Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop.”YouTubeOver time, music genres shift in popularity, songwriting methods change, but one thing remains constant in popular music each year — terrible songs find their way to the top of the charts.
Billboard compiles an annual list of the top 100 singles at year’s end. We revisited the most popular songs of every year since 2000 and selected what we deemed to be the worst song from each year’s list of top 10 singles.
If you feel that times have changed for the worse, consider that we’re at least no longer inundated by tracks from the likes of Train and Hoobastank.
Here’s a list of the worst hit song from every year since 2000:
2000: “I Knew I Loved You” — Savage Garden
1. “Breathe” — Faith Hill
2. “Smooth” — Santana featuring Rob Thomas
3. “Maria Maria” — Santana featuring The Product G&B
4. “I Wanna Know” — Joe
5. “Everything You Want” — Vertical Horizon
6. “Say My Name” — Destiny’s Child
7. “I Knew I Loved You”— Savage Garden
8. “Amazed” — Lonestar
9. “Bent” — Matchbox Twenty
10. “He Wasn’t Man Enough” — Toni Braxton
“I knew I loved you before I met you / I think I dreamed you into life” croon Australian pop duo Savage Garden on the chorus of this repulsively sentimental top 10 hit, a made-for-weddings track steeped in triteness.
2001: “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” — Train
1. “Hanging by a Moment” — Lifehouse
2. “Fallin'” — Alicia Keys
3. “All for You” — Janet Jackson
4. “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” — Train
5. “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” — Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule
6. “If You’re Gone” — Matchbox Twenty
7. “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” — Eve featuring Gwen Stefani
8. “Thank You” — Dido
9. “Again” — Lenny Kravitz
10. “Independent Women” — Destiny’s Child
Train’s nonsensical, aggravatingly cloying breakthrough single about a woman with “drops of jupiter” in her hair had staying power on radio for an interminable number of years.
2002: “How You Remind Me” — Nickelback
1. “How You Remind Me” — Nickelback
2. “Foolish” — Ashanti
3. “Hot in Herre” — Nelly
4. “Dilemma” — Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
5. “Wherever You Will Go” — The Calling
6. “A Thousand Miles” — Vanessa Carlton
7. “In the End” — Linkin Park
8. “What’s Luv?” — Fat Joe featuring Ashanti
9. “U Got It Bad” — Usher
10. “Blurry” — Puddle of Mudd
To be fair, “How You Remind Me” is not the worst Nickleback song, but that makes it like two nails on a chalkboard compared to the group’s usual whole-handed scrape.
2003: “Right Thurr” — Chingy
1. “In da Club” — 50 Cent
2. “Ignition (Remix)” — R. Kelly
3. “Get Busy” — Sean Paul
4. “Crazy in Love” — Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z
5. “When I’m Gone” — 3 Doors Down
6. “Unwell” — Matchbox Twenty
7. “Right Thurr” — Chingy
8. “Miss You” — Aaliyah
9. “Picture” — Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow
10. “Bring Me to Life” — Evanescence featuring Paul McCoy
Chingy’s debut single “Right Thurr” has a great beat from St. Louis hitmakers The Trak Starz, but his high-pitched, mediocre impression of obscene-rap humorist Too $hort, along with an irritating hook, ruin rather than make the track.
2004: “The Reason” — Hoobastank
1. “Yeah!” — Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris
2. “Burn” — Usher
3. “If I Ain’t Got You” — Alicia Keys
4. “This Love” — Maroon 5
5. “The Way You Move” — Outkast featuring Sleepy Brown
6. “The Reason” — Hoobastank
7. “I Don’t Wanna Know” — Mario Winans featuring Enya and P. Diddy
8. “Hey Ya!” — Outkast
9. “Goodies” — Ciara featuring Petey Pablo
10. “Lean Back” — Terror Squad
With a name like Hoobastank, it has to be trash — at least among the quality rap and R&B hits in this year’s top 10.
2005: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” — Green Day
1. “We Belong Together” — Mariah Carey
2. “Hollaback Girl” — Gwen Stefani
3. “Let Me Love You” — Mario
4. “Since U Been Gone” — Kelly Clarkson
5. “1, 2 Step” — Ciara featuring Missy Elliott
6. “Gold Digger” — Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx
7. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” — Green Day
8. “Candy Shop” — 50 Cent featuring Olivia
9. “Don’t Cha” — The Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes
10. “Behind These Hazel Eyes” — Kelly Clarkson
A dirge-like rock ballad that wouldn’t stand a chance on today’s charts, Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” is a relic with tiresome pop tendencies.
2006: “Bad Day” — Daniel Powter
1. “Bad Day” — Daniel Powter
2. “Temperature” — Sean Paul
3. “Promiscuous” — Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland
4. “You’re Beautiful” — James Blunt
5. “Hips Don’t Lie” — Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
6. “Unwritten” — Natasha Bedingfield
7. “Crazy” — Gnarls Barkley
8. “Ridin'” — Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone
9. “SexyBack” — Justin Timberlake featuring Timbaland
10. “Check on It” — Beyoncé featuring Slim Thug
Again, simpler times. That Daniel Powter’s clichéd one-hit-wonder about turning a bad day around couldn’t exist in today’s pop landscape is at least one sign of progression.
