Commercially successful pop music is not always good pop music. Many of us know that intuitively, but it doesn't really sink in until there is a particular song we wish would go away. Here are 10 that I have chosen as the songs I think we've heard enough times already. Without further adieu...the 10 most annoying pop songs of 2008.
1. The Pussycat Dolls - "When I Grow Up"
Courtesy Pussycat Dolls
"Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it." Did we wish for this latest Pussycat Dolls opus? Yeah, it sticks in your head, sort of like that bubblegum to the bottom of your shoe. Lyrically, the song amounts to "When I grow up I don't wanna be a grown-up." The first album was great fun, but the Dolls are wearing out their welcome quickly. Bring back the wit of "Don't Cha" or let the group mercifully fade into the distance.
2. Christina Aguilera - "Keeps Gettin' Better"
Courtesy RCA
Watch this phenomenal Christina Aguilera performance at this year's Grammy concert and then listen to the single "Keeps Gettin' Better." She sounds tired, bored, and uninspired. It's a serious letdown for fans of one of the most talented voices and arguably most creative individuals in pop music today. It really isn't "gettin' better" here.
3. Britney Spears - "Womanizer"
Courtesy Jive Records
The video is Britney Spears in prime form, but the song? Yeah, we lost track of the number of times she says "womanizer," too. When your song makes listeners want to count your repetitive words, there really is something wrong. Fortunately, there is plenty of top notch music on Britney's Circus album to help you forget this annoying song.
4. Ray J. and Yung Berg - "Sexy Can I"
Courtesy Koch Records
Ray J. takes the prize for the most blatant attempt to draw attention with salacious sexual allusions this year. I suppose this can go over well at parties and with those who like to giggle at the most clumsy sexual content in a pop song. Oh, and there is Shaquille O'Neal in the video.
5. Lil Wayne featuring Static Major - "Lollipop"
Courtesy Cash Money Records
The tragedy of "Lollipop" is that 2008 was arguably THE year of Lil' Wayne and this became his biggest pop hit of the year. Fortunately, we had plenty of other opportunities to hear Lil' Wayne's true talents. This wasn't one of them.
6. Rihanna - "Rehab"
© Def Jam
This is Rihanna on auto-pilot with Justin Timberlake along for the dull and annoying ride. The excuse for getting the year's most popular celebrity word into the mix is that your love is like a drug, so getting over you is like...you guessed it. Amy Winehouse is so annoyed right now.
7. Katy Perry - "I Kissed a Girl"
Courtesy Capitol Records
OK, this is a great song and a good performance. Revisit it a couple of years from now, and you are likely to smile and singalong. However, being over-played ad nauseam makes me never want to see cherry chapstick again. The controversy even seems boring and annoying now. Katy Perry truly hit her stride on the follow up "Hot 'n Cold."
8. New Kids on the Block - "Summertime"
Courtesy Interscope
Yep, this year the New Kids on the Block made their big return. However, this "Boys of Summer" for the permanently swoony 30 or 40-something boy band addict is not going to go down as one of their most memorable efforts. Ne-Yo did manage to perk up the guys who are no longer new or kids on the follow up "Single."
9. Savage featuring Soulja Boy Tell'Em - "Swing"
Courtesy Universal
"Swing" was boring on its own. It only took the addition of Souljah Boy doing his same shtick once again to make this song truly annoying. The best thing about "Swing," however, are the homemade dance videos it inspired. Check one out below.
10. Shwayze - "Corona and Lime"
Courtesy Geffen
This laidback summer song introduced us to Shwayze. However, it gives little clue that there would be much to expect from him as an artist other than more bland, cliche-ridden pop-reggae. I do like my Corona and lime, but many more times through this annoying song, and I might swear off it for some time to come.
