Ever since about late 2015, music has suddenly began to have this weird trend where all pop music sounds the same, and I know you can argue that's how it's always been, but it's literally all trap beats and it's almost impossible to tell any song apart. Even in 2014, just 3-4 years ago, music still sounded close enough to the 90s and 00s that it sounded "normal" to my ears, and there was a decent variety of music. Now, even alternative artists are getting lazy with their production.
I go to dance clubs and most of the music they play is too slow for me to dance to. Sorry, since when is 110 BPM considered a dance song?
Rap music sucks now, especially with mumble rap, it all sounds the same, and the sh*tty part is that 2009-2014 was actually a time I thought rap music was getting better, what happened?
Virtually all EDM is trap or dubstep, or some sort of variant, and too many EDM artists are trying to hard to sound "deep".
There's some decent rock music, but that's not really mainstream anymore.
I really just wish people would stop relying on computers to for all music production, everything just sounds so heavily edited and autotuned. I'm legitimately beginning to wonder if robots are actually making pop music for us.
Not to mention, back in the 00s I knew lots of people who said "mainstream music sucks" and "older music is better", now almost everyone I know listens to current music on a regular basis, even some of the most hipster people. I can't stand going to parties anymore, I hardly hear music that I like, and if I put on older music from the 90s, people look at me like I'm weird. I don't get it, I thought liking older music was cool? Also isn't 90s nostalgia super in right now? I guess mostly for fashion, which is annoying when some pretty girl wearing a Nirvana shirt can only name one song of theirs. Yeah, smells like that's the only song you know.
I have a feeling we're not far from an equivalent of Disco Demolition, hopefully the 2020s will be an improvement, probably not though at this rate.

The only reason why you think today's music sucks is because you don't like it. I personally like today's music and I'm a big fan of trap, so of course, I'm going to have a different viewpoint than you. People have always complained about the current music. Most people who like today's music are mostly kids and teenagers.

I listen to any kind of music that is out these days...and so does my mom! It doesn't bother me at all. Maybe some of it does sound the same but it isn't bad music.

Ever since about late 2015, music has suddenly began to have this weird trend where all pop music sounds the same, and I know you can argue that's how it's always been, but it's literally all trap beats and it's almost impossible to tell any song apart. Even in 2014, just 3-4 years ago, music still sounded close enough to the 90s and 00s that it sounded "normal" to my ears, and there was a decent variety of music. Now, even alternative artists are getting lazy with their production.
I go to dance clubs and most of the music they play is too slow for me to dance to. Sorry, since when is 110 BPM considered a dance song?
Rap music sucks now, especially with mumble rap, it all sounds the same, and the sh*tty part is that 2009-2014 was actually a time I thought rap music was getting better, what happened?
Virtually all EDM is trap or dubstep, or some sort of variant, and too many EDM artists are trying to hard to sound "deep".
There's some decent rock music, but that's not really mainstream anymore.
I really just wish people would stop relying on computers to for all music production, everything just sounds so heavily edited and autotuned. I'm legitimately beginning to wonder if robots are actually making pop music for us.
Not to mention, back in the 00s I knew lots of people who said "mainstream music sucks" and "older music is better", now almost everyone I know listens to current music on a regular basis, even some of the most hipster people. I can't stand going to parties anymore, I hardly hear music that I like, and if I put on older music from the 90s, people look at me like I'm weird. I don't get it, I thought liking older music was cool? Also isn't 90s nostalgia super in right now? I guess mostly for fashion, which is annoying when some pretty girl wearing a Nirvana shirt can only name one song of theirs. Yeah, smells like that's the only song you know.
I have a feeling we're not far from an equivalent of Disco Demolition, hopefully the 2020s will be an improvement, probably not though at this rate.
yeah music now is really just the same everyone and that's why I don't recommend mainstream.

It's just so weird going to events for 90s music and mostly seeing people in their 30s and 40s, like I can't be the only one my age who mostly listens to 90s music. Back when I was a kid, I knew lots of teens and 20s somethings that listened to mostly classic rock, where did people like that go? Not to mention I thought millennials were the "nostalgia generation", but yet I still get treated like a geek.

Nah, not really. I'm honestly tired of the whole "90s/00s was the last good decade for music" thing.

It's just so weird going to events for 90s music and mostly seeing people in their 30s and 40s, like I can't be the only one my age who mostly listens to 90s music. Back when I was a kid, I knew lots of teens and 20s somethings that listened to mostly classic rock, where did people like that go? Not to mention I thought millennials were the "nostalgia generation", but yet I still get treated like a geek.

Maybe it's because most 90's kids are in their 30's or almost 30, and most people in their 40's right now were either teens or young adults during the 90's.

I honestly feel like music is very subjective, it's not that today's music is bad, it's just that you have different tastes.

I personally love today's music and music from the past, one good thing about today is that you can listen to music from anytime you want at anytime. I think hip hop has still been increasing in quality, especially the last year or two.

I'm about to say something pretty unpopular, but I believe our popular, good rappers today such as Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West are better than guys like Tupac and Biggie. :-X

Music is getting better in my opinion.  This isn't the best era for music, but it's improved a lot since the mid '10s.

Music is getting better in my opinion.  This isn't the best era for music, but it's improved a lot since the mid '10s.

Most of the songs from the year in music for 2018 thread aren't really my cup of tea IMO, but then again we are barely in 2018.

