Songs You Can't Stand

[KremlingWhatnot]

Anything JUSTIN BEIBER related, Frog, I can't stand him.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Back in 1988, you could not get away from Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy". 25 years later, it's still an obnoxious bug that gets under your skin real fast. Apparently Bobby doesn't like it anymore, either. Once he was an aspiring jazz singer (I think he also showed up on Sesame Street once upon a time), but this song reduced him to a one-hit wonder (even if it was a #1 hit). Ya wanna be famous? Score a #1 hit? Here ya go! Nowhere to go from here but down.

 

[D'Snowth]

That song actually makes me feel happy. And the video for it, featuring Robin Williams and Bill Irwin (Mr. Noodle) makes me feel even happier.

 

[Drtooth]

Robin Williams alone in it is pretty awesome. As long as you're a fan, like me. The song is airy and harmless. I like the Tiny Toons and Futurama covers.

But yeah, when it comes to one hit wonders, there are two types. The ones that are groomed by record labels to have just that one song that's popular for a summer and we quickly forget them for the next manufactured one song group. Then there are the ones where we only like that one song, buy only the track we like (or in the case of Bobby, just the single release), and we refuse to listen to anything else by that artist because we only listen to that one song and the novelty runs off.

Bobby is the case of the latter.

 

[fuzzygobo]

That's the same fate of Don McLean, who has 20 albums to his credit and still plays live, (saw him a few years back, and he was tremendous!) but most people only know him for "American Pie".

 

[D'Snowth]

Almost every artist out there really has the ONE song of theirs that becomes like their signature hit, and that's all anybody remembers them for, despite having a repetoire of other songs. I mean, do you think the average joe out there would remember these people for anything else their these hits of theirs:

Phil Collins - "In the Air Tonight" (actually one of my least favorite of his)
Whitney Houston - "I Will Always Love You"
Justin Bieber - "Baby, Baby, Baby"
Carlye Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe" (justifiable, she was a relatively obscure Canadian idol before Bieber "discovered" her)
Adele - "Rollin' in the Deep"
Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
David Seville - "Witch Doctor"
Jim Croce - "Leroy Brown"
The 5th Dimension - "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"
Kool and the Kang - "Celebration"
Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "Takin' Care of Business"

Among others?

Baha Men are an example of like Bobby McFerrin: they were an extremely obscure junkanoo group that nobody noticed... then they came out with "Who Let the Dogs Out?" which became the biggest hit of theirs ever, and brought them to people's attention, then they pretty much faded back into obscurity after that.

 

[Drtooth]

Phil Collins - "In the Air Tonight" (actually one of my least favorite of his)

He does have more hits than that, but as I'm not a big fan that follows him, anything I could give you would be the Tarzan soundtrack. He probably had more hits when he was with Genesis... but say Genesis to an average person on the street, and they'll either think Sega or Bible.

David Seville - "Witch Doctor"

Then he came up with the Chipmunks, and that was a license to print money. I think Chipmunks more than Witch Doctor when I hear Dave Seville.

Baha Men are an example of like Bobby McFerrin: they were an extremely obscure junkanoo group that nobody noticed... then they came out with "Who Let the Dogs Out?" which became the biggest hit of theirs ever, and brought them to people's attention, then they pretty much faded back into obscurity after that.

Wanna hear the worst part? Who let the Dogs Out wasn't even their song! They had a cover. They were famous for a song that wasn't even their's. And the only thing that's keeping that song down is every trailer with a movie that has a dog in it since then and forever more.

 

[D'Snowth]

He does have more hits than that,

I know, but my point was how many average joes out there are aware that some artists, like him, actually have other hits out there, other than one particular hit that they become known for?

 

[charlietheowl]

Phil Collins - "In the Air Tonight" (actually one of my least favorite of his)

It's a shame that Phil Collins gets such a bad rap for his solo stuff that it obscures his work with Genesis. He was an excellent drummer, a pioneer in using electronic drums, and a good songwriter. His work with Genesis from 1976 to 1980 is great, but those eighties songs overshadow it.

 

[D'Snowth]

Personally, I like Phil Collins myself, whether with Genesis, or solo. I think "Against All Odds" is probably my favorite song of his... so powerful and inspiring.