Top 10 Pop Songs That Annoy Us Now
#10: “ABCDEFU” (2021) Gayle
Okay, so we’ll admit that the title of Gayle’s 2021 breakout hit track is pretty witty. And, like most of the world, we dug the song when it first came out as well. But these days, we’re more likely to skip it if it comes on while we’re listening to music. The thing is, after you hear the same refrain for what feels like the millionth time, it can easily stop resonating. Lyrics that perhaps felt clever and fun at first can arguably come across a little immature. We’re just glad Gayle excludes the dog from the barrage of anger – that part won’t ever be annoying.
#9: "I Gotta Feeling" (2009) The Black Eyed Peas
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We have a feeling that this song is getting pretty tiresome. Yes, we know that will.i.am rhymes “cup” with “mazel tov” on the track, and we appreciate that as much as the next person. But that isn’t quite enough to counteract the general feelings of annoyance that sweeps over us when “I Gotta Feeling” starts playing. Is it the fact that we have to go through a lot of “tonight's gonna be a good night”-heavy lyrics before the first verse actually starts? Maybe, or maybe it’s just because of how often we heard it upon release. There was a time when this song would get the party started, but to those days we say cheers.
#8: "Photograph" (2005) Nickelback
As one of the more, shall we say, divisive bands of the last few decades, Nickelback’s discography tends to either completely elate or totally frustrate people. A perfect example of that love them or hate them, black and white mentality towards the band is “Photograph.” The first single off their “All the Right Reasons” album, the nostalgic walk down memory lane was a top 10 hit in multiple countries. But we’d guess that many people would rank it as one of the “most frustrating songs” out there, too. Look at this photograph, does it make you laugh or cry out of exasperation?
#7: “Stay” (2021) The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber
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“Stay” by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber reportedly became the fastest tune to ever hit the 2 billion streams mark on Spotify. And we aren’t ashamed to admit that at least a few of those plays can be traced back to us. It’s a catchy song, and something about it felt new and exciting when it was released. But then it started getting played and played and overplayed – and it went from new and exciting to repetitive and kind of irritating. There’s a chance this one might get back in our rotation at some point, but for the time being we’re STAYing away from it.
#6: "Bad Habits" (2021) Ed Sheeran
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We’re not sure what bothers folks most about this one. Is it the synth-heavy track? Is it the way it pairs with the interesting music video, which sees Sheeran dressed up as a vampire? Is it the fact that, with a little distance, the whole thing feels slightly repetitive? Maybe if “Bad Habits” had been more of a deep cut, as opposed to a single, we could’ve found more to enjoy about it. After all, constant radio airplay is responsible for ruining a lot of otherwise decent tracks! You’ll find us listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran songs, but this one is relatively low on the list these days.
#5: "Heat Waves" (2020) Glass Animals
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“Heat Waves” is one of the biggest hits of the decade so far, and it got there in a rather unconventional way. The Glass Animals song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but it did so after working its way up the charts over the course of 59 weeks! Because of this, it felt like there were always new people discovering the song, which is great. However, it also means that for those of us who found it early, it has now reached way overplayed status. So, if it’s new to you, enjoy. But if it’s not and you’re getting a little tired of it, we get it.
#4: “Happy” (2013) Pharrell Williams
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It “might seem crazy what [we’re] 'bout to say.” “Clap along if you feel” like this Pharrell Williams tune annoys you now also. Like the rest of the world, we were on the “Happy” bandwagon back in 2013. And honestly, we were still clapping along (at least periodically) in 2014, 2015, 2016 and maybe even 2017. But we’re not really clapping along anymore. The song had a great run, but it’s safe to say most people need a break from it. That’s not to say we won’t feel like “a room without a roof” again at one point. Today just isn’t that day.
#3: “All About That Bass” (2014) Meghan Trainor
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It was reportedly the best-selling track by a female artist in the 2010s. And there were plenty of folks who were all about “All About That Bass” in 2014 and beyond – we get it. Don’t get us wrong, the notion that “every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top” won’t get old. But after so many years, every inch of the song has the capacity to be annoying. Plus, there are so many other, newer Meghan Trainor releases to discover! So these days when “All About That Bass” starts playing, we do like the singer said and “move along” to the next track.
#2: "Whip My Hair" (2010) Willow
We all remember when Willow Smith started whipping her hair back and forth. After all, a whole lot of us followed her lead thanks to the aptly titled “Whip My Hair.” The song did well upon its release, and it’s not hard to see why. For a while back in 2010, we all had Smith’s name in our mouths and the track blasting in our ears. But we’d be lying if we said the repetitive chorus hasn’t started to give us whiplash! To this day, we appreciate its message of being who you are and loving yourself, but we can probably do without the rest.
#1: “Baby” (2010) Justin Bieber feat. Ludacris
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Yes, we understand that “Baby” helped propel Justin Bieber’s career forward. And in the intervening years, the Biebs has put out some great songs we have on constant rotation. But “Baby” arguably isn’t his best work. It’s very 2010 teenybopper, and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, we know it’s not the best of what he – or featured artist Ludacris – have to offer. But don’t take our word for it. The song’s music video actually became one of the most disliked in YouTube’s history. We’re not “Sorry” that we got to know Justin Bieber, but we’re glad he’s grown and moved on to bigger and better things.
