I just heard Wings' "Let 'em in" which I've always felt to be one of their most annoying songs--not just a most annoying hit but a most annoying song.

So I thought I'd bring up the notion of most undeserving hits. Wings was a pretty good group, with good hits and often good album tracks. Just not that one.

If I had to name one by the Beatles, I'd probably go with "Get Back" although I don't expect everyone (or anyone) to agree with me. It's definately NOT a bad song, I just wouldn't have thought it "hit material" if I'd been in charge os such things. I'm even more surprised that "The Ballad of John and Yoko" qualified to be on the "1" CD.

What other "hits" by these or other fairly prolific artists would you consider "undeserving"?

Anything by any boyband or Britney or Christina.

Anything by Donna Summer is awful, with her cover of "Mac Arthur Park" up there as the worst record ever. They should have left the master tapes out in the rain.
"Ice Ice Baby"- A total ripoff, using the bass line from "Under Pressure." Ice (real name Robert Van Winkle) actually had the nerve to deny he stole the melody.

Yeah...maybe we should amend this category to 'Most undeserving hits by otherwise good bands', which is what I kinda suspect you meant, goog. Otherwise it gets pretty obvious.

"Anything by Donna Summer is awful, with her cover of 'Mac Arthur Park' up there as the worst record ever. They should have left the master tapes out in the rain." - Adam Bomb

Uh, actually, I like a lot of Donna Summer's songs. Including "MacArthur Park".

"'Ice Ice Baby'- A total ripoff, using the bass line from 'Under Pressure.' Ice (real name Robert Van Winkle) actually had the nerve to deny he stole the melody." - Adam Bomb

Actually, Queen's Brian May has denied that Vanilla Ice stole "Under Pressure"'s riff. I've heard him on the Howard Stern show talking about it. He even played both riffs to show the difference. He is, of course, happy to receive the royalties from "Ice, Ice Baby".

Most undeserved hit by otherwise good band. Uptown Girl or anything from Billy Joel's Christy Brinkley era.

I am a Walrus by the Beatles. (If it wasn't the Beatles would we have ever heard it?)

My biggest problem with this category is the definition of "hit". Is Dire Straights Twistin' by the Pool a "hit"?

"I am a Walrus by the Beatles. (If it wasn't the Beatles would we have ever heard it?)"

"Walrus" is one of my favorite Beatles songs.

"My biggest problem with this category is the definition of 'hit'. Is Dire Straights Twistin' by the Pool a 'hit'?"

Yes.

I cannot attest to your assertion, but I MUST correct your spelling ... the correct spelling is Dire Straits in deference to the term which means (according to Mark Knopfler) "in very bad financial means" which is the reason they took the name "Dire Straits".

I am the Walrus? Surely those are four of the most important minutes in pop music history.

To each his/her own, I guess.

Importance of a song (or film, painting, whatever) does not guarantee likability.

Hmm. My "full name" didn't post with my last message. It should have read Craig "pointing out the really obvious" Rohloff, which I hoped would indicate I wasn't trying to be rude with my comment.

As for my own submission to this board, I nominate just about anything Elton John cranks out for the latest Disney soundtrack. Nowhere near as inspired or as entertaining as his earlier works.

Craig, you can't put quotation marks in your name for some reason. It removes everthing after the first one. I lost a very funny (IMHO) post name that way myself.

Here's my two nominees for "Most Underserving Hits" -

1.) "Disco Duck (pt. 1)" - Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots. I still smile when I hear it, but really, this was a very dopey song.

2.) "My Ding-A-Ling" - Chuck Berry. Of all the songs by one of Rock's creators, this is his only Number One hit?!? Over "Mabelline"? "Roll Over Beethoven"? "Sweet Little Sixteen"? "Johnny B. Goode"?! Charles Edward Berry deserves better than this!

Billy Joel's last good song was in 1986. It was "Big Man On Mulberry Street", used in a dance number on the '80's series "Moonlighting." Every hit he has had since then has been undeserving. "Big Man" is not even included on his latest "Greatest Hits" package.
William, the more I think about it, the more I dislike "Uptown Girl." Tastes really change over almost two decades, although I find myself listening to Led Zeppelin's "Zoso" a lot more lately.