It's just so weird going to events for 90s music and mostly seeing people in their 30s, and 40s like I can't be the only one my age who mostly listens to 90s music. Back when I was a kid, I knew lots of teens and 20s somethings that listened to mostly classic rock, where did people like that go? Not to mention I thought millennials were the "nostalgia generation," but yet I still get treated like a geek.
No. I'm in the same boat as you. I love the music from that period although I haven't listened to much of it in a while. If you want to know, I honestly went on a nostalgic adventure with 90s music back in 2015 and '16, and it was great. :)


I'm about to say something pretty unpopular, but I believe our famous, good rappers today such as Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West are better than guys like Tupac and Biggie. :-X
I wouldn't say it's an unpopular opinion. they're all in the same boat, and will be considered some of the best rappers of all time even though Tupac and Biggie are already in that category.


Music is getting better in my opinion.  This era isn't the best for music, but it's improved a lot since the mid-'10s.
I hope it does! The 2018 songs out this week seem to be going strong so far. Hopefully, it keeps up and that the variety returns to the mainstream as well.


Most of the songs from the year in music for 2018 thread aren't my cup of tea IMO, but then again we are barely in 2018.
Do you think your favorite sub-genre will decline rapidly?

Do you think your favorite sub-genre will decline rapidly?

We will have to wait and see, although I don't think it will be declining anytime soon IMO.

I'm about to say something pretty unpopular, but I believe our popular, good rappers today such as Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West are better than guys like Tupac and Biggie. :-X

Yikes I don't think they are on the level of Tupac and Biggie at all. They were a lot better and are legends. I find Kaye West and Kendrick Lamar to be overrated, I don't like their musical style at all. But they do have talent, I can't deny that. They just aren't my cup of tea.

Yikes I don't think they are on the level of Tupac and Biggie at all. They were a lot better and are legends. I find Kaye West and Kendrick Lamar to be overrated, I don't like their musical style at all. But they do have talent, I can't deny that. They just aren't my cup of tea.


Understandable, I agree that Tupac and Biggie are legends, I just think Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West are better, personally. It all comes down to personal preference, really.

Really, dude? I actually believe that music was starting to get better since 2015 and it has for me!
Look for underground artists if you don`t like the mainstream stuff. That`s what i mostly listen to anyway.

You're kind of like my dad in some ways. For one, you both listen to 90's music and dislike the present music. The difference is my dad thinks music has been sucking since 2011. :D He was a 90's teenager too so the era was very meaningful to him.

I just don't get why there isn't more upbeat music, even music that's supposed to be upbeat nowadays has this vaguely depressing sound to it that I don't like.
Don't get me wrong, I love depressing music, but I miss 90s club music like Eurodance and Eurobeat, where the music had passion. Now I go to a club and all I hear is some annoying guy's voice droning on about how he's hungover and his life sucks, and that same guy is probably some narcissistic loser who cheats on any girl who likes him.


Really, dude? I actually believe that music was starting to get better since 2015 and it has for me!
Look for underground artists if you don`t like the mainstream stuff. That`s what i mostly listen to anyway.
I do like some current underground music, I really like vaporwave and other subgenres surrounding that, but that's mostly just revamped 80s and 90s music.
KEXP is a radio station in Seattle that plays some amazing current stuff.
I don't know, there's just a certain charm to 90s and early 00s music that I just can't find today. I feel weird saying that, I'm barely 24 and I already sound like an old man.

Here's another example, let's take two tracks from 1997 and 2007 respectively, and put it next to a 2017 club song, notice how much more danceable, upbeat, and overall "normal" the first two sound. If the 2017 song had been released in the 90s or 00s, it would probably be played in lounges, not dance clubs.

1997:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGgWiqNZ9ME

2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6pEJXtUFQ8

2017:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2ifrLAadU

I listen to any kind of music that is out these days...and so does my mom! It doesn't bother me at all. Maybe some of it does sound the same but it isn't bad music.


I do like some music that is out today and so does My Father but doesn't mean he likes every artist, He does in fact like Bruno Mars and Adele.

As I post this, I am listening to a playlist of today's hit songs on youtube. And well...I am lost! But it sounds ok to me!  :D


I like today's music, but I'm sorry it will not be as good as my 80s and 90s music. Truth be told. Sorry everyone. ;)

Funny, for someone complaining about repetition, this thread sure reads like a thousand other ones.

Music is not getting "worse." It's just going through a phase that doesn't align with your tastes.

I have a funny history with popular music. I wasn't exposed to a whole, whole lot of it until the late 90s when I was in middle school. Before it blew up, I thought the Macarena was something they made up in fourth/fifth grade, and then I discovered it was everywhere.  ;D I was somewhat aware of MC Hammer (mostly "You Can't Touch This" and The Addams Family), Michael, Madonna, Kris Kross and "Whoomp! There It Is" (but not Tag Team). The Spice Girls and Ricky Martin were popular, and I just went along with it. But Britney. Seeing her on Rosie O'Donnell was like seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

In the 2000s, particularly after 9/11, pop culture declined in quality and music in particular didn't align with my tastes. (Ironically, some of the stuff I dismissed then, I actually like now. e.g. "Yeah" by Usher and "Cry Me a River.")  I pretty much abandoned 2000s music with exceptions:

Britney
Green Day (Even though I initially dismissed American Idiot as just another pop-punk tune cut from the same cloth as Blink-182, Simple Plan, and Fall Out Boy; I then found out it was an ambitious concept album/rock opera and then I was on board.)
"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley
"Dani California" by RHCP
"You're Beautiful" by James Blunt (Honestly, doesn't hold up today)
"Bad Day" by Daniel Powter (Ditto; also, that horrible Chipmunks movie did considerable damage)

Other than that, if I listened to current music, it was strictly rock. I mostly gravitated toward classic rock. Remember, Bush was President; it was a crazy time.

