These Pop Hits Are The Most Annoying Songs Of All Time

‘Cotton Eye Joe’ by Rednex

If you like folk songs, then chances are, Cotton Eye Joe played in your kitchen on repeat. The song was a nursery rhyme dating back to 1865 and eventually became a top hit when it was remixed years later.

You couldn’t go to a real party in the ’90s if you didn’t hear the lyrics, “Where did you come from, where did you go, where did you come from Cotten Eye Joe” at least three times in a night (via Reddit). But now it’s just annoying.

‘De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da’ by The Police

There aren’t many things that are more annoying than a song called “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.” You can almost imagine the lyrics. Even though The Police had some solid hits over the year, this wasn’t one of them. It’s repetitive and pointless.

The same lyrics simply cycle over and over again on repeat. Next time you hear this song, it’s better just to turn off the radio so you don’t have to listen to such horrendous lyrics. You’ll get these lyrics dozens and dozens of times throughout the several-minute song. Next, please (via Am I Right).

‘Afternoon Delight’ by Starland Vocal Band

Not only is listening to this song cringe-inducing, but the music video is even worse. People get an annoying song, but a close-up shot of the singer during the 1976 music video. It’s a monotonous, boring song that serves no purpose but to put us to sleep.

The song was decent until it was covered by Anchorman. But if you’re into 1970’s cheesy music, then this song may be your guilty pleasure (via Reddit).

‘You’re Beautiful’ by James Blunt

This sappy love song from 2005 tugged at the broken heartstrings of people in failed romances around the world. The basis of this song is about a man in love with an unavailable woman. We’ve all been there, which makes this song relatable, though there’s not much more to the lyrics than “you’re beautiful, it’s true” on repeat.

In the music video, the singer resolves his broken heart by jumping into the ocean, taking a dark turn. Eventually, this song became one of the most hated of the early 2000s, and voters in the Rolling Stones poll dubbed it one of the most annoying tunes of all time (via Mental Floss).

‘We Built This City’ by Starship

Nearly 40 years ago, you couldn’t turn on the radio for five minutes without hearing this song. It was on a heavy rotation and managed to stay on top for a long time, even if people deemed it incredibly annoying. One person didn’t write the song either.

There was an assembly line of writers which is probably why the song sounds botched. We have to admit, it does sound like a pretty good depiction of the 1980s (via GQ).

‘Achy Breaky Heart’ by Billy Ray Cyrus

There are several reasons why people don’t listen to contemporary country music, and this song by Billy Ray Cyrus is a major one. If you like square dancing, then you’ve probably stomped your boots to this song. Bonus points if you sported a mullet like Billy Ray.

But it’s made tons of the worst song lists, and people hate it because of its annoying, repetitive lyrics. This song likely gained popularity because of how bad it was. You can stop trying to ride off of your daughter’s fame, Billy Ray (via Am I Right).

‘Final Countdown’ by Europe

No one nails the ’80s big hair looks better than Europe. But just because they look good, doesn’t mean they sound good. Unfortunately, they play the same riff again and again without straying too far from safety or experimentation.

And in case you don’t remember what the title of the song is, they’ll let you know it’s the final countdown at least a dozen times. Those of us listening to this song are waiting for the final countdown until the song is over. It’s almost so bad, that it’s good (via Reddit).

‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ by Wham!

If you have the jitterbug, then chances are, you’ve listened to this song. This song is over the top, happy-go-lucky, and annoying.

If this is how you’re going to wake us up, then we don’t want anyone to wake us up before we go go. It sounds like they’re trying too hard to be a band from the ’80s, and it backfired (via Smooth Radio).

‘My Humps’ by The Black-Eyed Peas

Even though The Black Eyed Peas did well in their day, My Humps did not. It was played on every radio station, every birthday party, and every school dance for years, even though it was incredibly annoying.

Overall, the song only played cheap, horrific innuendos that teens shouted regularly. Even though it faded from most dance floors around the world, it unfortunately hasn’t disappeared completely (via Hollywood).

‘Copacabana’ by Barry Manilow

This is a catchy song with a dark, twisted deeper meaning. The ’70s needed this song and you couldn’t go one day without hearing it somewhere. The chorus gets quite repetitive, and then the ending of the song is sad.