Gee, Benn I own both of those albums.

I didn't mind "Uptown Girl" at the time, Unfortunately, he got stuch in a "neo-do-wop" pattern with that one, and all the subsequent hits bastardized the original.

I've got "My Ding-A-Ling" on Chuck Berry's box set. Uh, waitaminute, let me rephrase that. That didn't sound right. I have the song "My Ding-A-Ling" as a cut on the Chuck Berry Box Set. As Chuck says, "it's a cute little number." I'm just appalled that it is the only number hit that Mr. Charles Edward Berry has had in his entire career. At the very least, "Johnny B. Goode" is far more deserving of that distinction.

I like "Disco Duck". Sometimes. But I still don't think it deserved to be a number one hit. I guess it's a song that's endemic of the '70s. At any rate, no insult intended, Butch.

None felt. There should have been a winky face emoticon after my post.

On the subject of Chuck Berry, I was surprised to learn his version of Memphis (one of his best songs IMO) didn't chart by him.
It's first chart appearance was as an instrumental by The Ventures. The best selling vocal version was by Johnny Rivers.

Didn't think you were offended Butch. Just wanted to cover all the bases.

BTW, I meant to identify the box set as The Chess Box Set. My bad.

Rick Dees was also ever-present in the excellent Ritchie Valens bio-pic "La Bamba." He played the DJ who Valens' manager Bob Keene (Joe Pantoliano) approaches to play "Come On Let's Go". He also announces Valens' death and is present at the funeral.

Butch,

I've got to agree with you on (the song) My Ding-A-Ling. If it wasn't Chuck Berry it'd be long forgotten if ever a "hit". That it is Chuck Berry's only #1 "hit" is distressing.

I think you're agreeing with me, William, not Butch.

Though, I agree with as well, Benn

My, aren't we all agreeable? :-)

All this agreement is obviously the result of the PC liberalism on this board!

Oh, and while fun, "My Ding-a-ling" is highly forgettable. Chuck deserves better.

Three words: Bob the Builder.

Are you referring to the theme song or the actual tv show, Sven? By the way, the tv show is produced by HIT Entertainment!

I'm referring to the single that was released for Christmas a while back, and somehow in a short space of a few weeks became the best-selling single of the year.

Where? I guess there are advantages to living in a cave, 'cuz I totally missed that one!

A funny thing, related to Bob the Builder: there was one listener to a local radio station I know who honestly thought that Bob the Builder's second single - a cover of Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5" would you believe - was performed by the one and only Morrisey! (Heaven knows he's miserable now...)

Where to start...?

"Who Let the Dogs Out?" definitely qualifies.

ANYTHING by N'••••, Backdoor Boys, or any boy band, for that matter, Silicone Slut (aka Britney, the Waffle House Whore), Christina...

Basically any pre-fabricated, plastic, bubble-gum idiots! Hate their fans, too.

etc.

http://www.geocities.com/janeway_37909/index.htm

Tries to imagine Bob the Builder doing Mambo No.5, fails miserably... This Bob fella evidently gets around a lot more than his work ethic would indicate...

I agree wholeheartedly with Who Let the Dogs Out?. Somebody, for the love of all that is sane, round up those puppies!
(And while we're at it, can we poke the next person to sing Whoop! There It Is! with a cattle prod?)

LOL! I remember that song.."Whoop! There It Is!".. The Tag Team.

Of course, there's the song that was lodged in my head last night (which has been replaced by the far, far superior Of Wolf and Man," Metallica): Jimmy Ray, "Are You Jimmy Ray?"

What's really bad is, I have that Tag Team CD.

Don't feel too bad - the first ever record I bought was "Sing the Blues" by The Simpsons (the first and last record I bought on cassette). Not to say the two hits it had (I think they both went to #1 in the UK) were THAT undeserving, as I still have fond memories when playing it again, but I think they should have released the Mr. Burns song as a single, it was by far the funniest track on the album and would have been a more deserving hit.