Music, for me, finally improved in earnest in 2011, much to my surprise. The previous year's "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha was actually pretty good (but "Praying" blows it away today). Also, I got back into popular music so I could figure out what songs they were singing on US X Factor.

Some songs may sound alike, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I don't mind that "Jealous" (Nick Jonas), "Style" (Taylor), "Cheyenne" (Jason Derulo), and "Best Friend" by Sofi Tukker all have the same beat and are in the same key. In fact, I think it's cool.

As far as rap, it just kinda exists. Drake is fine. Macklemore and G-Eazy are cool. Ironically, I haven't followed much rock lately because it's no longer mainstream (with a few rare exceptions).

Here's a few artists I like since 2011 (in no particular order):

Halsey
Eden xo (pop singer who *ALMOST* hit the big time with 80s Madonna-inspired "Too Cool to Dance" and 90s-esque followup "The Weekend")
Bahari (Cali 60s/70s-inspired pop-rockers flying under the radar)
Ruth B
The Weeknd
Bruno Mars
Ariana Grande
Selena Gomez (Surprisingly, considering who her on-again/off-again boyfriend is)
Adele
Nick Jonas (solo)
Tweny One Pilots
The Chainsmokers
Imagine Dragons

To some degree:
"Shut Up and Dance" and "One Foot" by Walk the Moon
Meghan Trainor
Charlie Puth
"MPH" by MKNNA (Under the radar; discovered it on the newly-revived TRL)
Melanie Martinez (a little quirky)
Tove Lo ("Talking Body" is my favorite)
"Take Me to Church" by Hozier
"Somebody That I Used to Know"
Iggy Azalea

As I post this, I am listening to a playlist of today's hit songs on youtube. And well...I am lost! But it sounds ok to me!  :D


I like today's music, but I'm sorry it will not be as good as my 80s and 90s music. Truth be told. Sorry everyone. ;)


and even 70's music.

Ever since about late 2015, music has suddenly began to have this weird trend where all pop music sounds the same, and I know you can argue that's how it's always been, but it's literally all trap beats and it's almost impossible to tell any song apart.

Yes digital crap.....FLAT AND LIFELESS......... Been like that since the 90s mostly and its sad..... (Started getting worse in the 80s)

I think that with the 2010s, they tried making music sound grown up, but it ended up sounding rather bland instead. Let me compare the music of two decades:

2000s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGPgxoIPY6Q
2010s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg

You can consider the former as sounding more "childish" than the latter one.

Here's another example, let's take two tracks from 1997 and 2007 respectively, and put it next to a 2017 club song, notice how much more danceable, upbeat, and overall "normal" the first two sound. If the 2017 song had been released in the 90s or 00s, it would probably be played in lounges, not dance clubs.

1997:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGgWiqNZ9ME

2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6pEJXtUFQ8

2017:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2ifrLAadU


Now...that`s just some horrible example for 2017. Look into something like this.

Ay8mCS4wlf8

I think that with the 2010s, they tried making music sound grown up, but it ended up sounding rather bland instead. Let me compare the music of two decades:

2000s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGPgxoIPY6Q
2010s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg

You can consider the former as sounding more "childish" than the latter one.


How could you compare a great band like Boys Like Girls to One Republic? They`re trash anyways...
Compare a great band like that to an another great band in the 2010s like this one:

3hWt9KorVgQ

How could you compare a great band like Boys Like Girls to One Republic? They`re trash anyways...
Compare a great band like that to an another great band in the 2010s like this one:

3hWt9KorVgQ

Who's trash?  ???

And I wonder if they're on Spotify or Google Play Music. Also, I like Boys Like Girls' debut album - it makes me feel like about how I missed out in the 2000s though

Who's trash?  ???

And I wonder if they're on Spotify or Google Play Music. Also, I like Boys Like Girls' debut album - it makes me feel like about how I missed out in the 2000s though


Yeah. I`ve had a listen to them again and they`re great! They should`ve been more consistent in this decade but i don`t blame them. Rock isn`t as huge as it used to. That`s why alot of them turned into a pop band rather then rock which sucks. 

I wonder if the age of 'good' top 40 popular music ended in the late 90's/early 00's. I wonder if it's 'not cool', 'out of style', or looked as a 20th century thing, and not relevant to the 21st century anymore.

Maybe the 21st century is more about the internet, technology, and gadgets, rather than mainstream music.

Yeah. I`ve had a listen to them again and they`re great! They should`ve been more consistent in this decade but i don`t blame them. Rock isn`t as huge as it used to. That`s why alot of them turned into a pop band rather then rock which sucks.


That's awful!  :o  :o  :o

That's awful!  :o  :o  :o



Rock was better in the 1980's.

I wonder if the age of 'good' top 40 popular music ended in the late 90's/early 00's. I wonder if it's 'not cool', 'out of style', or looked as a 20th century thing, and not relevant to the 21st century anymore.

Maybe the 21st century is more about the internet, technology, and gadgets, rather than mainstream music.

Yeah the 21st century cultural progression is more focused on technology and the internet while in the 20th century it was more focused around fashion, trends, music, etc. That's why I don't think we will see anymore drastic differences in culture like we did in the 20th century (like going from the '70s to the '80s for example). Fashion and culture will change but it won't be as obvious and talked about like it was before. I remember when things from the past decade were seen as uncool and tacky and people saying "Oh that's so '80s" in the 1990s, we don't have that anymore. In fact it's the opposite now, things from previous decades like the 2000s and before that are seen as cool and the modern time is seen as cheesy. There seems to be no more backlash of the past, I don't like that personally.

I wonder if the age of 'good' top 40 popular music ended in the late 90's/early 00's. I wonder if it's 'not cool', 'out of style', or looked as a 20th century thing, and not relevant to the 21st century anymore.

