Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 2021

 Greetings everyone, it is I, the Animated Vulture. I have been hearing a lot of people say that 2021 was a really good year for music, and I can see where they’re coming from. This year had a large amount of good stuff to offer. As for the worst of this year, I feel like there was a sizeable amount of duds. Now let’s observe those duds. This is the worst hit songs of 2021. Starting off with dishonorable mentions.

 

DM. Track Star by Mooski

This one was very close to making the list and did so for a while, I can’t stand those whiny lyrics and even whinier voice.

 

DM. Beat Box by SpotemGottem

I originally had this on the list for a long time, but I decided to leave it off because it’s at least short and over quickly.

 

DM. No More Parties by Coi Leray ft Lil Durk

This just sounds flat out unfinished and all around terrible, as well as just having a dour and unpleasant attitude.

 

DM. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney

This song can be a little bit of a vibe at moments, but I guarantee if I had a stronger connection to the Corinne Bailey Rae original, this would have easily made the list.

 

DM. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae

The main reason I hate this one is the weird baby voice as well as the overall miserable tone, and I have to ask what is up with that weird bass drop?

 

DM. Throat Baby by BRS Kash

An actually decent and catchy beat ruined by some of the worst lyrics I’ve heard this year.

 

DM. You’re Mines Still by Yung Bleu ft Drake

Basically the exact same case as Throat Baby.

 

DM. Up by Cardi B

IFITSUPTHENITSUPIFITSUPTHENITSUPIFITSUPTHENITSUPIFITSUPTHENITSUPISIFUPTHENISUPTHENIFSUPITIFSU-

 

DM. Body by Megan Thee Stallion

BODYODYODYODYODYODYODYODYODYODYODDOYYODDOYODOODYODODYOODDYOODYODYDYODYDODYODYDOYOYDOYD-

 

DM. Kings & Queens by Ava Max

I love Sweet But Psycho, but did anyone really want Sit Still Look Pretty Pt 2?

 

DM. On Me by Lil Baby

It’s bad and annoying. Does anyone really have anything to say about this?

 

DM. One Too Many by Keith Urban and Pink

Boooorriiing.

With all of that said, on with the list!

I was planning on having either Track Star or Beat Box as my number 10 for a while until I realized that this list would feel incomplete if I didn’t include this one.

 

10. Arcade by Duncan Laurence

Yeah this is a song that got worse with each listen. I may know very little about Eurovision, but surely there had to have been better stuff than this to become big. Let’s begin with how this song’s premise is that this guy is going through grief, and he compares that to ...video games. Yes because when I think of aching heartbreak I think of Pac-Man. What makes this especially weird is that Duncan Laurence does all of this so seriously that it’s just funny. I can’t take lyrics like these seriously.

“All I know, all I know”

“Loving you is a losing game”

“How many pennies in the slot”

Even if you put aside the insanely weird metaphor the song centers around, the lyrics are still too vague to really know whatever problem this guy has and why we should feel sorry for him. Another thing is how the song tries so hard to build up swell and just fails at it, mainly because of how feeble Duncan’s voice sounds on this as he sounds awful on several notes, along with the poorly used Lumineers style stomp clapping in the chorus that’s more irritating than moving. This feels like a song from a cartoon used to make fun of overdramatic songs like this. Though who agrees there should be screaming memes with the chorus of this song?

Ok, let’s get an obvious one out of the way.

 

9. Just The Way by Parmalee and Blanco Brown

This has made quite a few worst lists for 2021, though I’ll admit I didn’t fully hate this from first listen. I didn’t like it at all, but I didn’t see any reason to get super angry at it. With that said, this is a song that you need to think about for a bit for its true crappiness to reveal itself. Though one thing you can tell right away is that the production is very not good. All of the guitars and drums used here all sound so plasticky and processed, added with a weak trap beat that does not at all fit with the rest of the song, it makes the whole song feel really slow and sluggish as well as adding this odd sense of condescension, only being made worse with the lyrics. This song is all about how the men singing absolutely love everything about their women and that their imperfections only make them even better. Not only is this an unbelievably corny and lame idea for a song upon first listen, but it comes off as “Yeah I know you’re self-conscious about yourself right now, but the things you aren’t happy about turn me on, so don’t worry about it!” Not among the worst of the year for me, but it’s definitely among the most poorly executed. Note to self: don’t tell your girlfriend that her imperfections are what make her so great.

So... Certified Lover Boy was a thing that happened...

