Most Embarrassing Pazz & Jop Top 3 Singles 2004-1979

kinda leaning towards 1987 honestly

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Wow_1997.jpg

damn, 1997 and 1998

most of these are pretty good but i voted 1985 (and "freeway of love" is good but not deathless)

'92, '87, or '85

damn, 1990

this is gonna be a tough poll

Sun City/ Freeway Of Love/ The Old Man Down The Road has pretty strong 'voting for the political cause or the artist's back catalog' vibes

1997 has my vote. ugh, even though i did love "tubthumping" well enough at the time

99 probably the trio i'd most happily never hear again though

that sun city song is pretty awesome imo, pretty uptempo and overtly political for a charity song. dunno the fogerty number at all though

i would cosign except for em

I winced at several of these, and almost voted for 1990 just on the "strength" of "The Humpty Dance", but 1997 buries the competition in turds.

1987 is like "i mean it's good but not even the 3rd best single on the album"/"i mean in the right mood ok"/"OH COME ON"

But then, there isn't a triplet in this whole list where I like all three songs. Not that I would expect to, mind you.

Oh God, "Luka" -> breaking out in hives, summer camp flashbacks

(Thank God "Tom's Diner" isn't anywhere up there)

'87's a good pick. I'm not really crazy about the first one, actually. There are a few that have one song I love and two I don't like; '97, I like all three and love none of them. I'd be happy never to hear any of the '83 songs again. Best 1-2: "Jump Around"/"Jump."

the funny thing about 1987 is that i don't HATE any of them, it's more of a weird middling vibe compared to other years with at least one AWESOME song on it. though honestly i'm cool with the majority of these tunes, even if i wouldn't necessarily call them best of the year or anything.

I do kind of hate how pointless and ordinary the "La Bamba" cover is.

missy saves 2001 for me (never liked HOVA, dunno why), beasties save 1998, every thing else i dig at least 2 of the 3 songs, most all 3

"Doo Wop" from '98 is one of my five favourite out of everything there.

lauryn's future further head down social conservatism kinda ruined that one for me

Unlike others on the main Pazz & Jop thread, '95 would be in the running for me. Never liked the Coolio ("Fantastic Voyage" was my #1 for '94), "You Oughta Know"'s a monstrosity. The Edwyn Collins is pretty good.

The only trio that provokes GOD YOU GUYS ARE BORING is Sun City/ Freeway Of Love/ The Old Man Down The Road

Never cared much for SOOT or "Word Up"

'85, quite easily. Had to look up what "The Old Man Down The Road" even was.

the sound of an old man down the road

down to 92 and 97 for me. I don't hate "Tennessee", but that's a pretty weak rap lineup. 97 is just terrible.

Most of these are fairly decent although it is painful for me to realize that the more recent the songs, the less likely I know them.

from the wikipedia page for "sun city"

As Van Zandt was writing it, Schechter suggested that he include the names of the artists who had played Sun City in defiance of a United Nations-sanctioned cultural boycott. "I was probably still thinking of 20/20's exposé of conservative Africanists 15 years earlier," says Schechter. References to specific performers who had played in Sun City appeared in the demo but were omitted from the final version of the song

would LOVE to hear that demo

1997: MMMBop /Tubthumping/ Bittersweet Symphony

^ this is my nightmare

"Sun City" sounds like Lou Reed's "Original Wrapper" with guest wraps.

'85 for me. I feel like Sun City was mostly important for political/historical reasons, but as a song it's not quite great enough

I know it's worse as a piece of songwriting and totally square but "We Are the World" >>> "Sun City" for vocals alone.

smdh

1981, 1982, and 1989 are all great

Our government tells us
We're doing all we can
Constructive engagement is
Ronald Reagan's plan
Meanwhile people are dying
And giving up hope
Well, this quiet diplomacy
Ain't nothing but a joke

^ apparently the part that kept the song off the radio

I really hope everyone's gripe against '97 isn't "MmmBop" but just the other two songs.

it's fun to think about how many enduring landmark rap singles were released in 1994 and 1995 but critics were like HOW ABOUT THAT COOLIO both years

mmmbop is the worst

I started with 1985, but...this is kind of Hyden-esque, but when you scan other years top 10s, you see something at #4 or what have you that would totally redeem the list. (e.g. 1990, the 2 Madonna singles). Running Up That Hill is from 1985.

there appears to be no redeeming 1999 however. Limp Bizkit had a song in the top 25 that year.

