Top 10 Worst Songs of 2023

 Well 2023 certainly was a year, not a great year with all the wars going on but it sure did happen. In terms of pop music this year it just kinda existed. Like this was probably the most forgettable year for pop music in my opinion and I've been listening to pop music since 2010 sooo yeah. Well I guess we should get into the worst songs of this year
10.  What It Is (Block Boy) by Doechii Feat. Kodak Black

I don’t hate this song, however it’s a big disappointment as the big single from an artist I felt had potential to make interesting alt rap songs. So this song being a pop rap/R&B song is what puts it here. My main problem is that this is just a women’s version of the 2000’s R&B/rap   thugs need love too songs. This theme is just too bland for me no matter what gender is singing as most of it is just generic I’m tough or in this case he’s tough but I still need his love .I mean it’s not problematic or anything just basic.  It’s just a theme that I think is better left in the 2000’s due to most of these songs being made more so for pop stations filler then actual music that the artist put their soul into. I will say that this is much better than the song it is interpolating. Yeah, Some Cut is not only gross lyrically but the bed squeaking sound is very annoying so I will give this song props for me being able to listen to it. Then there is Kodak which I have never liked. I don’t hate mumble rap but he seems less like mumbling and more like he’s rapping while wasted which I get is part of the mumble rap aesthetic but this guy doesn’t make it sound fun he makes it sound grating on the ears. There’s a reason why there are so many edits of songs with him in it that remove his verse on YouTube. As for his rapping  I can barely understand him through him slurring his words. It also doesn’t help that his verse is very generic, like at least Doechii has some good bars in the first verse and a good chorus. Now, this song is only at the 10th spot because it sonically has a nice 2000’s vibe to it and Doechii’s singing/rapping isn’t awful just bland.

9. Karma By Taylor Swift Featuring Ice Spice
This was the year of Taylor Swift quite literally as she was Time’s Person of the Year. Now I’m not a Taylor Swift fan. I think her music is okay, but I’ve never gotten into her that much so having to hear about her constantly was annoying. However most of her songs this year were good even Lavender Haze with some of it’s weird production choices was a fun song. This song however has one of the worst written choruses I’ve heard. Not only is Taylor only talking about good karma which doesn’t fit the theme of karma being good and bad. It is also odd for one of her biggest songs this year was Anti-Her where she reflects on her anxieties, however, this song does not touch on any negative parts of karma and only goes over the good parts. This would be fine if the lyrics on this weren’t so dumb. But it’s just a list of things that are good including having a boyfriend, a god, a breeze in her hair on the weekend, a relaxing thought, honey, a cat purring in her lap and even a goddamn acrobat. These lines are just so clunky and her singing is just like her going through a list of things she enjoys like she is posting an introduce yourself assignment for a class on Canvas. Then there is the rhyming which for the first part of the chorus isn’t horrible but rhyming cat with acrobat and then with  that is such elementary level rhymes that it is embarrassing for an artist that has had more than a decade in making pop music. However there is a reason that the Ice Spice remix is here other than just being the version in the Year End Hot 100 and it’s since she really doesn’t fit on this song. Now I like Ice Spice and feel like she gets too much hate for being a hype pop drill rapper but she does not fit on the disco/dreamy pop song especially with her adlibs on the song. Her verse does talk about bad karma which is nice for balancing out the narrative of the song but I think karma being a fire in your house is a bit out of place for the other lines of this verse that are more of minor inconveniences then something that is potentially life changing. It’s also odd to bounce from Taylor’s pop singing to Ice Spice’s drill rapping, I guess they were trying to go with what worked in Boys a Liar Pt 2 but that song combined the bubble gum singing and the 2000’s influenced rapping very well while this song just felt awkward.

