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.

OH MY GOD

This whole time I thought it was "55 in a 50 zone"! My ears/brain must have been protecting me from the truth!

I can’t bear Heather Small’s voice at all 😬

You can't look at lyrics from past years with modern eyes without context though. The songs from Grease were based on attitudes when it was set, it's dated and troubling in some ways now but it's not about life now

Every breath you take by The Police. Creepy AF.

@HalloumiDarlin “I cringe towards the end of Hey Jude when Macca is ad-libbing and sings Judy, Judy, Judy!”

Try having your singing teacher ad-libbing this part during a group song at a student concert! Even as a child I cringed at her really giving it some, passionately singing ‘Judy, Judy, Judy, Judddddyyyy”. I can’t listen to that song now!

Also, almost any song when the artist has a talking part and speak in a put on, seductive voice. Although a lot worse when they are British and put on an American accent. 90’s girlbands were guilty of this.

Oh yeah, this has to be up there in cringeworthy song moments! Especially in the video with his extremely un-sexual mummy outfit.

It's meant to be. It's a song about a stalker! Why it gets played at weddings I'll never know.

Juxtaposed with U by The Super Furry Animals.

“Let’s get juxtaposed, juxtaposed,
Just suppose I juxtapose with you”

The song is full of self-consciously clever-clever wordplay, but the chorus just makes me want to curl up and die of cringe. Awful.

Ooh yeah All Saints Never Ever. ‘A few questions that ah need ta know’. Ignoring the horrible syntax for a second, the thudding estuary voice is the antidote to desire.

I'm serious as cancer,
when I say rhythm is a dancer

The bit with the sound effect of a bog flushing in ‘Last Night a DJ Saved My Life’ always strikes me as a bit out of place and crass, too.

I did smile at the ‘crying baby’ guitar, OP. I know exactly what you mean 😬

Haha I can imagine that was excruciating with the teacher! Hey Jude is one of those songs that just goes on too long and outstays its welcome.

Oh yes I recall All Saints and Atomic Kitten had cringeable spoken-word bits!

I just remembered another one - in "My Lovin" by En Vogue - the talking bit from around 2:35-2:45 (). Most talking bits in songs in general, really.

Ah no, I was thinking of that bit in Hey Jude but I have too much of a soft spot for him so I gave it a pass!

DEFINITELY agreed on the Kaiser Chiefs though.

I made it 5 seconds into this.

Girl you’ll be a woman soon

say no more (vomit)

I thought the travis lying aged 17 as weird when I heard them on the radio earlier. I wonder whether they regret it now they're older and wiser? I'm guessing they never imaging 20 odd years later they'd still be singing it

"If you're not the one then why am I crying on my bed"

Was it written by a 5 year old?! Terrible.

I always found Alesha Dixon’s rap style a bit…frenzied…

And then there’s John Fashanu ‘there’s only one way to do it - get round the back.’

And The Spice Girls’ safe sex advice,

‘Be a little bit wiser, baby, put it on, put it on.’ 😳

@hotmess101 she has a Canadian accent so isn't putting it on

Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry...

"And I'm going to miss you like a child misses their blanket".....😬I think it's her voice that grates more than the lyric itself maybe...either way, I cringe myself inside out whenever I hear it...

Speaking of "seductive" speaking parts - do you remember when Justin Timberlake decided, with no apparent justification, that he was sex incarnate? At that time I only heard those songs on MTV/the radio/in clubs, so the finer details were lost on me. I recently listened to one (I believe it was "Like I Love You") through headphones and was appalled. There are all these little whispered bits that send a shiver down the spine.

An example (sorry for inflicting this on you):
"You keep lookin' at me
You gettin' scared now, right?
Don't fear me baby, it's just Justin"

Faithless “Insomnia”

“Tearing off tights with my teeth”

Like nails down a blackboard!

I have a fairly sensitive cringe-o-meter but I LOVE that song 😂😂

You do indeed win the thread