Bits in songs that make you cringe

[HolidayAtNight]

Inspired by the thread the other day about "More Than Words" by Extreme. Like many posters, I hadn't heard the song in years, so went to listen to it. It was all going well until the bit when he sings "Hold me close don't EVAH LET ME GO" and I had to turn it off immediately.

What bits of songs do you find jarring and/or embarrassing? I have so many, but will try to choose a few. Lines where they've had to awkwardly shift the words around or use old-fashioned vocab/syntax to make them fit are definitely among the worst offenders.

In "Upside Down" by Diana Ross: "Respectfully I say to thee..." Whyyyy

In "A Spaceman Came Travelling" - the bit where he sings about a baby's cry and then the guitar imitates a newborn crying. This might be the worst one.

In "Come On Eileen" - "You in that dress, my thoughts, I confess, verge on dirty" Just no. The awkward old-fashioned phrasing, and the way his voice goes when he sings "dirty". Unbearable.

Probably already been mentioned in the thread but any song which refers to a woman as a “good girl”

Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke I’m looking at you!

If you wanna be happy:

'Don't let your friends say you have no taste
Go ahead and marry her anyway
Though her face is ugly, her eyes don't match
Take it from me - she's a better catch'

From same song : 'I saw your wife the other day - she's ugglllyyy' 'Yeah she's ugly but she sure can cook' 'yeah, ok'. Charmer!

Massive ABBA fan but another one where Bjorn surely knew better:

Our Last Summer ‘it was the time of THE flower power’

I loved this song as an album track years before Mamma Mia but even in my youth I rolled my eyes. Just wrong, Bjorn.

"Money for nothing and your chicks for free..."

My friends and I always thought it must be CHIPS (as in gambling chips) instead of chicks, because calling women chicks seemed so juvenile and dumb.

Ended up hugely embarrassing myself by having an argument about it as a young adult, claiming as a defence "well everyone in Australia thinks it's chips!" (I'm Australian but was living in England at the time, and I meant that all my friends thought that, not the entire population of Australia!) 😖

What an idiot. Still think chicks sounds stupid though.

My friends and I always thought it must be CHIPS (as in gambling chips) instead of chicks, because calling women chicks seemed so juvenile and dumb.

The character in the song is meant to be an idiot though. He’s basically scoffing at the pop stars on MTV out of jealousy (he literally thinks it’s money for nothing - hence the title of the song and the line “That ain’t working”).

I also cringe at their use of "dear". They use it in another of their songs too.

Jolene by Beyoncé.

You’re beautiful, beyond compare
Takes more than beauty and seductive stares
To come between a family and a happy man
Jolene, I’m a woman too
Thе games you play are nothing new
So you don’t want no hеat with me, Jolene

I love the song (not as much as the original) but why fight for this cheating liar of a man ...

We have had the Jolene song pleading don't take my man, now the warning I will fight for my man please the next one be Jolene take this man I'm done with him

The character in the song is meant to be an idiot though. He’s basically scoffing at the pop stars on MTV out of jealousy (he literally thinks it’s money for nothing - hence the title of the song and the line “That ain’t working”).

Fair enough, we were only young so didn't really listen to the lyrics in depth. To be honest, I still haven't ever paid that much attention, so thanks for your comment! 😄

Re bloodhound gang, there is another line which is ridiculous and so dates but i love it for this reason:
Let's do it doggy style
So we can both watch X files...

Love Japan, but not

'When my chance came TORRR be king'

from Ghosts

Will i am popping up on Cheryl songs is the creepiest thing. Like he's sing-stalking

Delilah

How on earth did that happen! Great tune though if you can ignore the lyrics

😅

Amy Winehouse Back to Black 2nd line "left his dick wet.. " gross so unhygienic. I like the song but cringe at that line

Ohh so many
Dolly partons jolene - you don’t have a ‘Jolene’ problem Dolly you have a husband problem

Roy Orbison I drive all night ‘I could have called you first/ crept in to your room /woke you from your sleep / to make love to you’
no Roy just no

Toto Africa
‘like kilamanjaro rises above the Memphis on the Serengeti’. Someone needs geography lessons.

I could go on ..

That 'come outside' song with Wendy Richard saying 'what for?' in the background. It really hasn't aged well!

@HRTQueen that's not what I got from Jolene. In both versions, Jolene is doing the pick me dance, it doesn't confirm the man is interested. I would say there's more evidence of possible infidelity in the original per the line 'talks about you in his sleep'. In Beyoncé's version she is confident that he won't cheat, she's just mildly irritated at the beautiful woman playing games and singing her tune to Bey's husband.

That One Republic song where he sings, "It's too late to apologise."

Only "apologise" doesn't seem to fit in, so it just sounds like he's singing "it's too late to pologise" 🤨

I think it's "rises like Olympus", not Memphis!

"sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti"

I always thought the lyric was "you got frost on your lips and you'd be on the skids", especially since she references the freezing cold weather in the previous line.

However, the inner sleeve of Parallel Lines does say that it's 'clouds'. That doesn't make any sense.

Toto Africa is actually
'Like Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti' which definitely makes more sense than Memphis!

It's "he left no time for regret, kept his dick wet...with his same old safe bet". He's started shagging an ex straight after splitting from Amy. Marginally better than "leaving" his knob wet!