Top 10 GREAT Songs With TERRIBLE Lyrics

#10: “I Gotta Feeling” (2009)

Black Eyed Peas

This song was a great hit by the group, hitting number two in the “Billboard” Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks. It even won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. So why is it that the lyrics are so…disappointing? Granted, dance music usually doesn’t have particularly impressive lyrics, for obvious reasons. But “I Gotta Feeling” is repetitive, with a huge chunk of its runtime comprising the same one-line refrain. The rap interludes’ lazy slant rhymes don’t help matters much either. For a supposedly fun dance song, its lyrics often feel like an indifferent shrug.

#9: “Gratitude” (1992)

Beastie Boys

This song from this group is an emphatic rock number, and the accompanying music video is a neat homage to 1972’s “Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii.” That said, the number muddles its message with its riddling lyrics. It’s not even particularly clear exactly what the message is. Don’t feed inner hate and be grateful? Also, “when you’ve got so much to say, it’s called gratitude”? That’s very far from the actual definition of gratitude. The contrast between the angry rock music and the lyrics is either genius or dumb. Possibly both.

#8: “Bip Bop” (1971)Wings

Even Paul McCartney expressed his disappointment with this song, admitting it was “the weakest song” he had ever written in his life. The purpose was to write just a fun, playful song to sing and groove to. The group even released a 53-second instrumental version of the song at the end of the album. But there is fun and simple, and there is…this. The majority of the lyrics are just “bip bop” with occasional addresses to what sounds like a female fan. It’s a bop musically…but lyrically, it’s all just “bip bop.”

#7: “Africa” (1982)

Toto

This critically acclaimed classic rock number became certified gold by the RIAA in 1991. It even experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to social media, and it has been certified Diamond ever since. But listening to the lyrics closely beyond just the vague affirmation of love is a very head scratching experience. There is the oxymoron “solitary company,” for starters. And the line “As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti” is just geographically incorrect. What makes this really puzzling is that the melody was composed in ten minutes, but the lyrics were the result of six months of work. Maybe Toto should have taken that extra month.

#6: “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” (1990)

The Police

There is such a thing as too much onomatopoeia. In response to criticism over the “baby talk” lyrics of this track, lead singer Sting explained the song was in fact a commentary on the attraction of simple language and the manipulation of words. Did the Police succeed? The song is pure rock-’n-roll catchiness, but satire is largely lost amid bad social commentary. (Not just politicians, but poets apparently use words that scream for your submission). Also, the end rhyme about eloquence is too terrible to even talk about it here. This unusual homage to anti-intellectualism should have just stuck to the de doo dos.

#5: “Money for Nothing” (1985)

Dire Straits

This song about disgruntled hardware store employees commenting on an MTV performer is a successful bop. It stayed at number one for three weeks in the “Billboard” Hot 100. The single was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and the music video was nominated 11 times at the MTV Video Music Awards. But its lyrics, otherwise a cleverly reconstructed conversation, leave much to be desired, and it even stirred controversy at the use of a homophobic slur. Mark Knopfler expressed mixed feelings, admitting it’s tricky to write lyrics for a character and not lose the social commentary. Satire is truly tricky to do in song, and this one missed the mark a little.

#4: “Love the Way You Lie” (2010)

Eminem, feat. Rihanna

This memorable ballad about a toxic relationship clearly hit a nerve. The single sold over 12 million copies in the U.S. alone. Both Eminem and Rihanna admitted to having abusive relationships with their partners, which gives a song a personal, authentic ring to it. Lyric-wise, though, the single is marred by lazy slant rhymes and one groaner of a pun: “Now you get to watch her leave out the window / Guess that's why they call it window pane.” That the song goes into detail and even rationale about Eminem’s perspective, while leaving Rihanna mainly with the chorus, was also criticized. All in all, very problematic.

#3: “Shiny Happy People” (1991)

R.E.M

This single was almost the theme song for the series “Friends” before it was replaced. To this day, it is one of R.E.M’s most well-known songs, and to be sure, its upbeat wholesomeness is groovy, if a little bland. But the critical reception was mixed, due to its lyrics. Music forgives a lot of repetition. But the “shiny happy people” refrain, with its accompanying vague verses, is perhaps one too many. Michael Stipe reportedly was dissatisfied, while Mike Mills claimed the track was actually meant for kids. This bubblegum song is perhaps too bubbly.

#2: “Champagne Supernova” (1995)

Oasis

This dynamic psychedelic anthem has appropriately abstract lyrics. Perhaps too abstract, though, because its meaning cannot be guessed at. The lines are all over the place: it’s at first reflective and dreamy, then hedonistic, and then depressingly existential. Songwriter Noel Gallagher admitted the meaning is left to the listener’s interpretation and that he didn’t know the meaning of the lyrics either. Whatever the meaning of “Champagne Supernova,” it is considered by many critics as one of Oasis’ best songs. And for what it’s worth, scientists nicknamed a real-life supernova after the song.

#1: “Human” (2008)

The Killers

Are we human or are we dancer? This critically acclaimed pop rock song was the Top Globally Streamed Song in Spotify in 2008, so it is certainly standing the test of time well thus far. Perhaps part of the appeal is in fact the vague lyrics, loosely about what exactly makes us human. That human-dancer line in particular is meme-worthy, but there is also “will your system be alright” and “There’s no message we’re receiving,” both receiving uninspired rhymes. Songwriter Brandon Flowers grew irritated with the criticism of the lyrics, saying the single was meant in fact to be a dance song. You heard it here, folks: We are dancer after all.

Which other fantastic song do you know has questionable lyrics? Let us know in the comments down below!