8. Unholy By Sam Smith & Kim Petras
Hyperpop is a great subgenre that really pushes the medium of pop forward by combining it with punk and edm music. However this song is the bland made for pop stations entry for the genre. While the production on this song isn’t awful, the synths on this song are just very clunky and seem like they are going for what is heard on a Sohpie song but here they just fall flat which is really unfortunate if you are trying to mimic Sophie’s music. The hard sound of the beat alongside the  gothic choir in this song don’t really fit with how the lyrics are not that controversial. Sure they are about someone cheating on their wife with someone from a strip club but with such an explicit topic the lyrics are really safe. This is mostly due to it not being sung from the person who is cheating but rather an onlooker and while this could fit with  the choir as him could be a priest, the lyrics don’t seem like they fit such a sin as cheating but seem more like him being someone who gets drunk too much or gambles too much of his money. I also don’t like Kim Petras’ baby voice vocals on here as they are a bit annoying and her lyrics are just messy like does drop the addy mean address the D or Adderall I mean it’s trying to be clever by being any of those three options but it ends up failing and being a confusing line. Also listing out products you want him to buy for your works for the topic of him being a sugar daddy but it does not sound good as lyrics as it just seems like you are singing your wish list with some other lyrics thrown in to make it actually work as a typical line in a pop song. There is also her final rhyme of  I know I got you covered with just jump under the covers. It's really lazy like you just changed the tense of the last word that… is just kinda embarrassing. Finally Sam Smith going Oh-ee-oh-ee-oh and Ho-ee-oh-ee-ome is really dumb. Like if you are interpolating a cliche from The Wizard of Oz that is commonly made fun of then it might be a good idea to re-write that line.

7.  Religiously By Bailey Zimmerman
First of all this song sounds very generic sonically wise. It’s like the producers were asked to make a very standard sad break up pop country song. But then there is the singing which is the mopey my girl broke up with me and now nothing is the same singing that I hate. Like I understand breakups can be very hard but hearing people belt out like this is the worst thing to happen to them just annoys me. However my main problem comes down to the lyrics which include the usual your happy now but I’m still sad years after our break up, I’m still only heartbroken about you, is just so overdone now that it has no meaning anymore. Plus I’ve always found this gross like you singing about her and how you still can’t get over her is going to make her feel sad and be in your life again. I do like Adele songs but I think that is because she reflects on what went wrong and her vocal range is so good that it makes you feel her pain instead of songs like this where they seem more like a pity party for the artist. Then there is the chorus where he says that he is at church praying alone and how he feels that this doesn’t even feel like life because he doesn’t have the only girl who believed in him … Religiously. Yeah this is just weird like I’m Atheist so there will be a barrier for me here but singing about how this loss of your girlfriend is a spiritual pain is just icky for me. Like this seems like either some cult like stuff where he praised her like she was a god and he was nothing without her or like the only thing that would make him happy is the person who believed in him like a god no matter what he did and now he can’t help but pray late nights in the church for her to come back. Also the humble bragging of “And lately life's been good to me Mama's healthy and I'm helpin' out the whole family Lotta people know my name, I made a little change” is the type of lyric  that I thought died when Lucas Graham  had his name shouted out like he was the biggest artist ever in 7 Years. Finally there’s the bridge where he sings about how she brought him to god but he just put her through hell, how he was just about himself and she was all about us, what type of man is he for losing her and how if his soul could be forgiven he’d take it all back. Like this is just a type of mopey that is just cringeworthy and hard to believe that it could be taken seriously by so many people. These lyrics are just silly and sound like something a stereotypical emo teen going through their first breakup would say so it’s a bit embarrassing to hear it being sung like it’s the most painful event that has ever happened and how he was the worst person for losing her. 

6. Rich Flex By Drake & 21 Savage
Oh Drake, Drake Drake Drake Drake Drake, I guess you are just taking the coasting by and relying on your fame to bring your hits instead of actually trying. Like the 21 can you do something for me is a bit funny in imagining he is in love with 21 Savage but other then that his rapping on this song really generic but my main problems include that really weird segue where he decides to do this crooning R&B voice to convey his relationship problems came right the hell out of nowhere and does not fit in this song at all. It really does ruin the song as it goes from a trap brag rap song to some weird  R&B love issues song but for like not even 30 seconds until it goes back to brag rapping again is just a total tonal whip especially when he goes to repeat I’m on some slaughter gang shit murder gang shit. Which, I know is related to 21 Savage’s label and a line from one of his first hit songs but it’s still total whiplash to switch between the two topics especially as many listeners won’t know of the reference which makes this even worse. Then there his rapping on the third verse were I swear he just rambles on when he starts talking about Young Money CMB and goes on for a couple of bars to sound like the most robotic A.I sounding rapper ever like this really isn’t that different then free A.I programs you can find online and I think a lot of this has to due with him rhyming CMB with CMG with BNB with PND with Pushing P with PTSD with TMZ with GMC with B&E with DMC with BRB is just embarrassing for one of the biggest rappers in the world like dude how are you rhyming abbreviations when you are one of not only the biggest rappers in the last 20 years but one of the biggest artists of the last 20 years like that is just sad. Then there is 21 Savage which I hate to say but I don’t really like him on this song, he’s not as bad as Drake by miles but this verse just sounds really phoned in flow wise and that I know you on your period baby, can you suck it? line Is very gross. Finally  the weird beat pause where he references Savage by Megan Thee Stallion was such a failure. It’s like he was trying to be clever and trying to make a mind blowing mic drop moment there but instead he just made a line that makes me want to put cricket sounds over it  for how dumb it was.  