Maybe the 21st century is more about the internet, technology, and gadgets, rather than mainstream music.


Most people dislike the next generation's music.  I'm pretty abnormal that I actually still like current music at my age.  Most people once they get past age 25 or so simply listen to what they liked growing up and don't keep up with current music.

Yeah the 21st century cultural progression is more focused on technology and the internet while in the 20th century it was more focused around fashion, trends, music, etc. That's why I don't think we will see anymore drastic differences in culture like we did in the 20th century (like going from the '70s to the '80s for example). Fashion and culture will change but it won't be as obvious and talked about like it was before. I remember when things from the past decade were seen as uncool and tacky and people saying "Oh that's so '80s" in the 1990s, we don't have that anymore. In fact it's the opposite now, things from previous decades like the 2000s and before that are seen as cool and the modern time is seen as cheesy. There seems to be no more backlash of the past, I don't like that personally.


Couldn`t have explained this any better! I agree 100%.

Most people dislike the next generation's music.  I'm pretty abnormal that I still like current music at my age.  Most people once they get past age 25 or so simply listen to what they liked growing up and don't keep up with current music.
Wouldn't that depend on the genre though? There's lots of Adult Contemporary music out there today although most of it is not mainstream.

Yeah the 21st century cultural progression is more focused on technology and the internet while in the 20th century it was more focused around fashion, trends, music, etc. That's why I don't think we will see anymore drastic differences in culture like we did in the 20th century (like going from the '70s to the '80s for example). Fashion and culture will change but it won't be as obvious and talked about like it was before. I remember when things from the past decade were seen as uncool and tacky and people saying "Oh that's so '80s" in the 1990s, we don't have that anymore. In fact it's the opposite now, things from previous decades like the 2000s and before that are seen as cool and the modern time is seen as cheesy. There seems to be no more backlash of the past, I don't like that personally.


Then came the internet age in 1994.  :o

Most people dislike the next generation's music.  I'm pretty abnormal that I actually still like current music at my age.  Most people once they get past age 25 or so simply listen to what they liked growing up and don't keep up with current music.


I wish adult contemporary came back. I think that once 'youth culture' took over post-2000, I couldn't relate to music anymore.

It's just so weird going to events for 90s music and mostly seeing people in their 30s and 40s, like I can't be the only one my age who mostly listens to 90s music. Back when I was a kid, I knew lots of teens and 20s somethings that listened to mostly classic rock, where did people like that go? Not to mention I thought millennials were the "nostalgia generation", but yet I still get treated like a geek.

Need to learn what ages millennials  really are

Then came the internet age in 1994.  :o


Well the internet's release in 1995 and presence up to this point is largely seen as the reason why Pop culture seems to not have such big changes. It's why you have people saying things like "late 90s culture last until the mid '00s" or whatever.  To some they say things have started to largely seem like one big era since the late 1990s onward.

I wish adult contemporary came back. I think that once 'youth culture' took over post-2000, I couldn't relate to music anymore.


Same and I want more entertainment options and places for adults.

I wish adult contemporary came back. I think that once 'youth culture' took over post-2000, I couldn't relate to music anymore.


Yeah AC radio today is pretty much where pop music goes to die.

If AC radio were to make a comeback, it won't sound anything like it did back in the '90s.  I doubt we would see a return of Celine Dion and the like.  Modern AC would be targeted to Millennials while the AC we all remember was primarily targeted to baby boomers.  With that said, ballads are as popular now as they've been in a while.  It's not the '90s by any means, but they have made somewhat of a comeback.

Most people dislike the next generation's music.  I'm pretty abnormal that I actually still like current music at my age.  Most people once they get past age 25 or so simply listen to what they liked growing up and don't keep up with current music.


I do keep up with some of today's music sometimes but some of the artists I've never heard of before.

Same and I want more entertainment options and places for adults.


Personally, I'm more interested in the life story of a 36 year old rather than what a 16 year old says.

Well the internet's release in 1995 and presence up to this point is largely seen as the reason why Pop culture seems to not have such big changes. It's why you have people saying things like "late 90s culture last until the mid '00s" or whatever.  To some they say things have started to largely seem like one big era since the late 1990s onward.


1993/1994, the last era before the internet took over!  :o

Yeah AC radio today is pretty much where pop music goes to die.

If AC radio were to make a comeback, it wouldn't sound anything like it did back in the '90s.  I doubt we would see a return of Celine Dion and the like. Modern AC would be targeted to Millennials while the AC we all remember baby boomers was the primary targets. With that said, ballads are as popular now as they've been in a while.  It's not the '90s by any means, but they have made somewhat of a comeback.
Do you think it could return to the Millennials in the next decade? By then, they will be in their 30s and 40s making them the perfect audience. If you think about it, there's already a few substantial artists in that group.

Yeah AC radio today is pretty much where pop music goes to die.

If AC radio were to make a comeback, it won't sound anything like it did back in the '90s.  I doubt we would see a return of Celine Dion and the like.  Modern AC would be targeted to Millennials while the AC we all remember was primarily targeted to baby boomers.  With that said, ballads are as popular now as they've been in a while.  It's not the '90s by any means, but they have made somewhat of a comeback.


Do you think it will resemble the music of the 1940s and early 1950s?

It depends with what you grew up on tbh, I've seen tons of early 70s borns saying the late 80s is when mainstream music died and that they couldn't stand 90s mainstream music.

2018 has so far been quite strong for mainstream music, at worst being just dull and forgettable which is imo way better than being offensively bad like a bunch of songs did back in 2013-2014

If you want some hate on late 80s-90s music I collected some quotes from a 1971 born  ;D

Mariah Carey
One of the most annoying ballad-screaming sirens. 

