The Most Annoying Songs from Crazy Frog to Today

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the worst songs we just couldn’t get out of our heads, every year since Crazy Frog became a YouTube-and-ringtone sensation in 2005.

2006: “It’s Chico Time”

Chico

This year gave us such timeless hits as Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable,” but it was far from a perfect year for music. “It’s Chico Time” was the debut single from Welsh singer and former “X Factor” contestant Chico Slimani. While not a huge success in the United States, “It’s Chico Time” was a hit in the UK and Ireland. The song is bright, energetic, and completely campy. It’s not exactly clear what “Chico Time” entails, other than performing with way too many buttons undone. This song’s inexplicable popularity must have shocked many, especially considering Simon Cowell literally walked out of the room during Chico’s audition.

2007: “I’m a Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear Song)”

Gummibär

By the time we finally grew tired of Crazy Frog, a new contender had entered the arena. Meet Gummibär, an animated German gummy bear adorned in orange underwear and matching sneakers. He sings, of course, “The Gummy Bear Song,” a repetitive earworm with such divine lyrics as “Oh, I’m a gummy bear, yes I’m a gummy bear.” The English version is the most widespread, with a music video boasting over 3 billion views, but the song has been translated into 43 different languages, including Irish, Swahili, and Klingon. “I’m a Gummy Bear” was also a popular choice for custom ringtones, which might be one reason why we all keep our phones on silent now.

2008: “When I Grow Up”

The Pussycat Dolls

Originally formed as a burlesque group, The Pussycat Dolls’ success as pop hitmakers was relatively unintentional. Even so, they went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. “When I Grow Up” was played constantly on the radio, although the song’s content left something to be desired. With lyrics promoting quite shallow pursuits like fame, beauty, and popularity, the songs were hardly a good influence on young fans. Combined with criticism that the group was overly sexualized in their costumes and dances, the public began turning away from Nicole Scherzinger and her band of backup singers. Luckily, Scherzinger has pushed forward, performing on Broadway and winning a Tony Award for Sunset Boulevard.

2009: “Fireflies”

Owl City

Adam Young began his electronic music project, Owl City, in 2007 and gained popularity online, primarily through Myspace. The digital success of “Fireflies” eventually propelled it into the offline space, and this song became inescapable. With harmlessly sweet, bordering on corny lyrics and an easy listening melody, this song was inoffensive enough to be played everywhere. Just as “Fireflies” mania began to settle down, the song enjoyed an unexpected resurgence when it became a popular meme in 2017. With the rise of short form video content, “Fireflies” has proven its staying power in popular culture, although younger generations probably don’t even realize we liked this song in earnest when it came out.

2010: “Baby”

Justin Bieber feat. Ludacris

Who could forget this single from a certain young Canadian pop star? “Baby” was a massive hit, launching the teen’s career to new heights. Bieber’s song about young love features a chorus so infuriatingly catchy and lyrically simple it’s almost guaranteed to get stuck in your head. While most of the population couldn’t stand this song after one listen, Bieber’s fast-growing legion of loyal pre-teen fans ensured it would still get plenty of radio play. Infuriated listeners turned to YouTube in droves to express their disdain for the song, and the “Baby” music video is still one of the most disliked YouTube videos of all time.

2011: “Friday”

Rebecca Black

Frequently called “the worst video ever made” at the time of its release, this overly-autotuned production went insanely viral in 2011. No, it wasn’t “Whip My Hair,” though that was a close contender. With mind-numbing lyrics about the days of the week, awkward choreography, and grating vocals, the “Friday” music video became an internet sensation. Although Black faced the brunt of the negativity surrounding this song, the real culprit was ARK Music Factory. They were responsible for the lyrics, auto-tune, and choreography that was so ridiculed by the public. Thankfully, Black managed to recover from her time as the internet’s target, and has enjoyed niche success as a recording artist and DJ.

