one shit wonder - amazing acts that somehow created one of the biggest duds in history

I'll defend you, Halfway.

-Kenny Loggins

ctrl-f kokomo

― ꙮ (map), Wednesday, May 10, 2023

[...]

And I don't know whether this is a factor, but the Beach Boys hadn't been "amazing" for at least 15 years beforehand.

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Yeah but that stuff beforehand is mostly forgotten... whereas Kokomo now sits beside Good Vibrations etc on every BB greatest hits album that gets released.

That's an interesting question, though - do we think a bad song is worse if it's more successful? I was thinking earlier that if a band released a bad song strictly as a b-side, that would slightly ameliorate my judgement: "they obviously knew this is not good, they hid it away, it's just a joke or provocation", etc.

i think the ubiquitous-ness of the song does play a role

For me personally it's the Doors with 'Hello, I Love You'. They have more weak songs for sure, but I'm able to listen to/tolerate/even still enjoy a lot - it's very rare for me to skip a track on a record, but I normally start playing Waiting For The Sun from the second track.

Don't even get me started on "Turn the Page."

Seconded. It’s the spookiest thing Seger’s ever recorded — said spookiness ramped up exponentially if you’ve ever heard it on AM radio while driving at night.

I see someone has already mentioned "Everybody Hurts," which ruined REM for me for decades.

― Lily Dale, Wednesday, May 10, 2023 8:43 PM (three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglin

Yep. The first few times I heard it on the radio I assumed it was a jokey b-side. Or a parody of something.

Iggy Pop - "Shades"

Iggy Pop - African Man

I enjoy "Turn the Page", I hate what Metallica did to that song on their awful cover

(xp) It's stupid but I like it

"Turn The Page" is a good example of a song in which the live version so totally slays the studio version that you never hear the latter on the radio. See also: "Free Bird", "I Want You to Want Me", etc.

Stairway To Heaven

hey the controversial music opinion thread is thatta way

Iggy Pop - "Shades"

― Stoop Crone (Trayce)

Beautiful song. I love the chorus.

Yeah, "Shades" is great. NickB's right about "African Man," though; it almost ruins an otherwise killer album.

So the thing about "Everybody Hurts," which I do agree basically sucks, is that I don't think it counts for this because I don't think it has the "how did THAT come out of YOU" factor -- e.g. in some ways it is the same KIND of song as e.g. "You Are The Everything," which is great. I don't think it's weird that the band that released "You Are The Everything" also released "Everybody Hurts" -- you take swings, sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss. Now if I thought "Shiny Happy People" were a shit song, that would be a better example, but as it happens "Shiny Happy People" rules.

I like Everybody Hurtz :(

Same. But I never play it by choice.

Agreed on Everybody Hurts, it just feels like music for other people (which is of course fine)

Stairway To Heaven is bad though, I remember many years ago sitting around smoking weed and someone put it on, just felt like the corniest fucking thing ever recorded.

The Rain Song >>> Stairway

And "Ten Years Gone" is better than both.

“Ten Years Gone” is pretty much the greatest song evah, so yeah…

(I also agree with “Stairway” being one of the reasons that I didn’t get into Led Zeppelin until long after first exposure…)

Pet Shop Boys 'Winner' is a great example. Only truly abysmal single they did (under their own name)

Pet Shop Boys also bear responsibility for "Absolutely Fabulous"

This is how I feel about Led Zeppelin - Fool in the Rain. Literally all of their other radio songs, and pretty much all of their other output, is at least pretty good. But that one makes me want to run screaming.

Jay-Z's "Forever Young" needs to be in this convo

Excuse me, "Young Forever"

Jay-Z ft. Rod Stewart

Jay-Z free-styling over "rhythm of my heart" would possibly be world-ending

"The Motown Song (In the Heart of the City)"

For me and me only, apparently, Mysterious Ways is rock bottom U2 material. Still think so, but then Walk On came along and dethroned it.

PSBs - Absolutely Fabulous definitely sprang to mind. shockingly shit.

For me and me only, apparently, Mysterious Ways is rock bottom U2 material. Still think so, but then Walk On came along and dethroned it.

What? No way. That's one of the best songs they ever made in the post-Joshua Tree era.

Yeah, I’m a non U2 fan but really like that song

See I’m a non-U2 fan and love Mysterious Ways

Huh, i thought everyone always agreed that D'yer Maker is the Led Zeppelin one of these.

xp I always thought that was U2's "baggy" song.

I’m a U2 fan generally and I absolutely would put “Hold Me…” as my #1 favourite of their songs

Huh, i thought everyone always agreed that D'yer Maker is the Led Zeppelin one of these.

Tied with "The Crunge".

Wasn't Absolutely Fabulous credited to Absolutely Fabulous though, for the very reason it was terrible

xp agree on "D'yer Maker", but also "Fool In The Rain" is one of these too.

“D’Yer Maker”, like “St Tropez”, is widely cited as “bad” I guess but they are successful novelty songs in my book

The most I’ve ever liked Pink Floyd was when “St Tropez” randomly came on in the pharmacy, it was awesome accompaniment to buying shampoo

Mentally scrolling through Bowie’s precarious shitty period and it’s nice to know that yes, it just gets worse and worse, that yes the “God Only Knows” cover is bad but what about “Tonight”? And then “Too Dizzy” is worse than that? And then have you heard “Baby Universal”? god, it is so so bad. But the deeper into hell you go with Bowie you know that at the very very bottom you won’t find Bowie at all, you’ll find a Sales brother singing “Stateside”

hi, goon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulBbzKKgCYg

"Shinin' Star" is too confused to be really bad.

I've always said the worst Pink Floyd song is "Dogs of War", but suddenly I thought of "Not Now John" and I don't know.

"Shinin' Star" is too confused to be really bad.

I mean, it doesn't even work for what it seems to be trying to do, so it's ineffective even at being annoying.