Belongs to a whole (relatively) new generation of female singers who think that yell-singing injects emotion into a song. Shattering glass is one thing, but shattering my ear-drums is a whole other matter, and one I don't take kindly to.

The silicone breasts don't help either.

Bryan Adams
Certainly the worst Canadian singer of truck-driver rock.

Started off with primitive commercial truck-driver rock, but then sank even lower when he became a housewife ballad favourite a-la Barry Manilow. Quite clearly a man with no shame.

It's a shame, because he could have done something with that voice. But he isn't after music posterity, he's after the quick thrill which only large amounts of cash can bring, at least in his case.

Salt 'n' Pepa
They were one of those early-90s pioneers.

Pioneers in the sense that they showed the recording industry that your pop music can be far worse than previously thought in order to make it to the top. In that sense, SNP paved the way for a whole new generation of non-talents to march toward success and fame with much more confidence than before - knowing that it was no longer necessary to have ANY talent to make it in music biz.

Lisa Loeb
A one-hit wonder. You might remember that video clip in which a semi-nerdy gal with galoshes wanders around a room in circles, bumping into walls as if intoxicated, while talking into the camera about some boring relationship which she may or may not have ended recently.

Chick-on-guitar, acoustic strum-strum three-chord crap about relationships and the "mysteries of life" was all the rage in the 90s. The only one that stood out - musically, not intellectually - was Morissette, the rest were all talentless girlies with nepotistic connections or "casting-couch" bunnies.

The fact that Loeb decided to wear glasses does not actually add any intellectual meaning to her textual, little-girl musings about the universe that confuses her. It's daily TV soap-opera drivel, but with music. Except of course when she releases a one-hit video clip directed by the pitiful non-talents of one overrated nepotistic Ethan Hawke, then we get to see her face as she recites her meager thoughts with the phoney-baloney MTV-level emotions of a greedy TV evangelist.

Her Dad must have been a Senator or something, right? That average face and the generic thin voice couldn't have propelled her into the charts on their own.

And they say she's a real bitch in private. Anyone surprised by that?

Poison
How much greed do you require to willingly dress up like a woman, put on more make-up than a street hooker, and then bounce around the stage like a cocaine addict so that millions can see you make a total ass of yourself? All that for money. Ts ts ts.

All that would be forgiven if only the music were of any value. But the only use for Poison songs that I can think of is to repel hordes of invading 13th-century Mongols with.

But since the 13th century is long past, and Mongols are far nicer (and less numerous) than they used to be, I see no use for their music. Off to the bin with it.

New Kids on the Block
The first boy band of the New Age (no, you morons, The Beatles were NOT a boy band!), and at the same time perhaps also the worst. It's hard to say though. Boy bands are without exception so awful that any kind of qualitative comparison becomes quite difficult.

New Tits On The Block. Girl group. I'd much rather have them invade the charts.

Madonna
The most undeserved long career of a female "artist" ever. Her output hasn't always been outright bad, but she has continually put out inferior, bland, safe pop music for decades and amassed quite a thick and useless discography.

She has "reinvented" herself (i.e. faked a lot) so often that she doesn't even know who she is anymore, hence the "50 year-old granny jumping around in pantyhose" internet comments. She has lost all sense of reality. No, not dignity - she hasn't lost that. She never had it in the first place.

From her 80s flirtatious-ditsy-teenie-"virgin"-with-VD phase to her "tits'n'ass" EROTICA phase to her political Che Guevara-cover I'm-getting-all-political-an'-smart-y'all phase. And that's just 5% of her "conversions" mentioned. Anybody who buys into this charlatanry, or mistakes faking for "chameleon-like artistic transformation", is very gullible indeed.

She had to reinvent herself over and over because her voice is mediocre at best, she can't write music, and can't play any instruments above an amateur level, i.e. she has almost nothing to offer from the music side, so she had to be "interesting" in other ways. Her career reminds me more of a Broadway act, vaudeville, or a traveling circus than a proper musician's career. Her fans are mostly very fickle, easily distracted typical pop fans, so keeping their attention for this long - or replacing disillusioned/bored fans with new ones - had required many transformations that were fueled by nothing but greed for money and an almost unrivaled hunger for fame and attention. She must have received very little attention as a child - which would make sense considering she grew up with many siblings.

What really bugs me is that today's decadent/corrupt/amoral rock/pop journalists rarely criticized her for her reinventions, rarely stating the obvious fact that these transformations show that she is a fake opportunist i.e. hardly ever herself. Rather, she's been often commended for her desperate attempts to stay in the limelight, as if persistence based purely on greed is somehow a badge of honour. Few people in the media have any integrity, nothing new about that.

Nowadays, taking off your clothes and building a whole career on cheesy pop and even cheaper sexual innuendo is considered "artistic". The left-wing-dominated media (which prefers anything vile and base over truly good) even showers those skanks with awards. Whole generations of impressionable hormonal girls have grown up with this false idol - the type of women who wear fake nails and talk in an annoying manner as a result, and many of whom find it OK to flaunt their sexuality for financial gain - and then complain about equality between the sexes! (Make up your mind, you wanna be a whore or an independent woman.) So why wonder that the Western world is going down the sewer. Every civilization has the idols and heroes it deserves, and we certainly deserve Madonna the Terrible, Madonna The Primitive, Madonna the Ugly.

Shania Twain
Very few "artists" annoyed me in the 90s with their commercial trash as much as she did. Her husband Mutt Lange was a very powerful ally in her quest to pollute the airwaves. He was sort of her Sith Lord, and she was his Sith apprentice.

