Bad Songs from Great Bands

The bands and artists that make this list need not take offense.  If they show up here, it’s because they’re one of the greats.  But even the best of the best can have a bad day, a bad year, and yes, even a bad song.  So we asked The Interrobang staff to pick the worst songs by the best artists.

1.  “Queen of the Supermarket” by Bruce Springsteen

Um, whut?  I guess this is what would happen if Bruce never pulled out of that town to win and instead stayed in aisle 5!?

2.  Chicken in Black, By Johnny Cash

Among Johnny Cash’s classic songs, you won’t find this stinker about Cash’s brain being transplanted into the body of a chicken.  Legend has it that Cash intentionally recorded such an awful song in an attempt to break from his longtime record company that he felt had grown indifferent to him.

3.  “Rock the Casbah” by the Clash

A bad song off a bad album. Their biggest commercial hit, ironic since there are so many better songs, that are so much better written. Add the video to this and it just seems like a joke. Made while the band was falling apart, it was arraigned by their drummer, Topper, who was deep into his heroin use. He was kicked out of the band 2 months before it was even released.  Very Un-Clashy.

4.  “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani

Remember when No doubt broke and we all fell in love with the hot lil blond chick?  Remember how we thought she was so real and she’d never never let us down ?  Well if music were food this would be a shit sandwich.

5.  “Beverly Hills” by Weezer

Terrible song. Feels like it was just a product of Rivers Cuomo being obsessed with making a great pop song, when he already did multiple times with The Blue Album. Guess he was still pissed about Pinkerton being panned. They should of never had Spike Jones stop shooting their music videos.

6.  “Get in the Ring” by Guns n Roses

Axl makes a list of every rock critic that pissed him off and offered them trhe chance to ” get in the ring.”  Since when do we need a marquis of Queensbury rules to for an ass kickin?   Then when Bob Guccione Jr. said sure, he and his black belt would get in the ring,  Axl didn’t answer the bell.  Go fight Tommy Hilfigger again tough guy.

7.  “Shiney Happy People” by R.E.M.

They meant it ironically, right?  No?  Ugh.

8.  “Bam Thwok” by the Pixies

The Pixies broke up, reunited, and went on a massively successful tour.  What they didn’t do was create much in the way of new music.  As fan’s waited with bated breath, instead of releasing something new to complement their back catalog, they released this.  It was written for the soundtrack of Shrek 2 but was wisely rejected.

9.  “Impossible” by Kanye West

Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that Kanye West is a “great artist.”  If that’s the case, then this has to be his worst song.  If for no other reason then he spent a good portion of a Rolling Stone interview explaining that it was going to blow people away. After hearing this song the only thing I wanted to blow away was myself…with a handgun.

10.  “Transformer Man” by Neil Young

This was Neil’s attempt to latch onto the New Wave/synth movement that was happening at the time. Geffen Records was reluctant to put out and later sued Neil for deliberately putting out bad material. I don’t blame them at all.

11.  “Undercover of the Night” by the Rolling Stones

No one would ever claim that the 1980s were a creative high point for the Rolling Stones, and this particular song is among the worst from that period.

12.  “Wiggle Wiggle” by Bob Dylan

Dylan’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed ‘comeback’, ‘Oh Mercy’ found him teaming up with hot producer of the moment Don Was. This was first cut of the album. Wow.