Oh, yeah. I love Monty Burns' song on that disc. (I still have it.) An interesting bit of trivia, Matt Groening all but said Michael Jackson co-wrote "Do the Bartman". Jacko also provided the backing vocals. (God, is it ever noticeable after you find out, too.)

I remember this one song, came out around '95... Dionne Farris, "I Know."

Remember?
I know what you're doin', yeahh
I know what you're doin'...

I hated it.

But, in '97, they played that Brian Adams song from Don Juan DeMarco, "Really Love a Woman" ALL THE TIME. I hated it b/c of that, but I now love it--it's a beautiful song.

Since we are talking about over played songs, that Titanic song will always haunt my nightmares. (In the movie Leo DiCapprio's character dies, but the song has no redeeming qualities)

Don't you mean DiCrapio?

I'm sorry, but I just do not like him. A pretty-boy (blechhh) "actor" with mediocre talent.

And it was overplayed, but it's pretty!

Titanic song? Boy, I don't think I've ever heard that one!

BTW, how do you get a smiley emoticon with the really toothy grin?
As for undeserved hits, ANY modern pop ballad used for the main theme of a period movie (Three Musketeers, Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves-awful film, BTW, Titanic-OK, yes I heard that song, ETC.)

The toothy smiley is created by putting a capital O after the colon : instead of a parenthesis ).

Re: the Titanic song - on the whole I'm with CC. Liked My Heart Will Go On when it first came out...still gamely kept up the 'but it's so pretty' excuse when it started flooding the airwaves...but eventually got steamrollered by the sheer ruddy momentum of the thing. Kind of like the movie experience itself, actually...

Kerrie, I didn't actually see "Titanic" until it came on TV - out of prinicple, or out of cash? I still don't know. But THAT song was everywhere. (My idea of a masochistic challenge is to be forced to wear an old, rusty pair of headphones and listen to a very ropey-quality recording of the song - with all the sound out of balance - just once without wincing. I've tried it - to say it's fun would be a lie.) Not that I'm totally anti-Dion - I like a lot of her earlier work - but this one opened the floodgates. That supposed big hit song from the "Pearl Harbor" soundtrack? Exactly.

As for movie soundtrack overkill, I must add Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around" (from "Four Weddings and a Funeral") to that list - it was #1 in the United Kingdom Hit Parade for ever in 1994. If it wasn't for the overkill in playing it all the time, it would have probably been a good song. (Personally, I didn't even think the original was THAT good.) As it is, even Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" is still good after all these years, possibly because it isn't on the radio anymore and it can stand up on its own without a Californian Robin Hood to prop it up.

I don't know - maybe the Robin Hood Song is more of a "guys" love ballad, while the Titanic Song appeals more to women (as kerriem and CC could testify). Have I just hit upon something here? [Yes, it was the table leg - everyone]

As for other less deserving hits, the novelty dance crazes of the 90s have to be mentioned. It seemed in the early to mid 90s novelty acts followed the following formula:

"Old popular music style" + "Nineties dance beat" = "Instant UK #1"!

Examples: Jive Bunny (taking the rock'n'roll classics for a drive-by shooting), Doop (20s flapper-type music), Rednex (hoe-down hillbilly fodder) - does anyone remember (and subsequently forget) them?

[This post probably applies to a lot of other boards in the catch-all basin, so in itself is probably an undeserving hit. Post-modernist self-parody, don't you just love it?]

I've just realised how incredibly sad it must be to actually remember the names of those bands in my last post, let alone the songs.

I really did have a mis-spent youth...

The most undeserving hits are anything by Toby Keith.

Rona said:

The most undeserving hits are anything by Toby Keith.

back in 2004.

Also, anything by either Britney or Justin. Bleeeccchhhh!!!

As long as this is the board for "hits" that don't deserve to be so, I am now going to go on a bit of a rant. It is an important one, however.

The new breed of pop singers so far at this point in the 21st Century, i.e. all the teeny-boppers that were born in the late '80's-early-mid '90's who debuted in pop singing in their teens (MILEY! JONAS!) don't deserve to have number one singles and sell millions of albums!

I hate them! They stink! Yeah!

