Miscellaneous Links 2 - The Vengeance

[Grefter]

Wow, respect for them giving the nod to Doop

Babylon Zoo's Spaceman isn't so bad, just uninspired.  Hanson nod is well deserved of course.  Dirrty - Cristina Aguilera  sooooooooooo vindicating.  No U2 though.  HOW IS THERE NO U2 ONE OF THE WORST MOST INFINITELY BAD POP SHIT BANDS EVER.  FUCK YOU BONO YOU DO NOT SING ABOUT DIGGING HOLES AND TALK ABOUT ELEVATION. 

[Hunter Sopko]

Because if they included Bono, then he'd HAVE to be #1. He cannot be #2. Ever.

[metroid composite]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq_-Gf9rXhE
(video) Kasparov Griefed by Flying Penis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQb8vb4blA
(video) USSR dancers set to modern dance music.

http://kotaku.com/5010068/yes-jake-gyllenhaal-is-the-prince-of-persia
Prince of Persia movie.

http://kotaku.com/5010087/judge-says-jack-thompson-guilty-of-misconduct-during-gta-bully-trials
Jack Thompson found guilty of misconduct.

Link too long
100 worst pop songs of all time.

I can't argue with the first one, if it's the song I'm thinking of (like hell I'm looking for a youtube video), but Barbie Girl should be higher. Also, having not heard the song, I still think number 19 should be off the list, since "Living Next Door to Alice(Who the Fuck is Alice?)" is a great song title.

I'm honestly not sure what their criteria are, since they have no Backstreet Boys, no N*Sync, no O-Town, no 98-Degrees, no New Kids on the Block (you know, the obnoxious boy bands of the 90s), but they do have several songs I wouldn't really call "pop".

[AAA]

I noticed that too. I'm not sure why there were no boy bands on it. Maybe just too easy of an target? I dunno.

[Nephrite]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NT6CElR36M
(video / song) FF4 Fiends theme, vocal version.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv-dEz9HW10
(video / song) Super Mario World theme, vocal version.

[Sierra]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NT6CElR36M
(video / song) FF4 Fiends theme, vocal version.

Instant classic! Valvalis being a yuri fiend = win.

As for the worst pop songs list...I blame any weirdness on it clearly being compiled by Brits.

[Grefter]

I think you guys need to listen to some of the songs on there.  Bye bye bye >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Doop so hard it isn't funny and this is from someone who is pretty harsh on music for being entirely uninspired.

[metroid composite]

I think you guys need to listen to some of the songs on there.  Bye bye bye >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Doop so hard it isn't funny and this is from someone who is pretty harsh on music for being entirely uninspired.

Oh, there's definitely some stuff on there I can get behind.  "Achey Breaky heart" jumps to mind, as does the Macarena and "Cotton Eye Joe".  That said, there's also several songs I glance at and have to ask "that one?  Really?  you couldn't think of anything worse?"  Glancing through the list....

Wannabe - Spice Girls
Never really had a problem with this one.  (Other than being a pop song).

Lucky - Britney Spears
Lyrics are actually decent (unusual for Britney); tune is unmemorable.  She has so much worse stuff.

Believe - Cher
It's like, Cher's one well-known song; at least the only one that jumps to mind when I think of Cher.

Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
For starters, it's rap, not pop.  Secondly, nearly everyone I know who actually likes rap (i.e. not me) fondly remembers this song.

Puppy Love - Donny Osmond
Generic 60s song (okay, early 70s, but it's 60s style); don't really see what's wrong with it--I can think of so much stuff from the era that's worse.

We Will Rock You - Five feat. Queen
Okay, I can agree with the complaint that injecting rap into We Will Rock You makes the song worse.  Though, again it's rap, not pop, and if they wanted to hate on rap why didn't they pick a pure rap song instead of one that's mixed with a good song?

We Built This City - Starship
It's from an era of music I'm not as familiar with, but if nothing else I do like the harmony in the song.

