Top 20 Worst Songs of All Time
#20: “Selfish”
Justin Timberlake
If the goal was to pull off a comeback for the ages, most critics agreed that Justin Timberlake fell flat with “Selfish”. Gone was the swagger and confidence that defined his best moments on the mic, and in its place, was this bland and forgettable release. Described as “the latest turd in a ten year run” by Consequence, the song’s greatest crime is simply not doing anything to stick in the memory. Fans of Timberlake were just as vocal as some of his biggest critics in regarding this one as one of the flattest singles he had ever released.
#19: “Nookie”
Limp Bizkit
Nu-metal was the type of genre that really could only have existed at the exact moment that it did. At the turn of the century, the excess and attitude of bands like Limp Bizkit made them a huge success. However, most people seem to agree that a lot of their stuff has aged like milk. “Nookie” is one of the shining examples of the band and their singer, Fred Durst’s obnoxious approach to songwriting. If ever there was a time where this was boundary-pushing or fresh, then that time has clearly passed for most. These days, a track like “Nookie” sounds insanely juvenile and grating.
#18: “Try That in a Small Town”
Jason Aldean
Saying that Jason Aldean wasn’t trying to please everyone with “Try That in a Small Town” would be putting it lightly. There is obviously a very important need for political statements in music, but this formulaic country rocker was quickly pointed to as a clear example of how not to make a point. The lyrics were clunky and predictable and the instrumentation was basic and uninspired. Critics argued that it promotes exclusionary themes and vigilante imagery, leading to accusations of divisiveness, which, in the current climate, was not helping anyone. It went on to become a big release for Aldean, but the reviews were pretty terrible all round.
#17: “Gucci Gang”
Lil Pump
Those who criticise the current state of hip-hop for its shallow nature are still pulling out their hair over Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang”. Despite its popularity, the song is often used as evidence of declining lyrical standards in the genre. There’s nothing inherently wrong with repetition, but in this case, many listeners didn’t see the artistic craft in what Lil Pump was going for. Even though it went on to be a hit and a culturally important release for its time, it was quickly pointed to as a true artistic lowpoint in the modern age of hip-hop.
#16: “Stupid Hoe”
Nicki Minaj
This pounding promo single off of Minaj’s “Roman Reloaded” album is reviled enough for even the most die-hard Barbs to defend. Over an unrelenting, deeply annoying beat, Nicki tears Lil’ Kim, her biggest rap rival, to shreds — without doing her own career any favors. While a few of Nicki’s bars may have you nodding your head in surprising approval, “Stupid Hoe” is a repetitive, grating, and bizarrely squeaky misfire. The whole thing feels like a half-thought out sketch of a song; look at its closing moments, in which Minaj’s sing-songy delivery sounds more or less improvised. We can’t imagine Lil’ Kim was terribly offended by it, anyway.
#15: “Mother”
Meghan Trainor
We did consider going with Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass”, which has its fair share of detractors. However, for our money, her later single “Mother” is widely considered to be guilty of far more varied musical crimes than the track that put her on the map. Released in 2023, it was criticised by many for relying too heavily on gimmicks, both in the retro-style instrumentation and the lyrical content. Trainor was seen as bordering on self-parody by the time the dust had settled, although it achieved TikTok viral success, it could not replicate it on the charts.
#14: “Woman's World”
Katy Perry
Jumping on a trend is kinda what pop music is all about for some, but in the case of Katy Perry, she made a dramatic mistake with “Woman’s World”. Seen by many as a disastrous comeback single for the superstar singer, this track was guilty of delivering a truly undercooked message that seemed extremely contrived. Perry, who gave his uplifting tracks like “Roar” and “Firework” in the past, appeared to be reaching too deeply into her old bag of tricks, utterly failing to bring anything fresh to this feminist anthem. Factor in that she worked on the tune with the controversial Dr Luke, and you had a recipe for a total dud in her catalogue.
#13: “Butterfly”
Crazy Town
Sampling an early-career cut from the Red Hot Chili Peppers gave Crazy Town the perfect backdrop for their biggest hit. For some, “Butterfly” represents a slice of 2000s nostalgia that goes beyond the track’s surface level appeal. Those who cringe as soon as it comes on the radio tend to do so because of its incredibly awkward lyrics and inauthentic message. Rap rock was truly something that you either loved or hated, and by the time the genre’s heyday had passed, songs like “Butterfly” were seen as a relic that most listeners would rather forget.
#12: “Trollz”
6IX9INE feat. Nicki Minaj
When it comes to Tekashi 6ix9ine’s collaboration with Nicki Minaj, “Trollz”, to say that the end product left fans disappointed would be an understatement. Critics found the track jarring from the get-go, and then increasingly disjointed and incohesive as it went on. Controversy is a great way to sell records, sure, and the song hit the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, proving its commercial appeal. However, its antagonistic tone and messy production left it on many detractors’ list of the worst songs of 2020 by the end of the year.
#11: “My Humps”
The Black Eyed Peas
This band was on top of the world around 2005, but that doesn’t mean everything they were releasing was worth positive attention. “My Humps” is arguably the worst song of their career, both in terms of musical and lyrical content. It’s both boring and redundant, and contains a really awful vocal melody. Plus, we can only hear “my hump” so many times before it turns to gibberish in our ears. The song’s lyrics were also widely criticized, with many arguing that the shameless sexual content objectifies women. “My Humps” has appeared on numerous “worst songs ever” style lists, and for good reason.