Since they were married, I can only assume they made several Sith kids. Hopefully a Jedi is out there keeping that evil brood in check.

Sinéad O'Conner
One-hit wonder, and with a song that wasn't even hers. And it sucks.

What an annoying, overly dramatic and phony-sounding voice, and what a lousy collection of utterly worthless albums.

Skid Row
When glam metal started nose-diving in the charts in the early 90s, these guys attempted to gain "street cred" with the more serious metal audiences by making a heavier album and leaving the make-up to their girlfriends and wives. All well and fine, but there was just one hitch: glam bands don't have the talent for it.

This band was the personal project of Bongiovi, which makes perfect sense.

Slipknot
The heaviest band on this list, but in some ways one of the worst. I've listened to so many of their songs and yet I couldn't find one single solitary good riff. These guys personify talentlessness. I'd be wearing a mask too to make cash with so little ability - and also to hide from shame.

Mr.Bungle are still waiting for an apology - or a large check - from Slipknot for nicking their image

Toni Braxton
This "recording artist" sang one of the worst ballads ever vomited by the disgusting po(o)p industry. You know precisely which turd I'm referring to. Yes, THAT despicable turd.

The rest is just as repulsive.

And she has awful implants.

She went bankrupt later, proving that Faustian deals are not to be embraced without caution.

Milli Vanili
They won Grammy awards. A little bit of trivia for those of you who STILL take those awards seriously.

Or any awards for that matter.

Color Me Badd
What are they doing now?

Probably hiding behind tons of make-up, fake mustaches, and plastic surgery. They know they screwed up, but are willing to turn a new page. They'd move all the way to Neptune if they could. Shame is a tough one to deal with.

Hanson
One-hit wonder trio of effeminate boy-girls. One of the most annoying hits of the 90s. The rest of their stuff is just as bad, if not even worse.

I don't think they're bad kids (now adults), it's just that they hate music.

Savage Garden
"Adult contemporary"? What kind of a stupid music label is that?

This is just dung. Plain old yuppie dung.

OK, fine. Contemporary adult yuppie dung. Happy?

Queen Latifah
If a black blues/jazz singer had named herself this way 50 years ago, she would have been laughed off the stage, never mind a record deal.

Not to mention that Latifah CAN'T sing to save her life. Though this hardly prevents her from being considered a "major recording artist" in this Let's Celebrate Mediocrity day and age.

Compare the 20s/30s/40s/50s/60s black female singers with the 90s/00s/10s ones. What a mighty drop in quality.

But damn, I keep forgetting: she's not a singer!

Nor a musician, nor an artist, nor anything. Just another "media prostitute" clown hopping from music to movies to TV to whatever else there is to make money off from, collecting undeserved checks.

The Offspring
Proud authors of one of the most annoying pop-punk hits of the 90s. You know which song I mean. The politically-correct one with the white nerd trying to be "gangsta". The one with the kiddie melody even 3 month-old babies can goo-goo ga-ga to.

Abysmal. I hate this money-grabbing fake-punk bunch with a passion.

Céline Dion
I am not sure this is singing. Ear-piercing high-pitched shouting is a more accurate description of her vocal blasphemies.

Celine has one of the most annoying female voices ever recorded and hyped. The crap that comes out of her mouth would be dumped into the sewer - if only one could turn it into a solid or liquid state. That's the problem with music: it's in a "gaseous" state hence tough to capture and destroy

Michael Bolton
Even worse than his appalling, well-calculated, fitted-for-lonely-fat-housewives ballads was his hair.

Perhaps that's why he wore it that way. To distract his haters from the sheesh he was singing.

Even worse than his hair was his refusal later on to face the fact that he was balding.

Erasure
The absolute worst pop songs of the late 80s and early 90s came from this misanthropic duo. Their BS pop was even worse than that of the Pet Shop Boys.

And what's up with gay bands and kitsch? Gays have this false reputation as having a great sense of style or whatever, but what does a great sense of style have to do with kitsch and cheesiness?

Aerosmith
The most annoying vocals in all of hard rock. Besides, I don't much care for this primitive variety of rock. In fact, I think I pretty much hate it.

Some of their 90s hits are as bad as any sheesh I've ever been tortured with.

Phil Collins
I don't know what he did with Genesis, and I don't care. I also don't care what a great drummer he may or may not be.

All I know is that he is one of the most blatant examples of commercial sell-out in the 80s. Those songs I wouldn't give to a pig.

High-pitched mouse-squeek-voiced Collins writing a soundtrack for Tarzan, of all characters! That was too stupid even for Hollywood.

Jello
All those keyboards, synthesizers, equalizers, equipment, experimentation with sounds - and all you can come up with in the end is this childish-sounding minimalistic crap?

The way these guys talk about their cheesy music, you'd think they'd just written 5 symphonies, 8 operas, and arranged 83 classic pieces for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. How can you talk about this kind of silly crap with a straight face?

They should compose for the "Teletubbies".

Patti Smith
Not only vastly overrated, but musically utterly without value.

The 70s was a decade in which unattractive women WITHOUT talent could have careers. Just fill your dull songs with wannabe "meaningful" lyrics, and the arty-farty crowds adored you.

Pet Shop Boys
This is the kind of GARBAGE that signaled the end of quality 80s pop, and brought us into the crappy 90s pop. Totally plastic, overly manufactured, utterly derivative, and shamelessly cheesy.

Gone was the innovation of 80s British pop, to be replaced by recycling of the worst cliches

Jeff Buckley
If you ever wondered how a guy with such whiny vocals and such an off-key singing style got a major record contract: his father was a successful pop star in the 70s.