In a sense, they stuck it up their yeah

Gangsta's Paradise voters: http://www.clickhole.com/video/wow-only-knowing-few-words-song-didnt-stop-him-sin-1651

coolio was such a massive presence for about two years there

between these two for me

1992: Tennessee/ Jump Around/ Jump
1991: Smells Like Teen Spirit/ Losing My Religion/ OPP

1987: Sign 'O' The Times/ Luka/ La Bamba is also a good challenger but i actually find "luka" rly moving sometimes lol

idk i guess 1992

1985 is specially embarrassing considering they had way more memorable singles to pick from like:

'Running up that hill'
'How soon is now?'
'Close to me'
'Raspberry Beret'
'Just like honey'
'Shake the disease'
'Cities in dust'
'Into the groove'
'downtown train'
'everybody wants to rule the world'
'dont you forget about me'
'im on fire'
'life in a northern town'

I could go on...

I'll cop to liking Old Man Down The Road, but yeah...

I like "Luka" better than SOTT.

Why would anybody vote for any year besides 1985 in this poll?

2014: how the fuck does a song win single of the year and almost nobody's ever heard of it?

2012 was the best top 3 imo: no duds amongst "adorn", "call me maybe" and "climax"

― prolego,

I didn't notice it the first time but otm

1981 pretty damn good though. Who said no?

Xxpost Have you retrained your ears to hear white noise when anything other than "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" comes on

The two people who voted 2000 can go and get the hell on...they and they mothers.

Everyone who voted for 1997 is crazy, or an idiot.

add one year and I agree. mostly cos "Doo Woo" on its own absolves it (and "Intergalactic" is dope)

1994: Loser/ Seether/ Fantastic Voyage 0

Whoops, guess I forgot to vote. "Fantastic Voyage" almost saves this year. Almost.

Yeah, 94 is pretty terrible. I've always despised "Loser" from the first time I've heard it. "Seether" is like the aftertaste of "Cannonball" at best. "Fantastic Voyage" is fun but hasn't held up as well as a lot of other rap hits of that era.

actually all 3 of those rule.

i agree with billstevejim

I don't mind "Seether," but don't consider it anything special. The other two '94 songs are brilliant. I listen to "Loser" today, and it sounds as audacious as mid-'60s Dylan (a bit of an exaggeration, not much).

Found 'Loser' quite annoying at the time but liked 'Beercan'.

i like all those songs, though the degree of critical fascination there was with beck's ironic rap goofball shtick is kinda hard to defend now that he's gone from "new dylan" to "new bowie" to "new gordon lightfoot." but that coolio song is a classic of the "holy shit, this song is so happy i didn't realize he was talking about murder" genre.

lol that was an xpost re: "new dylan"

and i prob do prefer beercan, in part because the hombres reference contextualizes it as gibberish rather than zeitgeist

I prefer 1234 Sumpin New, which as far as I can remember is murder-free.

Still surprised 'Fantastic Voyage' had that big an impact. Hindsight would expect 'Juicy' or 'Regulate' way ahead of it.

"Loser" for me is the "American Pie" of the 90s: mildly and inoffensively almost-amusing at the time (though that wore off after the second or third listen), completely insufferable and hilariously dated today. Kids everywhere are screaming at their parents in the car to stop singing along to this beige half-used bar of soap of a song.

juicy wasn't an insta-critical smash - notorious big shows up at the bottom of album chart of p'n'j, and as a wee nerd i definitely heard "big poppa" more

"regulate" only got 2 fewer votes than "fantastic voyage" though

i can't truck with the "american pie" connection mostly cuz maclean was definitely trying to say something and imo beck's saving grace is that he really isn't

Everyone who voted for 1997 is crazy, or an idiot.