5.  Wait In The Truck By HARDY Featuring Lainey Wilson
Well this year has been an awful one for country music from Morgan Wallen to problematic songs gaming the system and charting at number 1 in the weekly charts and getting in the year end list, it has not been easy to be a country fan I’m sure but I decided to start with a song that isn’t talked as much but I still find is problematic. This mainly comes from the story of the song of this man coming across this poor abused woman and instead of driving her to a safe home and having her boyfriend be arrested he decides to go to his house and go to where he lives kick down his door and kill him in a shootout and now in good faith he can only wait for the police to come and arrest him for life… while  also smoking one of her abusers cigarettes. Like huh? Also that is a very bad idea to promote this. Like dude, if you didn’t kill him you would have died and his abuser would have been so much worse but I guess you get to sound like a gruff bad ass so it’s fine! The song ends with him stating that even after 60 months she still comes to visit him and while he knows he might be in prison for life it’s better then the place that he sent her abuser which is of course, hell. Yeah, I’m not really a fan of this murder vigilante justice fantasy where he is seen as the bad ass for doing something that is morally wrong in a complicated situation. Lainey Wilson also adds to this being problematic where she sings about him not being an angel as he killed someone but how he still saved her life as he and his gun was the judge that was able to kill her abuser and save the day.  I also don’t like the bells used in this song like they are trying to make it a miracle that although he may not have been morally correct he still did the right thing by killing her abuser. This does not help at all when we get the choir singing, have mercy on me. Like this is a complicated subject so maybe it should not be treated like it’s some heroic story of vigilante justice where the average joe became a christ like figure and should be treated as such despite committing a sin  Finally when Lainey and Hardy go Woah and Oh might be the worst 2 seconds in pop music this year like it just totally grates on my ears. Yeah y'all can’t really hold that note sorry.

4.  Thinkin' Bout Me/One Thing At A Time By Morgan Wallen
Remember when I mentioned Morgan Wallen? Well I guess it’s time to talk about him. Now, him being able to come back after saying the N word in a drunken rant is bad enough and some of the songs that were on the year end list had some problematic lines about the incident but in this list I want to focus on his misogynistic songs. This is also the rare time where I’m talking about two songs for one spot as they have similar problems. Let’s start with Thinkin’ Bout Me and how toxic he is. The song starts with him stating how he feels bad for her new boyfriend as she’s gonna put him through hell and continues by singing that despite her saying that her and Morgan are probably a long gong relationship and cussing his name that she is probably still  thinking about him during her dates with her boyfriend. He even imagines that during sex she is thinking of him. Now this is gross enough but I could see him singing about this if he was still upset by the relationship going wrong and how he wished he had her back in his life but there are three really problematic lines I want to mention. The first is “Comin' over tonight, wish that truck in your drive was mine Just like you know it's supposed to be.” Yeah man, I know breakups can be tough but saying that she is supposed to be with you is just kinda abusive. Then there is the second verse where he sings about how he wonders if she hides her phone and changes his name when her new boyfriend wants to go to their favorite places and continues by asking if she tells him she can’t, and goes out of her way to be anywhere Morgan isn’t. Yeah dude, I don’t think she feels that way about leaving you and if she does that is very worrying for who you are as a person and how you treat women cause it’s also giving me abuser vibes. Finally there is the bridge where he sings “Don't know where you at But girl, I know where you oughta be” like okay, I thought the other lines were a bit abusive coded but this one just seems a bit obvious for how toxic of a person he is. Like let her go dude. Now to end this segment on a lighter note whoever decided to put 808’s in this pop country song was stupid as they don’t work at all. So now we get to One Thing At A Time where he sings about how his ex told him that he needs to get over her and become sober but that while she can weigh out all her options and take her pick that he can only do one thing at a time which is either keep on being an alcoholic dependent on drug use or quit those bad habits and stop thinking of her which he can’t do. Yeah this is problematic enough that he is blaming him being an alcoholic on his ex but when he mentions he is taking amphetamines to forget about her and asks her “Do You want me to stop some of that Or you want me to stop lovin' you? Hey, what you want me to do?” then  Wow so now you are blaming her break up with you for you being a drug addict too? Dude how are you still popular? Like this is so toxic and damaging that I’m upset that he got this popular.  The worst part is that it ends with him saying this is just the way he is and if he’s gonna move on he’s either gonna need something in his hand which we should know what that means by now or her back in his life. So yeah both of these songs are different but are the same in the way that his misogyny creeps into his songwriting and how he  sings his woes about how this girl broke his heart and how it is going to lead to both his and her downfall. Ok I like to end these entries on a lighter note so ummmm let’s just say the one insult I have for this song is that sonically it sounds like something performed on New Year’s Rocking Eve at like 1 or 2 am in other words, it sounds generic and clunky. 