This song is proof of Barry Manilow’s less successful days. This was also one of those songs that got stuck in everyone’s head for days on end (via NBC News).

‘Barbie Girl’ by Aqua

Barbie Girl has to be one of the most ridiculous songs out there. It doesn’t make sense, there’s zero depth or substance to the song, and yet it got stuck in people’s heads around the world. Aqua did a good job making sure it did that.

It was even the number-one hit in the UK for four weeks. However, it was eventually dubbed as one of the worst songs of the ’90s. It remains a mystery why people were so in love with this song for so long (via Pop Crush). Recently, however, it did make a triumphant return in the smash hit Barbie movie. We thought that was just fantastic.

‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by The Proclaimers

By the end of the song, The Proclaimers said they’re going to be 500 miles, 500 times. It gets repetitive and it’s too peppy to have any positive impact. At one point, it was a one-hit wonder, and people couldn’t get enough of it.

But after the second or third time, this song is frustrating to listen to, even if it was a staple at birthday parties at one point in time. People find it intolerable (via Reddit).

‘Sherry’ by The Four Seasons

Even if the pop hit Sherry was typical of ’60s music, that doesn’t mean it was a good song. This was a time when innuendos were banned, which is made obvious thanks to the shrills and cries of singers from The Four Seasons.

As one Reddit user describes this song, they say, “However, the song isn’t just Sherry’s name and repeated pleas to “come out.” After one of the singers tries out their cartoon ape voice, it is revealed that the hero of our story is throwing a “twist party.” At the end of the song, the tension is unresolved, even if he begged for Sherry for an entire two-and-a-half minutes (via Reddit).

‘Disco Duck’ by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots

Originally a parody song, Rick Dees thought it would be a great addition to his morning show. For an entire week, listeners praised the song and thought it rocked. It all happened by accident. Listeners couldn’t have enough of Disco Duck, though nowadays, we’ve had enough.

Some listeners even dubbed it one of the worst songs of all time. It’s an annoying take on an otherwise beautiful genre of disco (via TikTok).

‘Yakety Yak’ by The Coasters

There’s a reason they say don’t talk back in this song, and it’s because every single listener wants to run away and never talk back. The song alerts us from the get-go. It’s an irritating song about a kid who doesn’t want to do household chores.

Even though it was a success in the ’50s, it was a one-hit-wonder, and for good reason. Who knows what else The Coasters would have come up with, but we’re happy we don’t have to listen to any more of their songs (via Rate Your Music).

‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke

You couldn’t walk into a bar in 2013 without hearing this song at least once during the evening. There are some horrendous innuendos that no one should ever have to listen to. It was a one-hit wonder and no one’s really sure why it even made it that far.

The song is even believed to be a rip-off from another classic song. As one Reddit user puts it, the song “sounds like someone flattened some horse sh** over a record player and pressed play.” That’s one way of describing this repetitive and dry song (via Reddit).

‘Ice Ice Baby’ by Vanilla Ice

The year 1990 saw Ice Ice Baby hit the charts. No one seemed to care how annoying or horrendous the song was, or that it was a rip-off of Under Pressure by Queen. Freddie Mercury heard the song, and in an interview with his assistant Peter Freestone, he said, “He carried on eating his breakfast and suddenly stopped, frowning. I thought there was a problem with his food but he said ‘no.’ He started listening intently and couldn’t believe his ears. He was smiling when he said that he couldn’t believe what he was hearing … a blatant ripoff.”

Nothing will ever come close to Under Pressure, so Ice Ice Baby needs to stop trying, though Vanilla Ice claims the song wasn’t a ripoff (via Ultimate Classic Rock). Either way, it was a huge hit that launched Ice to superstardom in the early ’90s, but today it’s just annoying.

‘Friday’ by Rebecca Black

If you heard Friday, chances are, you celebrated by cracking open a beer to try and drown out the horrendous music coming from the radio. The song went viral, but not in a way anyone ever wants to go viral. Rebecca Black’s YouTube had two million… dislikes and people were even sending her threats because of how horrendous her song was.

It was deemed the worst song and music video ever made. Her 15 minutes of infamy negatively impacted her reputation for years after (via Forbes).

‘I Want Candy’ by The Strangeloves

Everyone wants candy, but that doesn’t mean you have to shout it over and over again. In the 1960s, the Strangeloves begged to differ and reminded everyone how much they wanted candy with a festive, upbeat, and annoying song.

