Blender Magazine's 50 Worst Songs Ever
In the May 2004 issue, the list of Blender Magazine's 50 Worst Songs Ever! was published.
The top ten songs on that list were:
- "We Built This City" (Starship)
- "Achy Breaky Heart" (Billy Ray Cyrus)
- "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (Wang Chung)
- "Rollin'" (Limp Bizkit)
- "Ice Ice Baby" (Vanilla Ice)
- "The Heart of Rock & Roll" (Huey Lewis & the News)
- "Don't Worry Be Happy" (Bobby McFerrin)
- "Party All the Time" (Eddie Murphy)
- "American Life" (Madonna)
- "Ebony and Ivory" (Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder)
Controversy
Of course, the list is controversial. Music fans wonder why songs like ...Baby One More Time, from the Britney Spears album of the same name, were missing, pointing out that there are other more obvious or deserving targets for the "worst ever" designation than the songs chosen. Blender magazine has taken the stance that songs which unabashedly present themselves as entertainment, such as Macarena, are less deserving of defamation than songs which fail at higher aspirations. As Blender editor Craig Marks said, "It's the freshman-poetry meaningfulness that got our goat..."
Some critics have decried the Blender list as an attempt to gain attention by blasting people's "old favorite" songs. For example, We Built This City was a number 1 hit at the time of its release. Many canonical rock bands and musicians, including The Beatles and R.E.M., had songs featured on the list.
One controversial selection was We Didn't Start the Fire, which appears lower on the list. Some have argued that it exhibits creative talent and social vision that make it unworthy of inclusion on a "50 worst" list.
