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.

Some of Rod Stewart’s lyrics are a bit dodgy! Lol

Worst bit too about ‘ upside down’ is she knows he is cheating , but still wants to stay with because nobody loves her the way he does!

Hold me baby, drive me crazy, touch me all night long ... I remember Cathy Dennis singing that and my dad saying he would swing for her if she did that to him in bed!

I know it’s not quite the same as most of the examples given, but that Toto song Africa…..the way they mangle the word Se-e-e-erengeti to fit the music has me diving for the mute button every time.

Voted thanks for the laugh this gave me!

Double-checked my memory was right about this before posting. The Cathy Dennis classic was in the charts the same time as Color Me Badd’s I Wanna Sex You Up, another song about making love all night.
Now there’s a song that has some cringey bits (both versions).

I really like Lewis Capaldi but in “Forget Me” he sings “ ooh err” & it makes me cringe every time!

Liam Payne, Strip That Down- when he sings ‘Coke & Bacardi’ - ffs everyone knows it’s Bacardi and. Coke! The whole song’s lyrics are iffy but that bit particularly pisses me off!!!

Quite. And presumably her poor, infertile DH was justifiably suspicious when she finally got knocked up?

Echo and the Bunnymen
Spare us the cutter
Spare us the cutter
Couldn't cut the M-M-M-Mustard!
I don't know what this cutter is and McCulloch won't tell us, so I'm not sure if it's good or bad that he can't cut the mustard

Interestingly, the famous idiom 'Cut the mustard' is misquoted all the time. It's actually 'Cut the muster' and originally describes the ability to efficiently divide up a contingent of troops.

Well, yes but it's still nonsense. So, 'Kilimanjaro (a mountain) rises like Olympus (another mountain) above the Serengeti'

It's the shittest similie ever.

Moreover, Kilimanjaro is twice as high as Olympus - so it's basically citing the mountain as a glorious landmark, whilst simultaneously negging it for some bizarre reason!

It would be like writing a song about the beauty of Venice and the proudest thing you could think to describe to it as is 'The Birmingham of the South'

There’s a song that sounds really nice but when I looked at the lyrics I found them quite shocking. I don’t know if it’s associated with a tv drama or anything, hence the lyrics. Definitely not one for the children to sing along to. I was first alerted to the lyric “I just want to be one of your girls tonight” (hmmm🤔), which I thought was cringe. Tame compared to:

“Push me down, hold me down, spit in my mouth when you turn me on” (🤢).

And on it goes.

The Weeknd, Lily-Rose Depp, Jennie from BlackPink.

It’s a nice melody and vocals but the lyrics 😖

This song came into my head the other day for some reason, and I was thinking exactly the same - about the incredibly significant difference in life stages betwixt 17 & 22!!

"Hold me like the River Jordan."
I love Michael Jackson, but those lyrics used to have me and my work colleagues in stitches back in the day.

Arrrghh - that song "I'm Not In Love" by 10CC where they keep repeatedly whispering: "big boys don't cry."

I never knew that either!

I actually think that was really astutely written by Mike.

Obviously, as we get older, we realise that 5 years is nothing; but when you are around the age of early adulthood, the age differences often really do seem important.

I can imagine a 22yo looking back at how much freer they felt and how much less responsibility they felt was upon them at 17.

I read that the woman who did that part wasn't actually part of the band.

She was an assistant/clerk/secretary or similar at the studio and, when the band heard her speak, they loved her smouldering voice and wanted to somehow include it on the record.

Anyone who's worked in Next recently will know that the playlist includes a song with the lyrics "If you wanna live forever you can live forever" and I'd always be thinking - no, not possible, sorry! Another went "she's the modern day Mona Lisa" in a whiney voice. There was a third really irritating song which thankfully I can't remember. Hearing those on a loop several times per shift was a living hell.

I don't like older songs with lyrics that have women basically singing the pick me dance - Just Be Good To Me. Or excusing abuse - eg Susan Cadogan Hurt So Good.

ABC, That Was Then But This Is Now...

'Can't complain, musn't grumble
Help yourself to another piece of apple crumble'

Who the f#ck thought that was acceptable...? 😆

Sitting having my break at work. Mulder and Skully by Catatonia has just played... The way Matthews sings "Muuuuuulder"
drives me nuts!!

Lewis capaldi has a song currently where the lyrics are ‘I’m going to survive if it kills me ‘- riiiggght
also the way he sings it just grinds my gears

also Dolly partons ‘Jolene’. - not a Jolene problem it’s a husband problem.

The lyricist has really FUBARed
Coming out with that terrible rhubarb