Review: Worst Song by a professional musician

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 11:26 PM

Now ain't that interesting. Nashville Skyline is the one Dylan album I liked most of. "Lay Lady Lay" being an exception.

Regards "Seasons In the Sun". Didn't Jacques Brel write that song? My bad French recalls it as Le Moribund. The Kingston Trio covered it and if I recall Terry Jacks, version it was greatly sanitized. Not that I'm over fond of the song but credit where credit is due.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: iancarterb
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 11:26 PM

The Ballad of the Green Berets. Hands down.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Peace
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 12:51 AM

"YMCA" by the Village People. Fawk. Make that ANYthing by the Village People.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: eddie1
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 01:51 AM

Anything at all recorded by Cliff, make that Sir Cliff Richard, after "Move It" which was a classic.
Top of the midden must be the "Millennium Prayer" followed closely by his version of Eva Cassidy's version of Judy Garland's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"

Eddie

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Blindlemonsteve
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 01:59 AM

Willie oh, sorry for my mis-spelling of Professional, I´ll take my English teacher to task when i get to heaven, I dont think i´m clever and was not starting this thread to provoke thought, merely to have a bit of fun, which everyone seems to be doing. Also, i am a new member and not aware of previous threads. anyway, I totally agree with McArthurs Park, absolute dross, and anything from that odius little cretin Daniel o´donnel, he really makes my skin crawl.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Elaine Green
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 03:38 AM

Ha ha! 'Ballad of the Green Beret' is a good one. When I first heard the lines "Fighting soldiers from the sky/Fearless men who jump and die," I instantly had a mental image of marines on Paris Island leaping off the top of a tall building and plunging to their deaths below. With that sort of masterful elliptical writing, I didn't realize until later that they probably had parachutes!

Semper Fi!!!

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Scrump
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 04:04 AM

The Birdie Song
Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep
Orville's Song

or any other crap songs to do with birds :-)

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: HipflaskAndy
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 04:44 AM

Saw the thread title - found many of my 'first choices' to be sent to Room 101 already get mentions above... Drat!

Homed in on the Beatles reference - so true there matey!
Had me consider just one of them for a moment...

P McCartney
....that bloomin awful 'Frog Chorus'...
and that worst ever Xmas song he did (thankfully forgotton the title).... and others
Grrrrr - he wrote many good un's but never excercised quality control.
Cheers - HFA

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Blindlemonsteve
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 05:03 AM

Eddie 1 a bit harsh on Sir Cliff, i think he´s had many fine records, its his image and dancing that make him naff. his early rock n roll was absolutely superb, then he done "Living Doll" oh dear. it was down hill all the way untill 1976 when he released the superb album "I´m Nearly Famous", guided by the great Bruce Welch, he had a string of amazing records, including the spine tingling "Miss You Nights". Then he sacked Bruce Welch!!!!! then he hasnt done anything of any significance since. although there were a couple of decent tracks on his last album, notably "1000 miles to go". But yo do have to get past the image, and that is a big problem. As for "Millenium Prayer" it really was a bad idea, it sounded like it was nailed together. But i do like the Gospel Choir bit, i think if the lords prayer hadnt been involved it would have been a great record to see out the millenium with.
In his defence, at least he tried to do something musically to mark the end of a millenium, lots of people knocked him for it, but where were the other big names in music. We ended up with "Westlife" and a re hash of "Seasons in the Sun" as the no 1 record to lead us into a new millenium......need i say more about the state of pop music in Britain.
I love going on the Cliff Richard website and stirring up theyre forum, its great fun and i suggest you all try it.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 05:23 AM

'Smoke on the water' by The Harri Watts Band.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Scrump
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 05:54 AM

Sir Cliff's Millennium Prayer: although I hate it myself, I admired him for standing up to EMI and having the courage of his convictions on that occasion. For those who don't know, he had the idea of recording this song (the Lord's Prayer set to the tune of Auld Lang Syne) and EMI, the company he'd been with all of his 40+ year career, vetoed it. He went ahead with his idea anyway and made the record with another company, and it was a No. 1 hit.

So although I hate the record, I think it was great to see him give two fingers to EMI and prove them wrong :-)

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Kara
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 06:08 AM

I am some what shocked by this thread, Billy Don't be a hero is a great song and anything that has been mentioned here has to be good enough that you remembered it's name. Barry Manillow wrote the Cocacabanna, or however you spell it, that makes him excusable for any other things he might do. If you want to listen to bad bad songs just check out Chanson Français done by Jane Berkin now that song Idem, now there is a truley bad song. No tune, the words are just a list of dead people and she really can't sing. Now her daughter is at is as well. Where will it end?

