"We Built This City" voted as the worst single ever

News.Com.AU | April 21, 2004 | Patrick O'Neil

[yankeedame]

Dotty ditties with cringe factor

By Patrick O'Neil
April 21, 2004

LOVE or hate them you can't get these stinkers out of your head.

Blender magazine Blender Magazine has rated We Built This City as the worst single ever constructed in its list "The 50 Worst Songs Ever".

The magazine said the Starship song earned the accolade because it inspired "the most virulent feelings of outrage".

To make the list, each pungent ditty had to be a hit.

Entry was based on unintentionally poor songwriting.

Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's maudlin duet Ebony and Ivory also featured, as did R.E.M's Shiny, Happy People and John Mayer's Your Body is a Wonderland.

But the inclusion most likely to spark calls of blasphemy is the listing of the Simon and Garfunkel ballad The Sounds of Silence.

"It's the poetry meaningfulness that got our goat," said Blender editor Craig Marks. "With self-important lyrics like, 'Hear my words that I might teach you', it's almost a parody of pretentious '60s folk rock."

Few outside the boot-scooting fraternity would contest the listing of the Billy Ray Cyrus atrocity Achy Breaky Heart at No. 2.

Fallen star Vanilla Ice made it in with perennial dance-floor filler Ice Ice Baby, as did good-times theme song Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin.

Eddie Murphy's ill-advised foray into music, with the 1985 tragedy Party All the Time, was evidence actors other than J-Lo should not sing. It ranked No. 8.

Herald Sun

[dfwgator]

That was actually Phil leaving his second wife that he sent the fax.

Love "Selling England," Hackett's finest moment (and Phil's too as far as his drumming was concerned). Probably my favorite non-Lamb Genesis song is "Battle of Epping Forest."

[Lady Composer]

What? I don't see "Knock Three Times" or "Happy Together"

[glock rocks]

not that there's anything wrong with that.

[mabelkitty]

LOL!!! No way! I can't believe they made the rolls for that song! The image of that is awesome.

Kinda like the church piano player in the Simpsons playing Iron Buttery's "Ina Godda Da Vida" (sp).

[rintense]

Their very first album (the yellow album) self-titled has 'Rock Lobster' on it. They also have a greatest hits CD- which is a MUST for any party.

[oncebitten]

What about "Watching Scotty Grow" by Bobby Goldsboro? The most execrable, saccharine, POS ever!

[miloklancy]

For the record, Genesis did actually produce some very good music when Peter Gabriel fronted the band in the 70's and everything by the Police is absolutely great.

[Protagoras]

It didn't work.

Yeah, it never does. And when ya have kids of your own you realize why. :^}

(I bet it was fun though)

[alnitak]

Rock Lobster is on the debut album, "The B52s".

The AMG All Music Guide seriously rocks: http://www.allmusic.com/

[m87339]

200+ posts and nobody has mentioned "Snoopy and the Red Baron"

Or the Christmas version -- SSDL.

[rintense]

"I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock and roll" ~ Donny and Marie

PUKE!

[NCPAC]

Yes, very cool tune. If it wasn't for "Thunder Island" and Cheap Trick's "Surrender" - rock music would have been dead in the summer of '78.

[AgentEcho]

Airplane became Starship around 74/75 when the band split up (Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna formed with the splintered members)

Jefferson was dropped in 84/85 with revolving musicians.

Though I didn't care for Starship I did get their last (I believe) album as a gift "Love Among the Cannibals" and loved it. Several good, um, mood songs (I Didn't Mean to Stay all Night, Healing Waters, It's Not Enough, I'll be There for You) I also think it was the only album done without Slick.

Æ

[-YYZ-]

LOL! Thanks, that's pretty good. I must never have seen that episode. "Rammed by the Cat Stevens" - classic.

[mabelkitty]

Honey, he left her.
He's on three now.
Try and keep up.

; )

[djf]

I, too, am an old Airplane fan. The very first vinyl lp I ever owned was "The Best of Jefferson Airplane".

Still think ABA Baxters was the best, Balin belts it out in "Young girl Sunday Blues (And all her sorrows)"

Jorma cuts lose on the other side and plays some of the BEST GUITAR EVER PLAYED!

What a trip.

[Snowy]

Probably my favorite non-Lamb Genesis song is "Battle of Epping Forest."

"I know what I like" is my favorite. I still listen to Gabriel, but he passed his prime. :(

[MotleyGirl70]

ONE of the worst ever, Gloria (1982) by Laura Branigan. I was 12 years old at the time and all my friends liked that song. I couldn't stand it. I saw the video on VH1's 80's show and it was worse than the song.

[mabelkitty]

"Lifeline" was a good song by them.

[expatguy]

"Float On" by The Floaters was extreemly vile.