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.

I don’t know if anyone’s already replied about this one, but I think that’s a reference to Odysseus being tied to a post to prevent him being tempted by the sirens to crash his ship into the rocks, thereby creating lots of widows and orphans - can’t remember how it fits into the rest of the song though!

I'm serious as onions
When I say cobblestones hurt me bunions

Ever since I noticed that the main musical 'sting' in St Elmo's Fire (as used now in the Virgin adverts) is basically the same as the hook in the Catchphrase theme tune, I've never been able to listen to/watch either of them in the same light again

It is, and PSB have some absolute tunes, but NT’s voice is bloody awful, and the knowing cleverness of most of their stuff just puts my back up. They’re the Stephen Fry of pop.

She’s Billie Jean and she’s mad as hell…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RrxUVkx6TVE

iirc, it was a biggish hit back in the day. Sadly, no official video that I could find.

That just reminded me of the whole of If by Telly Savalas. Ugh.

Oh and pretty much the whole of back door man by the doors.................
the little girls understand 🤮
just wrong!

My cousin went to school with NT and laughs at how ridiculously superior he was even then. Can’t wait to tell him about the ‘Stephen Fry’ quote. Great tunes, though.

Okay, I'm on a PSB roll now.

It’s a Sin is a cracking tune, and one of the better ones for NT’s voice, but there’s a bit in the lyrics,
‘At school they taught me how to be (whatever it was)
They didn’t quite succeed.’

Well then, they didn’t teach you, did they? They tried to teach you. Make that work in the lyrics, you big old smuggins.

<clambers down from high horse>

Heart skips a beat by olly murs

we’re he rhymes see-saw with see SAW

like mate 🤪🤪🤪

I'm too sexy

For his shirt, Milan and your party

I wtf every time I hear this 😂

You're not all that RFS.

The whole song is lyrically weird but had to single out these lines:

"Lucky that my lips not only mumble
They spill kisses like a fountain
Lucky that my breasts are small and humble
So you don't confuse them with mountains"

My humps
My humps
You love my lady lumps

😳

Probably already on this thread somewhere but

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?

No. Can’t say I do! Hate that song

Anything, ever, by Katie Melua. Makes my ears bleed. But especially "feeling 22, acting 17". What tosh.

It means the attitude. Not the alcohol.

Just posted this one too!!

Aaaand that's my other cringe!

It's meant to be. It's not a love song.

I've always thought that he was singing Judeh rather than Judy, if you you see what I mean? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think it means both.