Songs you'd prefer to NEVER hear again.

[DiamondEcho]

The radio is on in the kitchen, I just walked in and caught the opening bars of Billy Joel's Uptown Girl.

I've recently been thinking about the situation of hearing a song and feeling instantly repelled. For me it's usually:
- Something I've heard SOOO many times before, often across several decades, it's become a cliche I'd simply wish never to hear again.
- Something that's so 'time and place' it now feels a passing throwback to an era I've long grown out of.
- Time+place+quirky to the point of bizaare. Examples: 'The Birdie Song', 'There's no-one quite like grand-ma', 'Shaddap your face' etc *1000.
- Very occasionally a song I associate with someone I'm happier not considering.

I reckon part of it is an age thing. My music knowledge has inevitably grown, and I'm busy, so have little time for what I don't enjoy. Same way I don't enjoy lousy beer, wine, food etc. The days of putting say a BBC Radio music station on and leaving it on seem long gone.

What songs might trigger you? Perhaps bizaare^ one-off's aside, fortunately you don't tend to hear those old one's much as it is - but tracks that you find other's still consider enjoyable classics, that to you are burnt out beyond redemption.

[This question isn't intended as a whinge, it's just I find my feeling of 'Oh gawd no, not this!' SO instant that to me it's both interesting and amusing].

[dealtn]

Not what you asked, but, that was the song the curtains closed to at the crematorium when we said goodbye to my wife's Nan. So in this particular instance it will always raise a little smile in appreciation of her, on the rare times I would ever hear it.

Diana Ross and Chain Reaction on the other hand...

[AleisterCrowley]

'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Stairway..' although I like both bands.
I could also live without Hotel California..

[bungeejumper]

John Lennon, "Imagine". I'd go so far as to say I wish I'd never heard it at any time in my life. Maudlin, musically rather lazy, and generally an insult to the intelligence.

But then, I'm a John Lennon heretic. The guy could knock out a good tune. It was just a pity that he spouted such juvenile rubbish whenever he opened his mouth.

"Imagine no possessions". Yes, John, I wonder if you could?

BJ

[Slarti]

Modern stuff, anything by Adele. I find her voice totally horrible.

Older stuff, mainly "novelty" songs. Little Jimmy Osmond, "Tell me a Story", plus those already mentioned.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is another one I find irritating and most (c)Rap music.

Slarti

[bungeejumper]

Older stuff, mainly "novelty" songs. Little Jimmy Osmond, "Tell me a Story", plus those already mentioned.

Oh well, if we're going back that far, I'll raise you six Danny Kayes, nine Rolf Harrises, four Charlie Drakes, and Sparky's Magic Piano, a psycho-shocker which used to scare the hell out of me when I was tiny. Scarred my early life, that one did. I'm still getting over the PTSD today.....

BJ

[AleisterCrowley]

Plus one for 'Imagine', and most of Lennon's solo drivel. I had this argument with HerbieSpike at the other place.
Whitney warbling Houston.
My personal all time hate -Lucky Stars by Dean Friedman (although Mr Friedman is a coo! dude with a sense of humour)

[PinkDalek]

I don’t agree with all that has been said but maybe I don’t listen to the wireless enough nowadays.

A quick blast of Uptown Girl might raise my spirits, if not heard too regularly. I never tire of Stairway and have no issue with some of Lennon’s solo stuff. If I could recreate the situation when I first heard Hotel California I would but that would have to be somewhere that such, erm, accompaniment is readily found and safe and a time capsule might assist.

My selection would be the well known dirge “American Pie”, closely followed by “Where do you go to my lovely”.

[bungeejumper]

My selection would be the well known dirge “American Pie”, closely followed by “Where do you go to my lovely”.

Oh yes, two more candidates for the cultural-oblivion train. American Pie is just tedious, but it also manages to be so self-referential that it made me puke the first time I heard it (on American Forces radio, 1971 in Berlin, IIRC).

The weird thing about "Where do you go to my lovely" was that when it first came out hardly anybody noticed its rather sinister sour-grapes message: "You made it in life and I didn't, so now I hate you, you bitch, and I'm going to console myself during my terminal descent into the gutter with the thought that I can invade your privacy in your sleep." In your dreams, pal. .