― maura, Thursday, January 22, 2015 9:46 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Seconded.

you guys are underestimating the crazy idiot contingent

my only sympathy for the 1997 voters is that while all three are existentialist classics, i still wish i could wipe that chumbawumba song off the face of the earth

like, on some level it is a great song and some other level it annoys the fuck out of me

but anyone who hates all three songs...why u hate the determination to survive in a cruel, unforgiving world

Anyone who hates those songs should be condemned to an eternity spent in a locked dark room with Centerfield playing on loop forever

better: with the HIIIIDE-DEE-HIIIIIIIIIDE looped forever

i didn't vote for 1997 but even "mmmbop" can't compensate for the other two horrors

"Bittersweet Symphony" is the only defensible one out of those three, and not even very.

Everyone who voted for 1997 is crazy, or an idiot.
― maura, Friday, January 23, 2015

holy shit did Chris Rea's On The Beach rip Don't Stop The Dance by Bryan Ferry or was it the other way round? could be the *same damn song*! i'm amazed by this. i love both too (it turns out).

more like everyone who DIDN'T vote for 1997 is crazy, or an idiot

pwned

holy shit did Chris Rea's On The Beach rip Don't Stop The Dance by Bryan Ferry or was it the other way round? could be the *same damn song*! i'm amazed by this. i love both too (it turns out).

Ferry came first, which makes sense because he doesn't listen to music.

wow yeah..

Someone needs to do this poll with top 3 tracks from the ILM polls.

Most Embarrassing ILM Top 3 Singles 2014-2002

2002: Work It/ Lose Yourself/ Hot In Herre

"lose yourself" is kind of melodramatic and silly but "work it" and "hot in herre" are classic! disappointed this got a vote, even if it was only just one.

We're usually on the same page with the Who and a lot of '60s music, Tarfumes, but we're far apart on "Loser." I love it even more now than then.

Agree about 2002, even more so: two amazing songs, "Lose Yourself" really corny (both words and music).

I prefer 1234 Sumpin New, which as far as I can remember is murder-free.

― how's life, Friday, January 23, 2015 7:01 AM Bookmark

Yes! Love that song. Also if memory serves me right, "Fantastic Voyage" was one of three or so rap songs that got played that year on the top 40 station they played on the school bus.

We're usually on the same page with the Who and a lot of '60s music, Tarfumes, but we're far apart on "Loser." I love it even more now than then.

Yeah, we do agree a lot on Who and 60s stuff...but I dunno, I just never liked "Loser" from the first time I heard it. At the time, I could think of many, many better/more effective examples of what Beck (who I always thought was vastly overrated) was trying for. It struck me as dull, plodding, and obvious.

per croup's ten-year cut-off rule, we're due for the 2005-2014 sequel!

lol at lex pretend lex pretending to not know anything about either Beck or the Smashing Pumpkins

i don't know if i could even name the artists behind 1985's top 3

artists against apartheid / aretha franklin / idk

i own the sun city single tho

John Fogerty with the song he got sued over for 'Self-Plagerism'.

oh that's the artists against apartheid single, i do know that one. and my parents used to play 'who's zoomin who' so i'm sure i've heard the aretha one

1994: Loser/ Seether/ Fantastic Voyage

wow, dire

"Freeway of Love" was one I initially knew through the Weird Al polka-medley version, but have definitely heard out there in the world. It's a little exhausting iirc.

"Seether" is a sold alt-rock tune, "Fantastic Voyage" is a lot of fun, but picking either among the top three singles of the year seems bonkers to me. "Loser" I never need to hear again, but at least feels representative of the era.

"Bittersweet Symphony" is the only defensible one out of those three, and not even very.

I still enjoy it, but about a decade ago, I let it play during a party, and man did that go over badly.