2012: “Gangnam Style”

Psy

It’s hard to imagine a time when K-pop wasn’t a major force to be reckoned with in the international music scene, but this viral breakout hit played a significant role in popularizing the genre. The outlandish music video, combined with a catchy tune and Psy’s original horse trot dance move, captivated billions around the world. Soon this song could be heard everywhere from morning news shows to “SNL” sketches. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. “Gangnam Style” came to be replaced by the overwhelming popularity of groups like BTS and Blackpink, providing a less satirical representation of Korean music and culture around the world.

2013: “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)”

Ylvis

Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis fully intended for this song to be terrible, a parody intended to be annoying. What they didn’t anticipate is that it would become an unexpected hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The internet loved this video’s ridiculous costumes and the deadpan delivery of nonsensical animal noises. The lyrics were overly simplistic to the point of irony, but as the song’s popularity grew, the joke got old, fast. While some have called this song “so stupid it’s smart,” after hearing it a few too many times it just becomes totally irritating.

2014: “Happy”

Pharrell Williams

This musician and producer has a gift for creating irresistibly catchy pop music, and has collaborated with countless artists to make many incredible hits over multiple decades. No longer working in the background, “Happy” is perhaps Williams’ best known work, because you’d have to be living under a rock not to know this song. Originally from the “Despicable Me 2” soundtrack, this song’s upbeat melody and positive message made it even more culturally pervasive than the “Minion Mania” of the same era. Lighthearted and inoffensive, it’s perfect for advertising and radio play. Therefore, this song was impossible to escape and continues to creep up now and again, still leaving us wondering what it’s like to “feel like a room without a roof.”

2015: “Baby Shark”

Pinkfong

Anyone who spent time around young children in 2015 and 2016 is familiar with this song. A camp singalong standard, “Baby Shark”’s popularity reached new heights when South Korean education brand Pinkfong uploaded their version to YouTube. At over 16 billion views today, “Baby Shark” is the most viewed YouTube video of all time. That’s almost enough for every single person on the planet to have watched it twice. For every toddler that begs “again, again!” every time the song ends, there’s a parent who absolutely despises anything to do with “Baby Shark.” It’s the “Wheels on the Bus” of the modern era, the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” of the digital age. Unforgettable, no matter how much we try.

2016: “PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)”

Pikotaro

This song was written by Japanese comedian Daimaou Kosaka, better known by his stage persona Pikotaro. Though originally mostly popular among Japanese students, the video went viral when it was shared by Justin Bieber. The nonsensical song, inspired by items on Pikotaro’s desk while he was writing it, quickly became an internet sensation. Pikotaro was even invited to perform the song for Donald Trump at a state reception during the president’s 2017 trip to Japan. Though this song is thankfully quite short, its widespread virality in 2016 felt like it lasted an eternity.

2017: “Gucci Gang”

Lil Pump

This was a tough one, as 2017 was a particularly brutal year for music. Former Vine sensation Jake Paul nearly won with “It’s Everyday Bro,” but ultimately this year has to go to “Gucci Gang.” This song went quintuple platinum, despite apparently everyone despising it. With repetitive, vapid lyrics about women, money, drugs, and of course Gucci, there’s very little substance to this song. Like an overly curated social media feed, this song is just a collection of status signifiers meant to make Lil Pump look successful. Rather, he comes across as a materialistic sell out, and a seriously bad rapper.

2018: “Lift Yourself”

Kanye West

After two years without new Kanye music following the release of “The Life of Pablo,” fans were anticipating something spectacular to follow. “Lift Yourself” was…certainly a spectacle. Sampling “Liberty” by Amnesty, this short song ends with thirty seconds of nonsensical scatting. Not only immature, this song is insulting to one star in particular. Drake was originally prepared to pay Kanye for the “Lift Yourself” beat, only for Kanye to use it himself. For this. Though some fans actually liked the song, others considered this Kanye at his lowest. Oh how wrong they were.