Jewel
What's with these U.S. pop girlies and their yodeling?

The first role this actress assumed was that of the quiet, artistic "poet", spewing wrongful ballads and yuppie classics. Later on, she tried to be Britney Spears i.e. the true-and-tried tits'n'ass formula.

These people are like chameleons when it comes to changing the cash-bringing formula once it becomes too stale and once their fickle, clueless fans become bored with it. (See Madonna.)

Billy Ray Cyrus
First he dehumanizes America by giving it "Achy Breaky Heart", and as if that weren't enough, he sows the seeds of teenage crap on that fateful day when he inseminated his wife.

Shame on you, oh Shameless One.

R.E.M.
I am aware that many of you will be shocked, appalled, disgusted, and bitter when you see their name on this list. But I truly think this band's music is worthless. All the songs sound the same, and they're sung by one of the whiniest voices of the century.

"Alternative rock", my bum. This is just flat pop, targeted at yuppies and people who enjoy elevator music, spiced with "meaningful" (i.e. pretentious) lyrics because the music itself is so meaningLESS.

Wham!
Wham bam thank you, ma'am!

Or mister.

That's the age we live in: the same guy who jumped on the Iraqi War political/anti-war bandwagon was the guy who sang about "wake me up before you go-go". Or was it "goo-goo"? Infantile pop crap for babies.

He is the precursor to Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake, with the difference that back in the 80s and early 90s most sensible people laughed at George Michael, whereas now these ex-boybanderers are respected "artists". fudge me.

No, I don't mean that literally, George.

George Michael
I wasn't angry with him when he sang "wake me up before you go-go" - as crap as that was - and I was even able to forgive him (somewhat) for "Freedom", and I certainly didn't care what he did in his own private time in public toilets because I think everyone has the right to pursue their own hobbies (as long as they clean up after themselves and not stain any passers-by who are simply trying to have a leak)...

... But when he started desecrating Queen's classics, that's when the water spilled over.

Not to mention his political moralizing. George, you finished how many grades in school? Did you say 5? That's higher than I thought.

John Mellencamp
This cynical and shameless perpetrator of all-out primitive generic rock falls into the same truck-driver rock category as Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Bryan Adams. Banal, simplistic sheesh for the truly music-disinterested.

I really hate this guy's puke-o-hellian produce. There are no words to describe it

Rick Astley
Don't make the mistake of thinking that this guy is any more a calculated and carefully prepared and packaged money-grabbing product than a band like Green Day. Tis the exact same thing.

Janet Jackson
At least the likes of Dion, Huston, or Carey appear to be able to sing (as annoying as they are at it), but what can Janet really do apart from dance a bit?

The thinnest, most pathetic voice of any female pop star, except perhaps for Paula Abdul and that crow, Sheryl.

Just like Madonna and Britney Spears, she had to dance her ass off on stage because that is, let's face it, dancing well is all she CAN do. (Her and another 150,000 (un)employed dancers.) It was a ruse to distract from her poor voice.

A blatant case of foul nepotism, rather than "genetic talent-sharing".

Ricky Martin
Some people actually classify the sheeshE he sings as "latin pop".

No no no no. It's just pop. Do we call Janet Jackson's brand of sheeshe pop "black pop"? Does Madonna sing "Italian-American pop"? Is Dido the proud owner of "anglo-saxon pop" albums?

Stop with the nonsense already.

And you too, Ricky. Stop. Just bloody stop.

Genesis
I couldn't care less what they recorded in the 70s, everything they did from the 80s onwards has counterbalanced that stuff by far.

Let me explain why they're included on this list: this is a band that didn't suck that much in the 70s (they were merely average sucky), but made a huge change to their sound in the 80s WITHOUT changing the band name.

That however does not save their asses from this list. A name-change would have been very appropriate. The fact they failed to do that in order to capitalize on their well-known name and 70s reputation does not affect my decision to include them. As far as I'm concerned the 80s band has nothing to do with the previous band.

Quiet Riot
Their success (with their number 1 hit) catapulted glam "metal" into the stratosphere. Just for that they should be hated, exiled and reviled.

Btw, the band HATED the song they covered (that made it to no.1). If that isn't an almost Faustian sell-out, I don't know what is.

Def Leppard
Not NWOBHM but NWOBSOM. New Wave Of British Sell-Out Metal.

I think every band on this list should contain the word "def" or "deaf" in their band name. That's the honest way. I mean, it's not as if all music lovers care about whether a band is deaf or not - as DL's enormous success proves without a doubt.

The greediest of the so-called NWOBHM bunch. Anyone who is familiar with the band (the non-music aspects) knows exactly how money-orientated this band has been since day 1. And it shows. Cheap arena rock of the most trite kind, complete with plenty of posing and the obligatory moronic lyrics about sex with hos.

Scorpions
The worst thing about the Soviets building the Berlin Wall wasn't that friends and relatives became separated, or that freedom-loving East Berliners couldn't leave their Communist cesspits. The worst thing about it was the eventual emergence of one of the worst ballads of all time.

One of the reasons thrash bands like Metallica managed to emerge into the mainstream to sell as many albums as they had in spite of having a very uncommercial sound (initially) is because so many of the earlier heavy metal bands sold out.

And none sold out with such reckless abandon and shameless greed like the Scorpions had.

Of course, they were never good to begin with, so I was in no way sad that they become a ballad-band. It was no loss at all. But I was angry that I had to listen to their sonic turds, whether I wanted to or not. No-one asked me. Especially when that bloody wall came down.

