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 can’t stand the lyrics to Taste by Sabrina Carpenter. Bed Chem is pretty bad, too.

That ‘you and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals’ song. The entire thing really, but especially the bit about ‘hieroglyphics let me specific, I wanna get down in your south seas’ and ‘Love, the kind you clean up with a mop and bucket’. Just awful.

What about that Young Girl song... something like "Young girl, get out of my mind, my love for you is way outta line...better run girl,.you're much too young girl"

Jesus. I heard it on the radio recently and couldn't believe it.

That Young Girl song is hideous! I just looked it up. Was it written by Jimmy Savile or what 🤢

I'm crying with laughter at these Mick Hucknell posts 😭

Westlife. World of our own. The lead singer sings ‘ No buts or maybes ‘, then the backing singers chime in ‘ buts or maybes’.

Yes! There’s a similar bit that I cringe at in Stacy’s Mom.

”Your mom came out with just a towel o-o-o-o-on,
(Towel on)”

Oh I love Laibach's version! They are also not English.

I apologise if it’s already been mentioned but I love Satellite of Love by Lou Reed EXCEPT the ‘I’ve been told that you’ve been bold with Harry, Luke and John’ etc bit in the middle of the song. I can feel my teeth on edge just writing it. I hate it so much! So unpleasantly coy and ruins the whole flow of the song.

If it wasn’t for the awesome bit at the end of the song with Bowie doing all those high notes, I’d turn it off at that point every time, as it is I have to grit my teeth through it.

The line in “On My Own” by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald where he sings “Now we’re actually talking divorce - and we weren’t even married”. Why are they talking about divorce then?!

I love that song - and the fact that Patti LaBelle successfully argued against her record company’s claim that America would never accept a black woman-white man love duet - but that line lets it down sooo badly.

To be fair, at least in that song - unlike some of the others mentioned in this (zombie!) thread - he's expressly saying that he doesn't want any kind of romantic 'connection' with somebody who, he now realises, is underage.

It's absolutely not OK that he blames a child for 'leading him on' as he appears to see it - but at least he's doing the right thing ultimately by running away from her (or urging her to run away from him). Savile would never have done that.

Completely agree. That awful Diana Ross one makes me sickly.

That very popular Beyoncé song: it ain’t Texas -or whatever it’s called. Cannot stand the high, whoopy parts at the end of each line. I have to mute it. Also that plaintive, whiny ‘beautiful things’ that’s overplayed. Not sure who sings this. To me this sounds like something your college teenager is writing in his room during a particularly melancholy time.

Yes the worst one is Iggy Pop’s Sweet Sixteen (“…in your leather boots, body and soul I go crazy, baby baby I’m hungry for you”) 🤮🤮🙈

Also in blondies atomic - the line make me tonight. Only when I heard it as an adult did I work out what it means!!!!!

Also abbas song Fernando the line - and since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand., sounds a bit clunky

Apparently it's about getting/having an std!!!!!!

Michelle Collins is in the video of this

There was a song from Billie jeans pov- can't remember the singer tho

What's with all the hate over bagpipes??? https://media.tenor.com/RbxWJFW_cigAAAAM/critical-role-crit-role.gif

Lydia Murdock, Superstar. I'm Billie Jean and I'm mad as hell.

BeBe Winans and Eternal - I Wanna Be The Only one - that bit where they go "yeah yeah yeah yeah" sounds like Scooby Doo.

😂😂😂

this has made me laugh as it really does

'A few questions that I need to know...' from Never Ever by All Saints... Don't you mean a few answers, you chavvy mares...?

I’ll give you my finest hour, the one I spent watching you shower ‘ Blondie
so much water waste and why watch him clean his bits.