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Alec
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 06:09 AM

"McCartney...never excercised quality control" I think a large part of the problem was that Lennon & McCartney were each other's quality control.McCartney's best post-split songs have been every bit as melodic as before but trite lyrics have been the rule rather than the exception.
Lennon's 'seventies output retained his capacity for perceptive &/or biting &/or witty lyrics but,all too frequently,these came trapped inside unimaginative & unadventurous melody lines (his weakness for overproduction didn't help either)
To redress the balance I would suggest none of the following would disgrace any record collection:
Lennon:John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,Imagine,Rock 'n' Roll
McCartney:Band On The Run,Run Devil Run
Harrison:All Things Must Pass,Brainwashed.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Mooh
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 06:36 AM

"Billy Don't be a hero is a great song and anything that has been mentioned here has to be good enough that you remembered it's name." Kara

Well, if you say so, but the real reason I remember its name is because it's BAD enough, not good enough. More than merely forgetable. That goes for many other songs mentioned here, like McAuthur Park, and Ballad of the Green Beret.

Perhaps we have too many threads about this?

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Kara
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 06:39 AM

McArthur park, beautiful especially the Donna Summers veresion
xxx

Kara

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Alec
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 06:40 AM

I remember "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool" AND "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep." I wish I didn't.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 06:53 AM

"White Hare" by Seth Lakeman

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Janice in NJ
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 08:17 AM

Coward of the County by Billy Edd Wheeler, popularized by Kenny Rogers.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST,Scoville at scanner
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 10:09 AM

"The Logical Song" by Supertramp. Well, pretty much everything by Supertramp, really.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Scrump
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 10:33 AM

Anything Gary Glitter or Jonathan King put out is pretty disgusting.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST,kenbrock
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 12:28 PM

I just realized that it wasn't Paul Anka's "Having My Baby" that I was thinking of as likely working in counterpoint to the Pachelbel Canon and the harpshichord break in "In My Life". It was its "prequel" (of sorts), "I Don't Like To Sleep Alone".

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: SouthernCelt
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 01:18 PM

I have to vote for "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Dylan and whoever else covers it. I find it to be just a boring, overly long song.
SC

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST,harryrages
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 03:00 PM

Nobody ever heard 'Young Girl' by Gordon Giltrap obviously. Cringe factor 10.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Bugsy
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 07:37 PM

"Tie a yellow ribbon"

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Ref
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 09:14 PM

Oldhippie:

I must say I'm middling on McDade. She's done a couple of nice ones (Peace like An Everflowing Stream) but I loathe Spirit because 1. The tune is weepy, 2. the words aren't MY theology, and 3. as a UU, I hate anyone telling me that I have to like something, and way too many UU's have this presumption that we all love Spirit Of Life. I also once read an interview with CM who came across to me as incredibly and baselessly self-important, an impression confirmed to me by an acquaintance who actually knows her. Beyond that, our hymnals are full of unsingable dreck written by people who seem to be in possession of compromising photos of the editors. Haven't heard the other piece you mentioned, but I look forward to hating it. Most chants and rounds are to choral music as puns are to humor.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 09:40 PM

Peace-

Wasn't "Washington Square" the instrumental done by the Village People? Any tune that can worm its way into my brain as well as that one for over 40 (?) years is, in my opinion, a credit to its generators.

I also have to agree with WillieO that this dumping on songs for superficial reasons (you've heard it too many times or you didn't compose it) doesn't add a whole lot to the Mudcat intergalectic archives. Consider before you post. What do you really want generations of Mudcats to read of your thoughts and opinions.

And do learn how to spell "professional" or at least how to correct your thread title if you make a typo.

Charley Noble, in his lecturing mode

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Peace
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 09:47 PM

Good Lord, Charley. OK then, except THAT one.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Blindlemonsteve
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 03:18 AM

Hey guys, whats an extra "F" between friends.
I think the whole idea of the worst song is that you always remember a good song, and you never forget a bad one.
Anyone heard "Mamas Children" by Carl Perkins. music to have your teeth pulled by

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: oldhippie
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 06:32 AM

Ref, "full of unsingable dreck" I can agree with. There are many that could be replaced by other songs, and we wouldn't miss them at all.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Ref
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 06:20 PM

Oldhippie, agreed. I'd add that the recent hymnal took some songs from the old blue one and ELIMINATED harmony parts, decreeing that they must be in unison. Appalling. Perhaps we should start a hymnal thread for UU's and we can then present the editors with evidence and suggestions?

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 07:02 PM

I agree that Kenny Everett is GREAT - I did not know he was late - sad.

