There are plenty of songs that become incredibly successful while being considered less than stellar by most of the music-loving world. These are the songs that dominated the airwaves and MTV, before the network stopped playing music videos. As a result, we know all the words to these tracks, whether we like it or not.
Videos by American Songwriter
All of the songs below were big hits for the artists, but that doesn’t make them any more enjoyable. Prepare to cringe out of your skin while hoping against hope that one of these earworms doesn’t get stuck in your head.
[RELATED: 4 Cringeworthy Country Songs That Somehow Became Hits]
1. “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus
Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus chose to release “Achy Breaky Heart” as his debut single in 1992. It was a huge hit. The song topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaked at No. 4 on the all-genre Hot 100, and received Platinum certification from the RIAA. It was also inescapable, playing on both country and pop stations multiple times every day.
No matter how terrible you might think this song is, we all know the lyrics by (achy breaky) heart.
2. “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train
Train released “Hey, Soul Sister” as the lead single from their 2009 album Save Me, San Francisco. It peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100, giving the band their highest-charting single on the survey. It was also one of the best-selling songs of 2010. The song is also downright terrible.
From the prominent ukulele to lyrics like The way you can cut a rug / Watching you is the only drug I need / So gangsta I’m so thug and My heart is bound to beat out of my untrimmed chest, this has to be one of the worst hit songs of the 2010s. It was also all over the radio and, as a result, drilled deeply into all of our memories.
3. “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice
“Ice Ice Baby” wasn’t just a huge hit for Vanilla Ice. It was a landmark song. When this 1990 single peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100, it became the first hip-hop song to top the all-genre chart.
This song isn’t just a terrible earworm. Vanilla Ice also ripped off two of the most prominent parts of the song. Most know that he lifted the bassline from the Queen and David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure.” That uncleared sample landed the rapper in court. The song’s chorus is strikingly similar to the chant used by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the oldest historically Black fraternity in the United States.
4. “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred
The British dance pop band Right Said Fred introduced themselves to the world with their debut single “I’m Too Sexy” in 1991. To say that the song is infectious–and terrible–would be an understatement. However, it was on nearly every radio station and was in heavy rotation on MTV. “I’m Too Sexy” was an international hit for the group, going to No. 1 in several countries, including the United States.
There’s more to this song than meets the ear, though. Richard and Fred Fairbrass, the brothers at the heart of the group, ran a dance studio in London before their music career took off. According to Songfacts, the brothers saw plenty of “narcissism and posing” from clients. At the same time, supermodels were a huge part of pop culture. “I’m Too Sexy” was their way of poking fun at all of those huge egos.
Featured Image by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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