C'est la Vie - Bewitched
Other than being generic, I really don't see the problem with it.

[Hunter Sopko]

Ice, Ice Baby is about as rap as OK dressing in blackface and trying to rhyme. If your friends actually A) like rap and B) remember this song fondly, it's ONLY in an ironic or campy way.

[Otter]

Lucky - Britney Spears
Lyrics are actually decent (unusual for Britney); tune is unmemorable.  She has so much worse stuff.

Plus, Alex is a fan of this one.

[Grefter]

Believe isn't offensively bad I pretty much agree, it isn't what she is famous for, it is just the only thing she released of note 10 years either side of it (the reason it got played so much was because it was Cher).  THe majority of that list though?  The stuff really is that bad.

And if the song uses elements from other genres while still using the same easy to listen to pop structure (which those all do) then they are pop.

[TranceHime]

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080520-judges-report-in-jack-thompson-case-guilty-on-27-charges.html

This should be, self-explanatory. I suppose.

[metroid composite]

THe majority of that list though?  The stuff really is that bad.

Hmm, well maybe I don't recognize the bad stuff.

Just clicking on a few songs at random...

"You are the Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler" --oh, I recognize this now.  I like that song.
"Hooray Hooray, It's a Holi-Holiday - Boney M" --Yeah, that could get annoying; never heard it before.
"Look At Me - Gerri Halliwells" --I recognize it.  The lyrics seem a bit random in places, but otherwise seems fine.
"Y Viva Espania - Sylvia" --Can't find the song.
"Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Bombalurina feat. Timmy Mallett" --Bad remake of an otherwise decent song.
"The Birdie Song - The Tweets" --It's...the Chicken dance.  Except two minutes long with random bird calls added.  I like the chicken dance and all that, but I don't see the purpose of the bird calls.
"We Are The World - USA for Africa" --Eh, charity songs generally don't bother me, particularly if they have nice harmony.
"Ebeneezer Goode - The Shamen" --Never heard it before.  I get the impression that the singer was insane, which gives it bonus points, and otherwise I wasn't left with a strong impression.
"Lucky - Britney Spears" Mentioned this one already--possibly her most tasteful song.
"Save Your Love - Rene and Renato" --First time I'd heard it.  I could see complaints that it's overly cheesy, even by love song standards.
"Fog On The Tyne (Revisited) - Gazza and Lindisfarne" --Didn't find the "revisited" version.  Original version was pretty damn crappy, though.
"Sacred Trust - One True Voice" --Never heard it before.  Standard boy band stuff; better harmony than some.
"So Macho - Sinitta" --Musically standard 80s stuff.  Lyrics are eyebrow-raising, but not really offensive.
"Doop - Doop" --MAKE IT STOP @_@.
"Who Let The Dogs Out? - Baha Men" --You know, I actually find this song amusing.  I can see how it could grate on people, though.
"MacArthur Park - Richard Harris" --I found it highly entertaining.  Parrodies itself with the lyrics.  "Someone left the cake out in the rain, and I don't think I can take it cause it took so long to bake it ohhhh nooooo!"
"I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper - Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip" --Mentioned it before, fine song.
"I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston" --I'm trying to defend this one, and can't really.  I'm also struggling to think of an objective reason to bash it (as a rule I don't mind heavy vocal parts, and will happily ignore the words of love songs, so...dunno).

So...roughly 50-50 so far.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Any list that suggests "Who Let the Dogs Out?" is anything but awesome instantly fails.

[metroid composite]

Any list that suggests "Who Let the Dogs Out?" is anything but awesome instantly fails.

I'm inclined to agree for the most part (although I will say that I find the non-chorus part is pretty unmemorable).

Anyhow, decided to make my listening today more "bad" pop music so...