Having my Baby is a disgusting song that will encourage young women to carry unwanted and unplanned for babies. YUK.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Peace
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 08:31 PM

There isn't a young woman toady who would listen to the song.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST,Bubba
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 08:37 PM

Even thought I am a great Dylan fan, I can admit that he has written his fair share of dreck. Knocking On Heavens Door was written for a movie soundtrack. Many times a song is written for a specific reason so it was a good song for that movie or whatever but a crummy song on the radio. Does any of this make sense to anyone or am I babbling again?

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Eric the Streetsinger
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:17 PM

There was a song by some young female singer that was on the radio way too much a few years ago - can't remember the girl's name - had this snappy/sappy piano hook that opened it, and had a line sorta like "if I could fall - into the sky- I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you." Cheesy sentiment, and one of those horrible hooks that you hate but can't get out of your head.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a professional musician
From: Genie
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:28 PM

I think Paul Anka's "Having My Baby" would have to be right up there with the worst.


Genie

PS, Bindlemonsteve, if the misspelling in the thread title could be corrected (by a Joe Clone), it would make the thread easier to find in a "Forum Search." ;)

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Peace
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:31 PM

Artist: Vanessa Carlton

CD: Be Not Nobody (2002)

A Thousand Miles

Making my way downtown
Walking fast, faces pass and I'm homebound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way through the crowd

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you tonight

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And wonder if you ever think of me
Cause everything's so wrong and I don't belong
Living in your precious memory

Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by, oh
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you tonight

And I, I don't wanna let you know
I, I drown in your memory
I, I don't wanna let this go
I, I don't

Making my way downtown
Walking fast, faces pass and I'm homebound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way through the crowd

And I still need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass us by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you, oh, oh

If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
If I could just hold you tonight

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST,Cruz
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:42 PM

Hey Peace,

What kinda chick is a "young woman toady"?

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Maxine
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 12:23 PM

Well, Blindlemonsteve - your misspelling of 'professional' certainly upset Willie O....perhaps before you add to a thread again, you should consider taking an A' Level English course? It seems to me we're all on this forum to chat, give comments that seem appropriate/important to us and generally put the world to rights - surely nobody really wants to cause offence or upset - particularly over spelling!!

Rant over...

Can't agree with Gordie's 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' I'm afraid. The man can do no wrong in my eyes. Yes, the song could be perceived as long and the tune perhaps a tad repetitive but it's telling a tale - a true one at that - and that's just fine by me.

Can't bear 'Zoom' by Fat Larry's Band - everytime I happen to switch the car radio to Magic, that's playing. Having said that, I know every word! Sad.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST,Pammibod
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 01:40 PM

Can't remember who mentioned Daniel O'Donnell, but his rendition of "Danny Boy" gives me the reflux retches. Trouble is, every time the market comes to my home town, one stall plays his noise (hesitate to call it music) at deafening pitch. Gues who buys her veg from the supermarket...

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Don Firth
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 02:03 PM

Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey." Requires air-sick bag.

Actually, I kinda like Richard Harris's rendition of "MacArthur Park." It's weird!!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: kendall
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 07:51 PM

A Little bitty tear by Buryl Ives.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 10:12 AM

That dreadful son about the Unicorn by the Irish Rovers. Amazing Grace on the bagpipes, by anybody and Van Morrisons version of Send In the Clowns. AND Bryam Ferry's horrible album of oldies.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Scoville
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 10:49 AM

Ran across my recording of Bob Wills doing "Roly Poly" ("Daddy's little fatty . . . ") the other day. Must chalk that up to genuinely bad music, too. Well, the SONG is awful. I don't see how much anyone could do with it.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Ross
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 10:55 AM

No mention of William Shatner

Is this confirmation of his genius?

David Soul - 'Don't sick up on me baby' or something similar

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 11:59 AM

I've mentioned this on other threads in the past bu Saint Lonnie of Donegan's "World Cup Willie" is his worst and up there with the other favourites.

RtS

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 01:51 PM

Peace-

Apparently it was the Village Stompers who did "Washington Square," not the Village People. I owe you and the Village Stompers an opology.

If I could delete a song from this world it would be "Sonny's Dream" but apparently I'm the only Mudcatter that finds it sentimental claptrap.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a proffessional musician
From: Jim Lad
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 03:06 PM

Not the only one, Charley.

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a professional musician
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 07:47 AM

Surely if you want to list bad songs by professioanl musicians , all you have to do is list the top twenty popular records each week !

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a professional musician
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 07:47 AM

Or am I being just a little too cynical ?

Subject: RE: Review: Worst Song by a professional musician
From: Mooh
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 08:32 AM

It's kinda fun to do a YouTube search for some of these. I looked for Billy Don't Be A Hero and discovered my memory was faulty...the song is worse than I remembered! No link 'cause that would be like contributing to suicide.

Peace, Mooh.