer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synapse Collapse Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Originally posted by Ed Coury: Originally posted by Synapse Collapse: Anything by Sammy Hagar: "Crank out the drums, crank out the bass, crank out the Les Paul....in your face." ????? I believe it's crank UP the Les Paul in your face -- it's rock and roll, man....get it??? I apologize. I believe it was David St. Hubbins who said, "It is a fine line between clever and stupid." ...all that jive, I can't drive fifty five. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Originally posted by marino: ELO and Olivia Newton-John: "Physical". It tormented everybody for a whole summer during my youth (early '80s, IIRC). More than once, I was tempted to destroy the jukebox. I always liked the alternate version, "Let's Get Digital" -- the melody only uses two notes. One fewer than the original, sounds almost the same. Lots funnier, though. "Let me hear your baudot talk ..." (Sorry, nerd joke.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Originally posted by learjeff: I always liked the alternate version, "Let's Get Digital" -- the melody only uses two notes. One fewer than the original, sounds almost the same. Lots funnier, though. "Let me hear your baudot talk ..." (Sorry, nerd joke.) You know Jeff. I'll admit. Of all my nerd friends, you're my favorite. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.