5 "How the Hell was that a Hit?” Songs (PT. I)
By: Brian Cotnoir
With all the different
genres and artists in music today, it’s safe to say that there are some pretty
diverse tastes in music today. Every
year, thousands of songs get released to the general public: some become
popular hits, some get ignored and fade into obscurity, and then there are
those songs that become hits that some people love, but other people seem to
hate. The songs aren’t necessarily bad,
but when you look back at them you say to yourself, “You know, this wasn’t even
that good of a song”. So today we are
listing 5 songs that make people say “How the Hell was that a Hit?” songs. The songs are listed in no particular order,
so enjoy
1.) Da Da Da by Trio
In 1982, German New
Wave Band Trio released the track “Da Da Da” and it became a hit in Europe and
even broke the Top 40 on the U.S.
Billboard charts (peaking at #33). The song lyrics and the way the song is
sung sound like the bands singer Stephan Remmler is on a date with a really uninteresting
woman. Thoughout the song you can hear
Remmler saying “Uh-huh” followed by a long pause and then “Uh-Huh” again. Not only that but the guitar riff in the song
is just a slowed down version of “La
Bamba”. “Da Da Da” was the only U.S. hit for Trio, and it has been used in
television commercials most notably for Volkswagen.
2.) The Name Game by
Shirley Ellis
This track has had a
bit of a resurgence since it was performed on the popular American Television
Series “American Horror Story: Asylum”,
but back in 1964 this song hit #3 on the Billboard
Hot 100 Charts. However, in
Retrospect this is a childish song! I’ll
be honest, I did not know this was an actual song recorded by an actual singer
to be played on the radio, the reason why is because I always remember singing
this song in pre-school and I also remember Elmira Duff singing it in an
episode of “Tiny Toon Adventures”. I always thought that it was written for a
children’s music CD by some unknown singer-songwriter because it is a song that
is completely childish. I have no idea how the hell “The Name Game” became so popular.
3.) Believe by Cher
I know Cher is one of
the Most Popular and Successful Recording Artists of All-Time, but her 1998 #1
Hit song “Believe” is so overrated. I
know why people thought this song was so good because it was one of the first
recorded song to ever use a new form of technology called “Auto-Tune”, and
everyone was blown away by how it made Cher’s voice sound so different and
unique, and everyone thought that Auto-Tune was going to revolutionize the
music industry...And you know what, they were right! Auto-Tune COMPLETLEY changed the music industry. In fact, it changed the music industry, and
we’re all sick of hearing Auto-Tune now because it gave talentless hack like
T-Pain and Ke$ha music “careers”. So
thanks for ruining pop music Cher! I
hope you’re happy!
4.) Sunshine, Lollipops,
and Rainbows by Lesley Gore
The first time I ever
heard this song was on a TV show and I thought it was a joke/parody track
because the lyrics were so corny and dumb!
Then learned the unfortunate truth that this was an actual song that was
recorded with intentions of being as a non-novelty pop song AND it reached #13
on the Billboard Hot 100’s in 1965. The song is sung by singer Lesley Gore (who
is known more famously for singing “It’s My Party”) and was produced by Quincy
Jones: the same man who Produced Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and WON 27 GRAMMY AWARDS!
What the f*ck was going on in the 1960’s that made the world declare a
desire to hear stupid hippie Bubble-Gum Pop tracks?
5.) Who Let the Dogs Out?
By the Baha Men
Oi vey is this song a
mess! The shouting repetitive chorus
from this cover song by the Baha Men “Who
let the the dogs out?/ Who? Who? Who? Who?” made this track absolutely inescapable
in the early 2000’s. It was a song that
was played at Sporting Events, TV Shows, and was even used in the “Rugrats in Paris” movie. Most bizarre of all; “Who Let the Dogs Out?”
won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2001.
This song is a loud obnoxious mess, and if anyone dare let’s the dogs
out around me then they are getting put down!
What did you think of this List?
Do you Agree? Are there other
songs you think should’ve been on this list?
Let me know in the comment section, and I will possibly include them on
my Part II of this Countdown series.
