Over the past decade, we’ve had stars like Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga burst onto the scene with their hit songs and hits like Gangnam Style have had global success. However, we have also had our fair share of songs that have rubbed us all the wrong way.
I can safely say that in the year of 2020 we can look back at these tunes and let out a sigh of relief that they are now behind us. Now don’t get me wrong, the 2010’s certainly had a fair share of highlights in the world of music.
But it’s very important to share with the world, the top 5 most hated songs of the past decade.
#5 — Sweatshirt: Jacob Sartorius, (2016)
Let’s kick this list off with one of the cringiest tunes that has made the “trending” section of YouTube in the past 4 years. When singer Jacob Sartorius released his song sweatshirt in the Summer of 2016, I’ll have to admit that I even thought the concept was kind of cute.
After all, the song is all about Jacob trying to find that perfect girl to loan his sweatshirt to. It feels wrong to put Jacob any lower on this list than number 5, solely due to the fact that he was only 13 years old at the time of recording.
That being said, Jacob’s nasally voice and a whopping 2.1 million dislikes on YouTube, “Sweatshirt” definitely earns it a solid spot on this list.
#4 — Gucci Gang: Lil Pump, (2017)
What can I say? There is truly something to be said about the lyrical dexterity of Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang”. In fact, if you were to take out all of the times that the song repeats itself, you are left with a song that is about 40 seconds long.
With a 2 minute duration, Lil Pump utters the phrase ‘Gucci Gang’ for about 75% of the song. I will admit that the beat is catchy but the song needs a lot of work in the lyrical field.
And by work, I mean words.
#3 — Friday: Rebecca Black, (2011)
Who doesn’t love Friday? It’s the end of a long work week and opens the door to two full days of relaxation.
While I think that everyone can agree that Friday is absolutely one of the best days of the week, It’s in my humble opinion that Rebecca here likes Friday a little too much.
The musical flop of 2011 known as “Friday” revolves around the teenager’s excitement for the upcoming weekend. Now, if the extremely heavily auto-tuned melodies in the beginning didn’t already make you click off, I can assure you that Rebecca’s nasal sounding hook demanding that we all “get down on Friday” left us all praying for Monday to return.
Rebecca actually does have a good singing voice without the over the top pitch corrections and production.
However, first impressions matter and as for this song? Yikes.
#2 — On the Floor: IceJJFish, (2014)
As I sit at my computer, I am having a very difficult time trying to formulate words that adequately describe this song. Lyrically, I actually quite like it. On paper, it reads like any mid-2000’s RNB tune on the charts.
When you throw your headphones on and take a listen, I can liken the vocal tonality of IceJJFish akin to an upset dog that is howling into the night. If you find time, I would actually recommend that you watch the music video because IceJJFish’s dancing is certainly something to behold.
However Ice, if you want to get that girl in the video, you’re going to have to step up your singing game.
#1 — Baby: Justin Bieber, (2010)
Was there ever any doubt? I think that everybody could have guessed that this would be the surefire number one pick.
When teen idol Justin Bieber stormed onto the scene in early 2010 with his song “Baby“, it left many people divided. Some actually were able to get past the annoying hook and Ludacris’s odd rap verse. The vast majority however, saw the song as one of the worst songs of all time.
The numbers speak for themselves as Justin Bieber’s “Baby” was once the most disliked video on YouTube and is currently only second to YouTube Rewind 2018 (believe me, that is an article for another time).
The verses are tolerable but the repetitive chorus and irritating melody is what this song is truly known for.
Please In 2020, Learn to Sing
As 2020 is now upon us, I urge every artist to seriously consider the lyrics and music they put out…for the sake of all of our ears.
Related: A Decade Later: Looking Back at the Best Films of the 2010s