Though, it turns out the song is a huge innuendo for other things. It was repetitive, and though it was fun to listen to once or twice at a party, it quickly reached its threshold (via Song Facts).

Photograph by Nickelback

Nickelback earned the horrible title of the worst band in the world. Their song Photograph was likely one of the catalysts for that thanks to its bland lyrics and over-the-top use of guitar and drums.

Lead singer Chad Kroeger doesn’t help their case either. Their song Rockstar is also rated as horrendous. They just need to give up trying (via The Guardian).

‘Believe’ by Cher

It took six years for Cher to record Believe. Even though the tune is catchy and fun thanks to a puppy-pop, bubbly beat, it doesn’t mean it’s a good song.

It was once the biggest-selling single in 1999, though the monotonous beats wouldn’t have anything compared to the music that’s out today. Listening to it once is enough, but by the fifth time, we’re sick of it (via Quora).

‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Celine Dion

Everyone loved Celine Dion at one point, and she earned a decent title as one of the greatest solo artists of our time. But My Heart Will Go On was so overplayed, that it lost its pizzazz and charm.

People grew sick of the repetitive beats, and once it became the theme song of The Titanic, it went down the drain. It’s one of those songs that makes us want to run in the opposite direction every time we hear it on the radio (via Newstalk).

‘Karma Chameleon’ by Culture Club

If you grew up in 1983, then you’ll know why this is one of the most annoying songs of all time. You can only hear the lyrics “Karma, Karma, Karma Karma, Karma, Karma chameleon” so many times, and after the fifth or tenth time, you probably had enough.

It’s a bunch of nonsense that doesn’t do anything for us but makes us frustrated. Next song, please (via Reddit).

‘Tequila’ by The Champs

What starts with a promising, fun, happy-go-lucky beat takes a turn for the worse all thanks to one single word. Even though we’ve all had a wild night or two on tequila, it doesn’t mean it has to be the basis for an entire two-and-a-half-minute song.

The sax player makes up for the lack of substance in this song, though we’re not sure if anyone can ever come back from a single-lyric song (via Reddit).

‘Honey, I’m Good’ by Andy Grammer

This sugar-pop song is a perfect example of a singer who thinks he’s talented but isn’t. He just needs to give it up, even if he’s trying to prove to the world that he’s not a cheater. We get it after the third time you say it, Andy.

He tries to be this trustworthy macho man, though he’s just another repulsive wannabe. Most listeners want to throw this 2015 song in the trash (via Slate).

‘Mahna Mahna’ by The Muppets

This one takes the cake as one of the most annoying, nonsensical songs on this list. The lyrics aren’t in any existing language, so the listener is left wondering what’s going on.

It’s a battle of meaningless jabber and melodies, like “Doo-doo-dee-doo-doo, doo-doo-dee-doo.” Repetitive melodies like this one never get very far (via Mental Floss).

‘MMMBop’ by Hanson

This song is more than two decades old and was sung by a bunch of kids. Songs sung by kids are already a red flag. At some points in the song, they weren’t even singing any real lyrics, like “Mmmbop, ba duba dop, Ba du bop, ba duba dop” which just proves that you don’t need words to sing an annoying song.

All you need is a repetitive, monotonous beat, which this song successfully does. The meaning of the song is misunderstood, but that means they should have done a better job at singing it (via Reddit).

‘Thong Song’ by Sisqo

This song came out in 2000, and you can tell the singer had no idea what he was doing. The entire premise of the song is about a woman in a thong. Even though there’s a cool melody, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Sisqo is shouting about thongs (via The Ringer).

‘Cheerleader’ by OMI

In the summer of 2012, the world was unfortunate enough to hear the song Cheerleader by OMI. It’s a mix of piano, trumpet, and conga in a bit dance hit that managed to make it to the radio of everyone’s home.

This song does make us want to sit back, pick up a margarita, and make us forget that we’re listening to sexist lyrics (via Bustle).

‘Baby’ by Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber is one of the most annoying pop artists of all time, though fans around the world melt every time they see his face on stage. But Baby has to be one of the worst songs he’s ever sung.

He’s a little kid singing pop songs, and Baby is just more proof. He doesn’t even look old enough to be on stage, and he sounds high-pitched (via Horrible Music).