Discordant Sounds

There are some songs that just rub you the wrong way. It might be the tone of the singer’s voice on that particular song or how overplayed the song is. Most of the time, I dislike a song because it gets stuck in my head (thank you, ADHD) or I’ve heard it so many times that I just cannot hear it one more time.

So without further ado… The five worst songs for my brain.

Johnny Tarr by Gaelic Storm

I didn’t always hate this song. I never loved it, but when I first heard it, I didn’t hate it. And then… I heard it all. the. time. Every show I went to, the band played the song. And the few times they didn’t play it, at least someone in the audience requested it.

I’m not saying it’s a bad song. It’s a perfect song for the band. Talking about drinking and a man dying while drinking, that’s stereotypically Irish. But they put a twist on it with him dying of thirst.

In addition, the band doesn’t seem to enjoy playing the song. I can understand that though. They’ve been playing it hundreds of times a year since 2001 so I would imagine they’re a little tired of it. Still people want to hear it at every single show.

Song that Doesn't End by Sheri Lewis

I have hated this song since high school. Not only does it get stuck in your head for days on end, but the fact that it only has a few words (that little kids used to sing the song incessantly) means that the words it does have repeats over and over.

Also, to make it more appealing to kids, the song is sung in a very high pitched voice which is grating on your ears. While that means that kids can more easily reach the notes, the sound can be like an icepick driving into your brain.

I can see how it would be appealing to little ones since it has easy lyrics so isn’t difficult to learn. But I imagine that parents (like me) are quickly tired of it.

Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

This quintessential 80s song has always been on my worst song list. So much so that I had to pull it up and force myself to listen to it so I could remember why I hate it. I immediately skip it if it comes on and it’s been so long since I actually heard it, that I couldn’t remember the reasons.

From the opening synthesizer chords, the song tries to bring you in as it invites you to dance, but what it ends up doing is confusing the listener as they talk about how they can dance. There are so many different ways to dance, plus many of the words are muddled, making it difficult to understand. Plus while they exhort that everyone can dance, they say that anyone not dancing is not a friend.

Overall, it tries really hard to be a catchy 80s song, but falls flat.

I Love You by Barney

This is another children’s song that is overplayed. Every millennial that grew up watching it can not only sing the song, but it instantly evokes nostalgia. The insipid song was heard in preschools and elementary classrooms for years as it was a cultural phenomena.

The repetitive nature of the song meant that children learned it easily. And maybe it’s not the song I hate as much as hearing it constantly, especially when my siblings were little. I swear if Barney was not on, the Wiggles were and to this day, I can’t stand any of them.

Build Me Up, Buttercup by The Foundations

I actually used to like this song, but find that more often than not, I end up with it as an earworm if I hear it. And that’s where my hatred of it comes in. If I hear even the smallest bit of this song, I tend to have it stuck in my head for days if not weeks. My chaotic ADHD brain grabs ahold of it and plays it over and over again, refusing to let it go. So I end up humming or singing the song until everyone around me is also crazy. The worst part is I can generally only remember a few words of it so I sing the same part continually until I’m ready to scream.

And my favorite song…

Scalliwag by Gaelic Storm

From the first time I heard this song, it caught my attention. I love the catchy tune, the story behind it, even the way it’s performed live. The music draws you in as do the words which talk about how the scalliwag is stealing his girl away from the tower that her father has locked her in. The entire world is for them to run away in.

The story goes (heard from one of the band members) that he was wading in the Gulf of Mexico when the words to the chorus came to him.

This is another one of the songs that the band plays frequently, but it’s not really a requested one. (It’s not one they are expected to play at every show.) So, for me, it’s always exciting to hear. And with it being one of their faster songs, it’s fun to challenge myself to sing the entire song.

So those are the five most horrible songs to me and one of my absolute favorites. Let me know what you think of them.

Written for the Do Your Worst Unofficial contest.