3. Rich Men North Of Richmond By Oliver Anthony Music
Yeah when I said that country had some problematic songs you might have predicted this song would be here and well… you’re correct! Now the main problem with the song is some of the lyrics. While I do enjoy that he is singing about how he feels overworked and underpaid which is a topic that I feel should be talked about more in pop music as it is a great way to critique capitalism, he ruins this song and goes into some troublesome views in the song. He starts by stating that he’s an old soul living in the new world which sets off my inner alarm bells that he’s talking about the new world order which is an anti semitic conspiracy theory but that could be me reading too much into it. However, when he talks about politicians only wanting to be in total control while knowing what you think, and knowing what you do.  Then yeahhh this isn’t a coincidence he is really going into some anti semitic type conspiracies with this one being about the deep state politicians who want to spy on you all the time with vaccines or phone cameras or whatever the new conspiracy that makes no sense is. Then there is the line about how he wishes politicians would look out for coal miners and not just minors on an island. Oh god he’s going there where he mentions a good debate but ruins it by talking about how “they” only want to protect pedophiles. Don't get me wrong pedophiles are really awful people and should be locked away but to mix this not only with the conspiracy that many politicians (and with this song he probably means democrats) supports pedophiles but also to mix this in with singing how much you care about the mistreatment of coal miners is really scummy. Then he goes on to say how some people are homeless and can’t eat while “other people” a.k.a the racist misogynist  fatphobic myth of “Welfare Queens” are well… milking welfare to buy bags of fudge rounds instead of healthy food like they are suppose to do gaddamnit. Like dude what the hell. First of all don’t you know that with the limited food stamps budget they can’t buy healthy food and that also everyone deserves a treat? Sighh at least he seems to want to improve when he critiqued his song being played at the RNC debate. Then again this might have just been a PR move soooo yeah. Also dude if you do move on to less problematic topics also improve your singing cause you can’t stay on note at all and it’s really hard to listen too.

2. Under The Influence by Chris Brown
Oh Chris Brown with all that you have done, why are you still popular?  God what a flawed timeline we are in. However this song would probably be at this spot even if it was Chris Brown on this song. This is since I find his vocals to be nails on a chalkboard levels of annoying. Like I’m surprised this song was such a hit on the radio (other than the disappointment of radio still playing his music in general) since aren’t pop stations supposed to play songs that don’t make people want to instantly turn the radio station the second they hear this song which could cause bad car accidents? I get he is trying to go for a vibe where he is under the influence of Robitussin but unless you are making some avant garde music maybe it’s not a great idea to sound like you are so wasted that you are constantly slurring your words and are about to pass out as it is very uncomfortable to listen to. The lyrics are just the average I want to have sex with you even when I’m under the influence of Robitussin. Really the only dumb lyric here is the Make you cry like a baby, yeah Let's GoPro and make a video, yeah line. Not only is having the word baby be a set up for a rhyme about having a sex tape with her a bit gross but it’s such a forced rhyme. Like really, baby yuh and vid e yuh? Sighhh why is this the year of legendary artists in terms of how long they have been popular making awful rhymes? Oh and he repeats it like someone who thought they had a really funny joke but it doesn’t work. Why can I imagine him in the studio being like “You get it guys cause the sex is going to be so good it’s going to make her yell like a baby and people call their partners baby get it get it?” while the producers just have to nod and give a fake laugh so he can move on. I do have to say the beat is pretty good which is probably why this song got so popular. Now let’s get into the dishonorable mentions

Everything I Love By Morgan Wallen
Yeah this is another song where he sings his woes about a girl who broke his heart. This one isn’t as problematic but it’s still whiney to hear him sing about how his favorite places and even his home town are ruined because he took his ex there. Like dude quit your moping please. At least this song has a pretty cool guitar solo like it’s not amazing but nice to hear in a pop country song at least.