#10: “Karma”
JoJo Siwa
Change is good, indeed, but for many critics, JoJo Siwa’s pivot to a more serious tone was a total misstep. “Karma” was intended as the world’s intro to an explosive new look and sound for Siwa, but in the end, the whole thing well and truly fell flat. Though the song attempted a darker, edgier rebrand, the song’s lyrics and delivery were seen as forced, and Siwa was highlighted as lacking the credibility needed for the shift. Its biggest crime? It’s just a very generic piece of pop songwriting that ended up making JoJo look desperate for attention and respect.
#9: “Facts”
Tom MacDonald & Ben Shapiro
Viral hip hop performer Tom MacDonald is seemingly a walking contradiction. The rapper hails from Canada, but makes “MAGA rap”, a right-wing political subgenre that’s noted for its vociferous support of American president Donald Trump. As such, MacDonald’s music routinely ticks off such hot-button, culture-war topics as quote-unquote “wokism”, the anti-gender movement, and the supposed tyranny of the political left. “Facts” may serve as MacDonald’s most crystal clear expression of his ideology to date — so much so that the song features a lifeless rap verse by firebrand conservative pundit Ben Shapiro. Tired, clichéd, and just plain petulant, “Facts” aims to provoke controversy, but instead elicits yawns from bored listeners.
#8: “Whip My Hair”
Willow Smith
The best thing we can say about this song is that then-nine-year-old Willow Smith had a heck of a voice. Many critics compared it to Rihanna’s body of work, and that’s no small compliment. It’s a shame that her vocals were overshadowed by one of the worst choruses of the decade. It consists of nothing but the line “I whip my hair back and forth”, which is endlessly repeated over and over again with an unsavory screech. It makes the song seem ten times longer than it actually is, and it completely ruins what could have otherwise been a pleasant listening experience. We’re just a little unclear: does she whip her hair back and forth or not?
#7: “Hamsterdance”
Hampton the Hamster
This one really brings back memories. A glorious time capsule back to the early internet, “The Hampsterdance Song” makes for great nostalgia but a horrible listening experience. The Hampster Dance meme came to be in 1998, courtesy of a student named Deidre LaCarte. “The Hampsterdance Song” was released two years later, presumably to play off its success. But looking back, that was a mistake. The squeaky hamster voice makes our ears hurt, and it even features a very unwanted rap portion. It’s just a cute meme, so we obviously weren’t expecting Beethoven. But even so, this was a low point for the internet – and music!
#6: “#SELFIE”
The Chainsmokers
Even the title “#Selfie” makes us gag. The musical duo wanted to capitalize on the titular photo craze of the early 2010s, so we got this grating tune. From a marketing standpoint, the idea was apparently to make a “Harlem Shake”-esque smash. And boy did it work. But at least the “Harlem Shake” was fun. This was just irksome. The repetitive beat is insanely irritating, but the worst part is easily the shallow and harmful lyrics. Lines like, “I only got ten likes in the last five minutes/Do you think I should take it down?” speak for themselves. Can they take the whole song down while they’re at it?
#5: “Harlem Shake”
Baauer
The sensation that was Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” phenomenon wasn’t so much down to the music as it was to what the music soundtracked. This meme craze dominated the internet in the weeks and months after it originally landed. Though it was easier to get behind at first, people generally became extremely sick of it after hundreds and thousands of versions began to spring up. The song itself was criticised for not having much of a leg to stand on musically beyond its association with the video trend that made it famous. In fact, it doesn’t even have anything to do with the Harlem Shake dance it name-drops.
#4: “Peanut Butter Jelly Time”
The Buckwheat Boyz
This novelty track sprang into public consciousness long before the internet became the cultural powerhouse it is today. However, 2004’s “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” would not be out of place in this modern era’s meme culture. It got a major boost in popularity following its inclusion in a memorable episode of “Family Guy”, where Brian Griffin performs a rendition. The issue? Well, if you weren’t into the joke, it stood as an example of music at its most disposable. Sure, the song wasn’t trying to be Bob Dylan, but critics of this Buckwheat Boys creation found that its humor wore thin almost instantly.
#3: “Friday”
Rebecca Black
Poor Rebecca Black was really brought through the wringer after “Friday” was released. The song was immediately criticized by pretty much everyone and became a national laughingstock. Every aspect of the tune was viciously picked apart, from Black’s auto-tuned vocals to the gloriously meme-worthy lyrics like “Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards.” The song spread through social media like wildfire and was even the most disliked video on YouTube for a while. Black herself certainly didn’t deserve the vitriol that was spewed her way, but there’s no denying that it really is a dreadful song. At least it serves as a great throwback to 2011?
#2: “It's Everyday Bro”
Jake Paul
Jake Paul is one of the most notorious figures on the internet, and not always for positive reasons. But does the song deserve all the hate it receives? If you ask us, yes. It’s a diss track aimed at various internet celebrities, but Paul isn’t a rapper. In fact, his rapping is horrible. And then there are the lyrics. The Team 10 members shamelessly boast about their riches and fame, and it’s not something that people want to hear. Plus, you know you’re getting a lyrical masterpiece with lines like “England is my city.” Sure, the video racked up views – but it was also widely hated. Why don’t they brag about that next time?
#1: “Baby Shark (Doo Doo)”
Pinkfong
Sure, it’s a piece of music aimed entirely at small children, but that hasn’t stopped “Baby Shark” from becoming an unavoidable cultural phenomenon. A song that is designed for kids shouldn’t be expected to bring too much complexity to the table, but this track’s extreme repetitiveness is truly grating for most music fans. Most who hear this one can’t get it out of their head in the days that follow, and while that can actually be a good thing in some cases, “Baby Shark” is widely despised for this exact reason.
But what do you consider to be the worst song in music history? Let us know in the comments section below.