"Every Loser Wins - Nick Berry" --Easy listening.  Nice harmony.  Didn't leave a strong impression at all.
"Love Is All Around - Wet Wet Wet" --Generic love song.  Nothing really offensive about it that I noticed.
"Shaddap You Face - Joe Dolce Music Theatre" --Surprisingly amusing.
"Orville's Song - Keith Harris and Orville" --Couldn't find the real version.  Found a home-sung youtube version, and while it was hard to tell I think the original might have been fine....
"I Should Be So Lucky - Kylie Minogue" --Hey, I actually know this one.  Gets overly repetitive, but otherwise decent.
"No Limits - 2 Unlimited" --Oh that song.  Good at what it does.
"I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meatloaf" --Repetitive and seven minutes long, but those are the only problems that jumped out to me.
"No Way No Way - Vanilla" --The most significant complaint I can field at this one is that the accent is so Brittish in an almost stiff-upper-lip way that it sounds like there's no emotion in it.  Saying "no way" shouldn't sound that robotic.
"My Toot Toot - Denise la Salle" -- couldn't find it.
"American Pie - Madonna" --Never heard the Madonna version before.  I actually...really liked it, possibly more than the original.  And I rarely like remakes of anything (there's quite a few cases where I prefer NES music compared to the SSBM remakes, for instance).
"C'est la Vie - Bewitched" -- Commented on this before.  It's generic, but there's nothing really wrong with it.
"Jenny From The Block - Jennifer Lopez" --For some reason I have a strong disliking for most of the stuff Jennifer Lopez does.  Even terrible artists I'll find myself apathetic or even enjoying a piece or two, but 80% of J-Lo's stuff just grates on me.
"I'd Rather Jack - The Reynolds Girls" --Seems like it could be a poster child for 80s music.
"Vindaloo - Fat Les" --Ehhhh.  Well it didn't help that it sounded like they were saying "in the loo" not Vindaloo.  Still, didn't come away with a positive impression.
"Don't It Make You Feel Good - Stefan Dennis" --80s, but the obnoxious tecnho background is a bit more grating than other 80s examples.  Has its moments too, mind.
"Star Trekkin - The Firm" --MADE OF WIN
"Suspicious Minds - Gareth" --Remake that stays relatively true to a solid song.  Worse than the original, sure....
"Let's Get Ready To Rhumble - PJ and Duncan" --Feels sort of like the "No Limits" song, except worse. (not necessarily bad, mind).

[metroid composite]

My bad pop marathon continues!

"Macarena - Los Del Rio" --Wow, would have been vastly improved if all the bad English lyrics were removed.
"There's No One Quite Like Grandma - St. Winifred's School Choir"  --Awwwwwww.
"Anyone Can Fall In Love - Anita Dobson" --Pretty, if generic.
"Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby" --...well at least it wasn't "Barney the Dinosaur"
"Saturday Night - Whigfield" -- Not the best remake.  The get a lot of the sounds perfect, but add some extra rhythm elements that don't work that well.
"The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) - The Cheeky Girls" --Terrible in every category.
"Dirrty - Cristina Aguilera" --Damn you RNG!  Couldn't you give me some kids singing about their grandmother after the last song?  Anyhow, turns out I've never actually heard this song, only 10 second clips of it in an "isn't this terrible" special report.  Fails in almost as many levels as the last song.
"We Will Rock You - Five feat. Queen" --Worse than just Queen on their own, but that makes it half good, and half mediocre.
"Agadoo - Black Lace" --That's...pretty obnoxious on the annoying level, yeah.
"Earth Song - Michael Jackson" --Not his best work by any stretch.  Still ends up in the generic pile for me, though, cause he can perform and has damn good accompaniment.
"Living Next Door To Alice (Who The F**k Is Alice)- Smokie feat. Roy 'Chubby' Brown" --Classic example of taking a decent song and screwing it up.  It's "living next door to alice" with random non-sequitor "Alice?  Who the fuck is Alice?" added.
"Candle In The Wind 1997 - Elton John" --Have someone who doesn't remember 1997 listen to this, and I doubt they'd see a problem.  It's...singing about Princess Diana's death and all the politial taboo around that that makes me not inclined to keep this music around.
"MmmBop - Hanson" --You know, taken out of context I don't really have an issue with this song--if it had come out in the 50s nobody would give it a second glance, and I'll happily listen to music from the 50s.  For that matter, if it were not in English, I wouldn't be able to complain that the chorus isn't real words (and I happily listen to music in other languages).
"Barbie Girl - Aqua" --I don't hate this song either, actually, though will certainly admit it has issues (squeak-voice, weird and slightly uncomfortable subject matter).  It also has upsides (had some interesting literary discussions about the purpose of this song--I know women who really like it because it describes how they used to play with Barbie, for instance.  The ways different audiences react to it is pretty fascinating to me).
"Spaceman - Babylon Zoo" --Jarring sums up this one.  Transitions from chipmunk voices to heavy metal and whatnot.
"Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - Middle of the Road" --Generic.  I've already forgotten it.