 

8. Way 2 Sexy by Drake ft Future and Young Thug

And boy did it not go well. After listening to the full album, while not horrendous, it was not a super fun experience. For as awful and lazy as other songs on the album like Girls Want Girls are, I feel like Way 2 Sexy best represents all of the problems Drake has been having recently. It feels like every grasp at attention trick he’s been pulling with the sample of I’m Too Sexy of all things, and the music video that’s just screaming “MEME ME! MEME ME! MEME ME!” It’s pretty obvious with things like that album cover. To be clear I don’t hate this song only for those reasons, it is an overall terrible piece of music. This irritating synth line plays throughout the whole song, neither Future or Young Thug sound exactly happy to be there, and whatever Drake himself does feels slow and awkward, especially lines like:

“Okay, alright, that's fine, okay”

“I'm feelin' too sexy to accept requests”

Uh huh, yeah. Though this song’s biggest problem is that it is just not funny in the slightest. It tries so insanely hard to be charming or entertaining, but it comes off as slow, annoying and overall tiring to listen to. Drake was honestly alright in 2021 outside of this, so let’s hope he continues to get better.

Ever have those songs that you hate purely because of how ...WRONG the entire idea around it is?

 

7. Cry Baby by Megan Thee Stallion ft DaBaby

I’ll admit that I’ve never been the biggest fan of Megan Thee Stallion, her aggressive style has never really been my cup of tea though I do get the appeal. But Cry Baby is where I drew the line. Getting the elephant in the room out of the way, those baby noises sound unbelievably creepy and weird and it’s meant to function as the production’s primary beat to hook in the listener when just ...no. It only gets even worse once you realize that this is a sex song of all things. The whole song is way too creepy and awkward to be sexy or even interesting. The performances and lyrics don’t really make things much better. Particularly with DaHomopho-I mean DaBaby. First off he mugs the microphone so much that it makes more sense for this to be his song than Megan’s, and all of his lyrics consist of either clumsy sex lines or him obsessing about how this girl doesn’t like him, can’t blame her when he’s this unlikeable in the song. Megan’s verse isn’t as bad, but it’s still cringy considering the material she has to work with. This song gets more and more uncomfortable the more I think about it, so I’ll hope that I don’t have to think about it again after this list.

I’ve been debating if the song at number 6 is really THAT bad, but I don’t care because I’d rather listen to all four of the previous songs in one sitting than listen to this.

 

6. Beggin by Maneskin

So here we have a rock cover of a 2000s hip hop song which was a cover of a soul song from the 60s, so we’re talking about a cover of a cover, funnnn. Starting off with a smaller problem, the instrumentation mainly consists of forgettable, weak and poorly mixed guitars and drums that don’t have enough flavor to them. But the main reason why I really hate this as much as I do is because I can’t STAND Damiano David as a performer. He gives this ugly, obnoxious nasal voice throughout the whole song that sounds like he’s about to cough up a frog. He tries to act as this suave, savvy showman which causes things to be even more awkward since I can’t take someone who sounds like this seriously, especially with that embarrassing rapping he does on the verses. I keep hearing that Maneskin is a really good band and ...maybe? I listened to their other song I Wanna Be Your Slave and that one was also pretty bad. I tried getting into this song several times, but it’s only made it so that I never want to hear it again.

It's been said before several times, but I’ll say it again, 2021 was a BAD year for country music.

 

5. Good Time by Niko Moon

There have always been those kinds of songs that are not only boring but feel flat out insultingly boring. Here we have what is simply the latest edition in that collection. What I mean by that is calling Good Time by Niko Moon another bland bro-country song would be giving it too much credit. First off with Niko Moon himself, he has this ugly, awkward voice that sounds like he desperately needs a glass of water. I also REALLY hate this one bit.

“Take our time when we talkin' hey y a l l”

The guy doesn’t even sound like he’s having the slightest bit of fun. For as much as I hate bro-country artists like Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, they at the very least sound like they’re enjoying themselves, Niko sounds more bored than anything. The production happens to equally match that boredom and irritation. Similar to Just The Way, it’s comprised of synthetic fake guitars and an annoying trap beat, only it’s even worse here as there is even less substance to back it up. All of this make the song sound unbelievably empty and sparse. The lyrics are basically every single bro country cliché you can think of, and once again, Niko’s delivery makes it even worse. This song really is a proud showcase of why people hate bro-country and I see 0 point in giving this guy anymore hits.

Speaking of showing the worst of country...

 

4. The Good Ones by Gabby Barrett

I’ll admit that I used to like I Hope featuring Charlie Puth, even if now I find it to be a spiteful, confused mess of a song. At the time I thought I might’ve been a defender of Gabby Barrett’s music, but that instantly went down the toilet when I heard The Good Ones for the first time, which was a song I hated from the start. The production for starters has this weirdly dour, miserable tone to it, which makes no sense as this is meant to be a sweet love song. Along with simply sounding horrendous, it’s comprised of ugly, terribly mixed guitars and this weird buzzing sound that reminds me of a drill. Then there is the song’s central premise of the husband being “one of the good ones,” and it’s like... who would actually want to be called that? That’s basically saying, “You’re a part of this group that I hate, but at least you aren’t AS bad as the rest of them!” It has this bitter, condescending attitude that I can’t put up with. These lyrics don’t help.

