Note: With hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton away this week, we’ve got an encore presentation of The Worst Songs Of All Time, from Feb. 2014.
Guitarist, actor, writer (and former Monitor Mix blogger) Carrie Brownstein joins us, along with NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson, to do something we don’t normally do: Talk about the songs we really, really don’t like.
Our mission at All Songs is to bring you our favorite musical discoveries of the week. But after Stephen wrote his Good Listener column examining Starship’s widely reviled hit single “We Built This City,” we watched the comments pour in like an out-of-control fire hose, and got to talking about all the songs that drive us bonkers. It was so much fun we decided to continue the discussion here, with a look at some of the contenders for worst songs of all time, and why they stick in our craw. These are the relentless earworms — the songs you can’t escape once they’re in your head — or the annoying novelty songs. “The Candy Man,” anyone? We also look at songs that take themselves too seriously, songs we used to love until they were ruined by a bad personal experience and more.
Please direct your “Dear Idiots” letters via email to allsongs@npr.org.
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