2019: “Dance Monkey”

Tones and I

By 2019, TikTok was rapidly growing in popularity and had already demonstrated an ability to make previously underground music suddenly go massively viral. “Dance Monkey” from Australian singer Tones and I was one of those songs. Tones and I went from busking in the street to topping charts in some 38 countries, virtually overnight. This success came at the cost of her song being obnoxiously overplayed. After a few listens, the vocals become grating, the chorus sounds repetitive, and the beat seems generic. Even the artist herself no longer likes this song, and reportedly hates performing it. Someone, please tell her she can stop.

2020: “Yummy”

Justin Bieber

For months Bieber teased this new release on social media, his first solo single in nearly four years. Fans couldn’t wait to see what this new era of the Biebs would bring, until they heard “Yummy.” A repetitive, monotonous R&B track that was clearly trying way too hard to become a viral TikTok sound. Even though it never became a trend, somehow this song was still everywhere. While Bieber admittedly isn’t known for his musical genius, he’s at least put out music that’s more enjoyable to listen to, and far more mature. Surprising, considering he began his career as a young teenager.

2021: “Bad Habits”

Ed Sheeran

This English singer-songwriter has a gift for writing music with hooks so catchy, you won’t want to stop listening. “Bad Habits” was just as much of an earworm as Sheeran’s other hits, but for some reason this one rubbed people the wrong way. Many critics panned the song, calling it generic and reminiscent of songs by another major artist, The Weeknd. The song was also paired with a goofy music video that portrays Sheeran as a gritty, edgy vampire with a dark side. Despite the song’s weak reception from critics and fans, it still became a massive hit. This ensured that, like with all of Sheeran’s releases, we wouldn’t be escaping this song anytime soon.

2022: “ABCDEFU”

Gayle

Written by then-17-year-old singer-songwriter Gayle, this song was conceived, debuted, and popularized all on, of course, TikTok in 2021. Allegedly inspired by a TikTok comment asking her to write a song using the alphabet, it later came out that the commenter was actually a Digital Marketing Manager at Atlantic Records, the label that signed Gayle. This, along with her inexplicable run as an opener for huge artists like Taylor Swift and Pink, has led to accusations that Gayle is an industry plant. While this was some excellent internet sleuthing, no one really needed to look much further than this song’s basic melody and shallow lyrics to know that “ABCDEFU” didn’t become a viral hit in 2022 organically.

2023: “Try That in a Small Town”

Jason Aldean

The fact that this song became such a huge hit wasn’t just annoying, it was downright concerning. On the surface, this seems like your standard contemporary country fare, with lyrics about the ease and simplicity of rural life. The song paints city life in a particularly harsh light, highlighting crime, violence, and supposed unpatriotic values. Some lyrics have been flagged as dogwhistles, or coded messages meant to signal the song’s support for far right and racist beliefs. Song lyrics are always open to the listener’s interpretation, but what’s undeniable is how this song participated in and profited off of the extreme political polarization that plagues our world today.

2024: “Beautiful Things”

Benson Boone

In the wake of other soulful vocalists like Noah Kahan and Hozier, a new up-and-comer has entered the scene. Or, rather, backflipped into it. Benson Boone’s breakout hit was “Beautiful Things,” a powerful ballad with a chorus that became the soundtrack to countless emotional TikTok videos. With lyrics about gratitude that quickly became grating, this song is earnest in a way that sounds more and more desperate the more you listen to it. Time will tell if Boone and his music will have any sort of cultural staying power, but the way he’s become a meme symbolic of the TikTok trend cycle doesn’t seem promising.

2025: “Ordinary”

Alex Warren

It might be too early to say definitively what the most annoying song of 2025 is, but as of August it seems Alex Warren is taking the title with his massive hit, “Ordinary.” Reminiscent of the stomp-clap music that dominated the early 2010s, but also eerily similar to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church,” “Ordinary” is exactly as it says in the title. It might be the best song ever released by a former Hype House member, but that’s not saying much. Warren has some promise as a songwriter and vocalist, but at the moment his music is lacking in originality.

Which song from recent years has annoyed you the most? Let us know in the comments!