“Anybody can be good once”

“But he's good all the time”

“We should all find us one”

“They're out there, minus one”

It all has this possessive attitude that makes it seem like this isn’t a healthy relationship. You might say I’m jumping to conclusions, but it’s hard not to get that idea from these lyrics. Also if you hated how Gabby sounded on I Hope, you’ll loathe her here as she strains to hit several high notes. There are so many better options for female country artists.

...Do I even need to say anything?

 

3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes

Like, seriously? Pretty much everyone said their comment about how this is a steaming pile of aggravation. Even though it doesn’t seem all that bad on premise alone, just a guy enjoying time with his girlfriend in spite of him not being super rich. But the execution was an UNBELIEVABLE failure. A big part of that is how this sounds. Something about hearing those horribly tuned, in your face guitars and that slimy, sneering, self- satisfied voice legitimately angers me. I often find myself in a bad mood after hearing this. Now there are the creepy and uncomfortable lyrics such as:

“She wanna dip me like them fries in her Frosty”

“Squeakin’ in the truck bed all the way home”

“Yeah she probably gon’ be keeping some Victoria’s Secret”

Cause like ...no, please just ...no. These lines just gross me out more than anything. Speaking of which, not only does this song infuriate me, but it actively makes me feel queasy. Listening to Fancy Like makes me feel like I just participated in a steak eating competition and that I’m about to throw up at any moment. This is simply one of those songs that managed to hit all of the wrong buttons through its pure execution. This is essentially the musical equivalent of an Adam Sandler movie. I could go on, but I don’t think I need to because, again, it’s Fancy Like.

It kind of feels wrong to put a song like this so high on the list, considering the subject matter, but this song was frequently a listen that I couldn’t stand so... let’s talk about Justin Bieber.

 

2. Lonely by Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco

Listen, I get what this song was trying to do. It was a way for Bieber to vent out all of his frustrations regarding the stress he went through as a child star. The way it turned out though ended up being BEYOND insufferable. Throughout the song, Bieber would do this bizarre yodeling thing that apparently is supposed to be hooking and emotional, but sounds so ridiculous, plus the fact that the vocals here are truly awful. Then there’s the production done not only by Benny Blanco, but also by Finneas. Both of these guys have proven that they know how to make a good emotional and calm atmosphere. Yet on Lonely, all we have are insanely basic piano keys that don’t deliver any emotion. But the lyrics are the primary reason why I can’t stand this. They come off as trying to gain pity points from the listener. For starters:

“What if you had it all”

“But nobody to call”

“Maybe then you’d know me”

“Yeah guys, you just don’t understand. If you were in my place then maybe THEN you’d KNOW me!” That line is so emo that it’s hilarious.

“They criticized the things I did as an idiot kid”

So all of the scummy things he’s ever done we’re all just him being an “idiot kid.” Even though a lot of the crap he pulled was either in his late teen years or early 20s. This song wants so hard to get emotion out of you, but I can’t bring myself to sympathize for someone like Justin Bieber that easily, especially if this how it will be presented. Lonely is an emo trainwreck of a song that makes me feel almost nothing except irritation and emptiness, making it what I believe to be one of the most worthless songs to become big in 2021.

When it comes to the worst hit song of the year, there weren’t any truly horrendous bottom of the barrel stuff, at least in my opinion. No hit this year was able to cross THAT line for me the same way something like last year’s Stuck With U did. So my number one is only where it is because it was the song on the year end I had the most hate for, the one that got under my skin the most. I doubt the majority of people will agree with this, but I don’t care. It only makes sense that a song like this would come from a band like AJR.

 

1. Bang! by AJR

I have several reasons for why I despise this as much as I do, so let’s start off with the sound. There’s the fake, ugly sounding keys and the nonstop grating skitters. There are the trumpets that legitimately sound like someone is repeatedly farting into a microphone. There’s Jack Met singing in a whiny over the top tone. And then there are all of the random sound effects along with the robotic conductor voice and the crowd going “BANG BANG BANG!” at nauseam. All of these compressed, random and irritating sounds at once genuinely stresses me out and anxious whenever I hear this. All of this put together makes the song come off as weirdly tense, stilted and robotic, in a way that sounds UNIQUELY fake. I can handle some fake sounding instruments, but Bang legitimately sounds like it was created by robots. Then we have the lyrical content that’s about growing up and transitioning to adulthood. I can see where the lyrics are going, but a lot of it is brought back AJR having to be all “Oooh look at how epic and theatrical our song is!” For a song like this to really work, you have to put aside the big show and make sure that the lyrics are direct enough to compel the audience so they can relate to it. I find nothing relatable in this song’s lyrics because of how vague they all are. Let me say I really hate these lyrics in particular:

“I’m way too young to lie here forever”

“I’m way too old to try so whatever”

These lines are the type of pessimistic garbage that I can’t help but get frustrated at because it’s basically saying there’s no point in even trying to get better with anything. Throughout a lot of 2021, I was feeling anxious, worried and annoyed about different things, and if any song felt like a slap of all of that to the face, it was this one.

Bang by AJR, my pick for the worst hit song of 2021.