BJ

[TedSwippet]

"Tears in Heaven", although I generally like Clapton, especially when in full-on blues mode as with the album "From the Cradle."

And "Ebony and Ivory", probably the most insipid piece of musical output in modern history. For me, Stevie Wonder has the unique distinction of having released both some of the worst tracks ever (aforementioned, "Isn't She Lovely", "I Just Called To Say I Love You", ...) and some of the finest ("Superstition", "Higher Ground", "Master Blaster", ...). I own over 600 CDs but none by Stevie Wonder CDs, purely because I have yet to find one that omits all the vapid tracks.

And more recently, anything by current feted BBC 6 Music favourites Kamasi Washington and Loyle Carner. For some reason, these two really grind my gears. No clear idea why exactly.

[PinkDalek]

My selection would be the well known dirge “American Pie”, closely followed by “Where do you go to my lovely”.

Oh yes, two more candidates for the cultural-oblivion train. American Pie is just tedious ...

I await your comments on the one I forgot. My third place goes to “Streets of London”.

With apologies to Don McLean, the late Peter Sarstedt and Ralph McTell.

[AleisterCrowley]

I await your comments on the one I forgot. My third place goes to “Streets of London”.

...

The Anti-Nowhere League did a quite lively cover version...

[Lootman]

My selection would be the well known dirge “American Pie”, closely followed by “Where do you go to my lovely”.

Oh yes, two more candidates for the cultural-oblivion train. American Pie is just tedious ...

I await your comments on the one I forgot. My third place goes to “Streets of London”.

With apologies to Don McLean, the late Peter Sarstedt and Ralph McTell.

“Where do you go to my lovely” had died except that is was resurrected for some cult film a few years ago and my wife, hearing it for the first time, loved the dated cultural references.

"Streets of London"? Yeah, I'd put "Baker Street" in there too, although I preferred "Stainsby Girls" to any of them. Every song with the name of an American City sounds great, but "24 hours from Barnsley" would never have made the charts. Kudos to Chris.

"American Pie" was always for me about a glorious affair in the summer of 1972 which, along with "Layla" and "School's Out for Summer" defined that year. You cannot seperate the music from the context and the time.

No, the real dross back then was Prog Rock - ELP, Genesis, Ten Years After, ELO, Moody Blues - who listens to any of that crap these days? Although I was always rather partial to King Crimson. We all have our weaknesses.

[AleisterCrowley]

Nice guitar solo in Baker St...

[ReformedCharacter]

Older stuff, mainly "novelty" songs. Little Jimmy Osmond, "Tell me a Story", plus those already mentioned.

Oh well, if we're going back that far, I'll raise you six Danny Kayes, nine Rolf Harrises, four Charlie Drakes, and Sparky's Magic Piano, a psycho-shocker which used to scare the hell out of me when I was tiny. Scarred my early life, that one did. I'm still getting over the PTSD today.....

BJ

Quite agree about Sparky's Magic Piano, I'm still getting over the trauma. Anyway, I could add just about anything by Cliff Richard to the songs I'd rather never hear again.

RC

[bungeejumper]

I await your comments on the one I forgot. My third place goes to “Streets of London”.

There was a real problem for me with Ralph McTell. And that was that he could get away with the schmaltzy lyrics and the simple folksy tunes because he was (a) drop-dead handsome for the ladies and (b) one hell of a guitarist.

I used to play some of the same folkie circuits as Mr McT, and I can confirm that his finger-pickin' was beyond reproach. My god, how we struggled to cover some of those arrangements. (Well, not so much me personally, because I was doing classical/jazz bridge stuff, but my mates with the steel strung guitars had to sweat a bit.)

The bastard made it all look so easy. Oh, how we hated him. Except that, deep down, we knew when respect was due.

BJ

[ReformedCharacter]

The Little Drummer Boy, especially the duet with Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9kfdEyV3RQ

RC

[Stonge]

Being forced to watch and listen to the Eurovision Song Contest.

Now there's a useful application for a nuclear bomb.

[JoyofBrex8889]

"Things Can Only Get Better" by D:Ream.

Go forth and multiply Bliar & Brown, and all the simpering cronies in your orbit.

[GoSeigen]

Anything by The Carpenters, but especially Top of the World.


GS