Creed
Creed had sold out to Satan in the 90s, in a very similar manner as bands like Poison, Warrant and Winger had in the 80s, but they didn't have to wait until the afterlife to await their deserved punishment. Already now they have become symbols of the decadence of the so-called "post-grunge" movement and are deservedly mocked for it.

Cinderella
I think I hated Cinderella (a rather suitable title for a band consisting of men dressed up as women) much more than most L.A. glam bands. The main reason, apart from the worthless music, was the shrill, high-pitched screeching (not screaming) of the singer and the way he carried himself on stage.

Norah Jones
All bad female singers use a cheating method that I call "whisper-singing" to cover up the total lack of power or strength in their voices. And not many practice this treachery as diligently as cute Norah.

But why be surprised? She is a product of nepotism.

Sleep-inducing pseudo-jazz (but actually cheap pop) for comatose yuppies and people afraid to deal with real music.

M.C. Hammer
When the rabble stops buying your CDs, turn to preaching to them about God. That works too. Money in the bank.

M.C. Hamster - I mean, that's how small he must have felt when he lost all those millions he took away from his music-hating fans.

Cher
From "I Got You Babe" to "I Believe", Cher has proven that the half-life of a piece of turd can be at least 50 years.

That's bad news for all of those fighting pollution.

Vanilla Ice
At least this "artist" got the public ridicule that he deserved (but only after he became a millionaire). And only because he's white. But what about the others on this list? Who aside from me is prepared to mock them?

White guys flapping around with their arms while rhythmically jabbering senseless lyrics about themselves is only MARGINALLY less stupid than when black guys do this. So in that sense, he was a victim of reverse racism.

ALL shmip-shmop "music" needs to be binned, not just white rap. Shmip-shmop has no colour: it's not white it's not black. It's brown. Off to the sewer with it.

Busta Rhymes
Rap hit a new low when this guy, and others like him, started reducing it to a speed competition, i.e. who can jabber the quickest without tying up his tongue in sailor knots.

To me this kind of thing is like one of those speed-eating competitions they have in small-town fares. Same level of "artistry".

Billy Ocean
All his hits are hot contenders for the "worst 80s crap by far" category.

Aqua
The way Western civilization is going, this sort of sheesh will get Grammys and other dumb accolades in just a few decades.

Lionel Richie
If I ever make a "Worst Pop Ballads Of All Time" list, his recordings will feature very prominently.

He seems like an OK guy, so I wouldn't extend the criticism to the personal arena, but I do have to wonder about his musical integrity.

That was an understatement, of course. His integrity is exactly zero comma zero.

Texas
Pop doesn't get any blander or forgettable than this. It almost takes talent to write such mediocre crap on a continual basis.

I so envy people who can actually fall into a trance listening to this. Lucky bastards.

Moby
We're all made of stars. Except Moby; we know what HE is made of.

I use this guy as a litmus test for whether a person is tone-deaf or not. Speaking of which, he is the first DJ in the world who was deaf BEFORE he started playing records in front of people. So yes, another pioneering music hero on this list.

One of several anti-talents on this list who used their family connection (or history) to jump-start their useless, abominable careers.

Still, great news, everyone!!!! Check this out:

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The silver lining in this protracted Armageddon is that one day all of Moby's recordings, all his photos, and ALL other traces of his existence will be gone forever! Good ol' Big Rip...

Paula Abdul
I was mystified how an average-looking female dwarf with the thinnest and one of the most pathetic pop voices of all time could have a massive career.

But then I heard she was a Lakers girl. And she got there using her powerful show-biz connections. Yes, another nepotist. And that other thing that helps careers but which I won't mention here.

AND they gave her a job at the "Idol" jury, which makes as much sense as appointing a serial killer as a judge in a genocide trial.

Europe
The worst European "hard" rock group ever. Truth be told though, they were softer than a ballerina's punani. And more hair spray than all the L.A. glam bands combined. They looked like girls is what I'm saying, and they played like girls.

The choice of band name was their mission statement: they WANTED to be the worst in Europe.

Their influence on the metal scene was disastrous. Now every "power" metal band sounds like them. If they had formed today they would have been labeled "symphonic power metal"! That's how silly genre labels have become.

Will Smith
Will Smith does it all: sing, act and produce - and stinks at all of it. But nowadays being sheesh in many different fields is known as being a "multi-talented artist".

I sheesh, piss, eat, fart, burp, and talk. Can I be considered a "multi-talent" please too? So many things, and I do them all so well!

Oh, and one more talent he's got: he also uses his very young children to make even more money, in very questionable ways. He excels in destroying childhoods for a buck. That's Hollywood for ya. And then they wanna tell us who to vote for!

A tip: whoever Hollywood tells you to vote for, you always vote for the other guy.

Tiffany
The one hit song she had sounds remarkably ridiculous - not just horrible - even to this day. The song isn't merely bad, it's awkward-sounding and absurd. Almost as silly as those retarded dance moves she does in the low-budget dingy video clip.

Lou Bega
Horrendous, supremely irritating, lowest common-denominator sheesh imaginable.

This "happy" garbage was played about a billion times every day, until even visiting extraterrestrials without ears were humming it - and then puking through their asses into huge UFO containers built for just such occasions.

Rednex
Before Scandinavians discovered black metal make-up and before they started waving plastic swords at power-metal gigs, some of them dabbled in this kind of RETARDED techno pop sheesh for the comatose and the tone-deaf. And unfortunately, most of Continental Europe did as well.

It's supposed to be funny, as well. But my sense of humour expires whenever my ears are telling me to kill.

KILL. KILLLLLL!

Besides, Scandinavian humour rarely impresses. A bunch of clowns impersonating hillbillies the way a 5 year-old would can only amuse dolts.