I Wrote The Book By Morgan Wallen
First of all the beat for this song sounds washed out which I guess could fit the aesthetic of this song but it just kinda falls flat. However this song is here because of the line about how he should have relied on the bible more so he wouldn’t have gone on his drunken rant and have “become a different man” and said the N word multiple times. Like it’s more so implied but even then it’s kinda obvious he’s talking about the incident and not just getting too drunk on Friday nights. Yeah dude don’t blame your lack of religion or whatever on your actions that’s just wrong and I’m atheist! So, I don’t even really have a horse in this race.

Thought You Should Know By Morgan Wallen
Yeah this song pretty much gets on here for the same reason as the last one. At least he doesn’t bring religion into it but him barely touching on the incident and writing about it during his radio ban by just saying he made some bad decisions and was drinking too much is not only too vague for what he did but also really scummy. But if it wasn’t for this line and maybe the one about how he found a great girlfriend because she lets him fish whenever he wants to, then this would be a pretty sweet song about a call he had to his mom reflecting on his life and their relationship.

I'm Good (Blue) By David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
Well no more Morgan Wallen songs to talk about but now it’s time for me to talk about this lazy examples of sampling we have seen recently. Like I’m not the biggest of I’m Blue but it’s an iconic 90’s eurodance song and this song completely takes the life out of it and makes it into a generic 2010’s club song. Like I’m so done with the lazy sampling we have seen in pop music recently please let that trend die next year. Also that is one of the most out of place f bombs ever. I don’t have a problem with cursing in music but if she said freaking or best ever night of my life this probably could have been a lead single for the next Trolls movie it’s that innocent and commercial ready

Peaches & Eggplants By Young Nudy Featuring 21 Savage
You know I should hate this song but sighhh it’s so bad it’s good. Like the first time I heard this song I was so annoyed by the Young Nudy’s Boaw’s that it was a top 10 contender for sure but the more I listen to it the more I enjoy it in enjoyability bad way. Like when a good amount of the song is him making an ad lib that sounds like he is trying to imitate the Dog of Wisdom animation it just becomes funny. Also god, is 21 Savage entering his coasting by era. This guy used to have a cool style and even made a pretty good Mortal Kombat song despite what the Rap Critic had to say but now he barely even registers to my brain. Consider this song an 11th spot. You know if I wasn’t so disappointed in Doechii’s big hit I would have put this at number 10 oh well!

Search & Rescue By Drake
Drake when you start trying to make actual music again maybe I’ll start actually writing about you again. I really don’t care about him trying to bring back the Kanye feud with all that he has done like this petty feud  isn’t really noteworthy anymore. At least that American Express line was pretty stupid. Also if you changed I know I’m not a pitbull but dale mami it would have made some sense but as it  is, the line is just plain stupid

1.Try That In A Small Town By Jason Aldean

Well I guess it’s time to talk about this song. Sighhh is there really anything good to say about this song at all? I guess it only charted at number 66 in the year end list so it wasn’t that high in comparison but yeah that’s all I got. So let’s go through the problematic lyrics from this song. It starts with talking about how he doesn’t like people who sucker punch strangers, people who carjack old ladies, commits assault, robbery all of which are some bad to do but he ruins this by comparing these crimes to people who cuss at cops spit in their face and people who gasp! Stomp on the American Flag! And burn it how dare they use their first amendment rights to protest a flawed country and the racism and other problems that  still exist in it! But then it gets into the chorus where he sings about wanting these people who try to protest for the BLM movement  to try what they do in a small town and see how far they make it down as once they “cross that line” it won’t take that long and that he doesn’t recommend they try to enter small towns if they act the way they do. Yeahh when part of your biggest problems include protests especially BLM protests  then this becomes really problematic. Especially when this could be read as a sundown town anthem. Like it never mentions anything race related but those dog whistles are pretty clear and not helping your case. There is also the line about him using his grandpa's gun to fight back against the government who wants to take away his gun rights and how while that might fly in the city it won’t fly in his small town. Okay man, no one is coming for your guns. Some people just don’t want people to easily buy an army grade weapon so easily, so stop promoting this theory please? Finally he talks about the good ol’ boys who were raised up right and would be useful in “The fight” like oh my god he’s really alluding to the proud boys in this line and how these conservative white men are the good ones who will stop the evilllll government from doing whatever they want and how they can stop the people in the streets fighting for gasp justice. So yeah this is why the song is here it’s a racist anti protest song that is very damaging and has no redeeming qualities. All I have to say is please let the next year be better and I’m not just talking musically I’m talking politics wise it’s an election year and god I hope that Ron De Santis or anyone like him wins as that would be really scary. Well ummm Happy New Years? sighhh