[Grefter]

Case in point: Generic is bad.  Pop can be an effective genre if used properly (there IS a reason it got so big and popular).  Annoying doesn't make a bad some (see Push a Little Daisy by Ween being a decent song in spite of everything about it.  It is annoying as hell, because it is meant to be.  It is taking the piss so fucking hard).

[metroid composite]

Case in point: Generic is bad. 

Generic also has thousands of instances of it--that's how it became to be labelled generic in the first place.

Consider:
Critic: "This is one of the worst pop songs ever!"
Skeptic: "Why?"
Critic: "Because it's like all these other thousands of pop songs!"
Skeptic: "But wait, doesn't this mean all of the thousands of other pop songs are also one of the worst pop songs ever?"
Critic: "YESSSS!  Burn them!  Burn them all to the ground!  The fire, it's so beautiful.... *sniff*"

Er...anyway...yeah, generic is bad, generic is the reason most pop music is looked upon with disdain by critics, but in order to be "one of the 100 worst ever" it seems to me you have to go above and beyond being generic.

[Otter]

Any list that suggests "Who Let the Dogs Out?" is anything but awesome instantly fails.

[Sierra]

Any list that suggests "Who Let the Dogs Out?" is anything but awesome instantly fails.

...What the fuck is wrong with you people? Are you guys trying to see how far my respect for you can fall in one day?

Also, MC is far too forgiving in regards to music. I'm totally with Grefter here. 99% of pop music sucks. Fortunately, I'm pretty attached to the remaining 1%.

[Taishyr]

I Youtubed that song. Agreeing with El Cid, that song is just... ugh what. Also explains the kids at my high school that barked instead of speaking vaguely coherent English. Ch.

[Captain K.]

Eh, Who Let the Dogs Out wasn't inherently bad, it just got played. to. death.

Didn't get to read the list, but if it didn't have "The Tide is High" by Blondie as the number 1, it fails.

[Grefter]

There is a level of absolute soulless music you can get that only shows up with the truely generic song.  Being annoying certainly helps I guess (See Doop, both annoying AND super generic structure to boot!) but most of that crap is just so bland and with no life to it that it isn't even worth the time of day.  The stuff that is "covers" of old stuff with random crap tacked on is just the worst.

Edit - Which reminds me of All Saints' cover of Under the Bridge by RHCP.  Soooooo baaaaaaaaaad.

Edit 2 - Changed band to correct one, mixed up my bad pop.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Ice, Ice Baby is about as rap as OK dressing in blackface and trying to rhyme. If your friends actually A) like rap and B) remember this song fondly, it's ONLY in an ironic or campy way.

I am extremely fond of Ice Ice Baby. I in fact consider it the best rap... whatever you call rap, cause it sure as shit isn't song... ever written. Mostly for the rather unflattering light it casts the genre in, but also because Robert van Winkle was smart enough to know that if you're going to steal, you might as well do it from Queen and David Bowie. You know, have some fucking standards.

WORD TO YOUR MOTHER

[DomaDragoon]

http://na.square-enix.com/zenithia/ - Dragon Quest IV, V, VI getting US DS release.