To quote the late Bill Hicks from 1989: "Maybe I'm romanticizing the past...But I remember a time when music had a conscience, music had soul, and music had balls, man!"

I fully agree. Listening to music today is like having a tracheotomy, a hysterectomy, or a colonoscopy. Hear too much, and it's even worse, it's like having a lobotomy!

Another Bill Hicks bit from back then had him say: Someone asked me "'Hey Bill, who's your favorite New Kid?'" And I'm like "The first one that DIES!!"

Somebody then said "'Oh come on, Bill, don't pick on the New Kids, they're such great role models for our children!'" And Bill said "F*** that! When did banality and mediocrity become great role models for your children?!"

And he said a lot more besides that. Look him up on Wikipedia. Buy his albums on Amazon. Educate yourself. And most importantly, sqweegee your third eye!!!! (Hicks fans understand that reference.)

IMHO that pro-tools and similar programs have a LOT to answer for. It's taken away the soul of singing. Can you imagine The Beatles "Twist And Shout" all neatly polished up and cleaned up? It would be hopeless. Half the charm of those records is the humanity of it all. George misses chords here and there, Ringo drops beats all over the place. Melodies aren't 100% in tune.
But these days it seems all you need is to be moderately cute and leave technology to do the rest. The worst offender is Rhianna. She can't sing at all. Hearing her squeak out live vocals is painful. Doubtless if she wins a grammy she'll have to thank the creators of pro-tools. And it's not just pop either. Rock bands these days are just as polished up and touched up as any teenybopper.

Rodney, I hear what you're saying with things like pro-tools.

It's a double edged sword that has come with the digital revolution. It's happened in independent film too. Lower cost digital recorders and "studio" programs allow anyone to shoot and edit some professional looking stuff. The up side is that anyone can produce "professional" stuff; which is also it's downside. Every jack-leg with a few thousand dollars now thinks he's Stephen Spielberg or Rick Ross; despite their product being polished and yet still completely lacking any artistic vision.

There are two Georgia artists who illustrate this point.

One is "Rehab," which started as 2 guys who met in Narcotics Anonymous doing some silly/irreverent songs about their struggles with substance abuse. After their first album took off they went to LA to make a followup album for their label in true Hollywood style. The duo ended up clashing with the record label and untimely each other. One member wanted to do what the label asked while the other felt that it was selling out his artistic vision. They broke up and that album was never completed.

One of the members Danny Boon (who grew up down the street from my friend Angela) came back to GA and dropped a few grand on some protools digital music production software and hardware and set up a music studio in his basement. He hooked up with a few local musicians and the new incarnation of Rehab was born. They produced a professional quality CD in his basement and went to the distributors, who Danny had such problems with before, and said "here's the CD take it or leave it." So these programs allowed him to make an album that the big recording companies wouldn't. The album "Graffiti the World" is actually one of my favorite albums of all time.

You also have Atlanta rapper Soulja Boy. He was just some 17 year old kid who banged out an album on his computer. His song "Crank That" became a top 10 hit for several weeks back in 2007. Soulja Boy does actually have a lot of talent for mixing and making music. However he has the lyrical skills of a 5 year old with downs syndrome. I'd say that he would make a better record producer than a songwriter but the point is that he used digital recording studio tools to start a career, for better or worse.

Back to Rodney's original point about people who can't sing being made into stars because of post-production techniques. Check out this parody by MC Lars Singing Emo

They show up at the studio to record it
A TRL, Billboard Modern Rock hit
They auto-tune Blake, but he can't tell
He says, "I've got perfect pitch, •••• I sing well"
ProTools, Logic, cut, copy, paste,
Quantized solos and quantized bass
Signed, sealed, delivered and sent,
Across the U.S. and the single went

MC Lars is a big critic of corporate "rock bands" and a big proponent of supporting local independent artists. Another of MC Lars' songs that gets into that stuff is Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock where he rails against the marketing of supposedly counter-culture stuff by multi-national corporations like Hot Topic.

Hot Topic uses contrived identification with youth sub-cultures
to manufacture an antiauthoritarian identity and
make millions. That $8 you paid for the Mudvayne poster
would be better spent used for seeing your brother's
friend's band.