2007: “Hey There Delilah” — Plain White T’s
1. “Irreplaceable” — Beyoncé
2. “Umbrella” — Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
3. “The Sweet Escape” — Gwen Stefani featuring Akon
4. “Big Girls Don’t Cry” — Fergie
5. “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” — T-Pain featuring Yung Joc
6. “Before He Cheats” — Carrie Underwood
7. “Hey There Delilah” — Plain White T’s
8. “I Wanna Love You” — Akon featuring Snoop Dogg
9. “Say It Right” — Nelly Furtado
10. “Glamorous” — Fergie featuring Ludacris
New Yorkers: Try out the lyric “Time Square can’t shine as bright as you” as a Tinder pick-up line.
2008: “No Air” — Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown
1. “Low” — Flo Rida featuring T-Pain
2. “Bleeding Love” — Leona Lewis
3. “No One — Alicia Keys
4. “Lollipop” — Lil Wayne featuring Static Major
5. “Apologize” — Timbaland featuring OneRepublic
6. “No Air” — Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown
7. “Love Song” — Sara Bareilles
8. “Love in This Club” — Usher featuring Young Jeezy
9. “With You” — Chris Brown
10. “Forever” — Chris Brown
No one can breathe without air, to answer the question posed by the inane chorus of this duet.
2009: “I Gotta Feeling” — The Black Eyed Peas
1. “Boom Boom Pow” — The Black Eyed Peas
2. “Poker Face” — Lady Gaga
3. “Just Dance” — Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis
4. “I Gotta Feeling” — The Black Eyed Peas
5. “Love Story” — Taylor Swift
6. “Right Round” — Flo Rida
7. “I’m Yours” — Jason Mraz
8. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” — Beyoncé
9. “Heartless” — Kanye West
10. “Gives You Hell” — The All-American Rejects
The progression of The Black Eyed Peas from stellar late ’90s indie rap group to pop behemoth of “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” was a depressing one.
2010: “Hey, Soul Sister” — Train
1. “Tik Tok” — Kesha
2. “Need You Now” — Lady Antebellum
3. “Hey, Soul Sister” — Train
4. “California Gurls” — Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
5. “OMG” — Usher featuring will.i.am
6. “Airplanes” — B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams
7. “Love the Way You Lie” — Eminem featuring Rihanna
8. “Bad Romance” — Lady Gaga
9. “Dynamite” — Taio Cruz
10. “Break Your Heart” — Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris
Nearly a decade out from its first hit, Train asked itself, “How can we top ‘Drops of Jupiter’?,” and landed on this saccharine, falsettoed ear-bleeder.
2011: “Moves Like Jagger” — Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
1. “Rolling in the Deep” — Adele
2. “Party Rock Anthem” — LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
3. “Firework” — Katy Perry
4. “E.T.” — Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
5. “Give Me Everything” — Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer
6. “Grenade” — Bruno Mars
7. “F— You” — CeeLo Green
8. “Super Bass” — Nicki Minaj
9. “Moves Like Jagger” — Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
10. “Just Can’t Get Enough” — The Black Eyed Peas
“Moves Like Jagger” roughly marked the period that Maroon 5 began to sell out any artistic merit it once possessed.
2012: “Payphone” — Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa
1. “Somebody That I Used to Know” — Gotye featuring Kimbra
2. “Call Me Maybe” — Carly Rae Jepsen
3. “We Are Young” — Fun featuring Janelle Monáe
4. “Payphone” — Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa
5. “Lights” — Ellie Goulding
6. “Glad You Came” — The Wanted
7. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — Kelly Clarkson
8. “We Found Love” — Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
9. “Starships” — Nicki Minaj
10. “What Makes You Beautiful” — One Direction
Maroon 5’s descent into the realm of irredeemable pop nonsense continued with a vapid track about having to call a love interest from a pay phone, years after the invention of the smart phone.
2013: “Thrift Shop” — Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
1. “Thrift Shop” — Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
2. “Blurred Lines” — Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams
3. “Radioactive” — Imagine Dragons
4. “Harlem Shake” — Baauer
5. “Can’t Hold Us” — Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton
6. “Mirrors” — Justin Timberlake
7. “Just Give Me a Reason” — Pink featuring Nate Ruess
8. “When I Was Your Man” — Bruno Mars
9. “Cruise” — Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly
10. “Roar” — Katy Perry
The ludicrous hit single from the album that robbed Kendrick Lamar’s masterpiece debut LP of the Grammy for best rap album, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ ode to thrift-store clothing also won two (too many) Grammys of its own.
2014: “Rude” — Magic!
1. “Happy” — Pharrell Williams
2. “Dark Horse” — Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
3. “All of Me” — John Legend
4. “Fancy” — Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
5. “Counting Stars” — OneRepublic
6. “Talk Dirty” — Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz
7. “Rude” — Magic!
8. “All About That Bass” — Meghan Trainor
9. “Problem” — Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea
10. “Stay with Me” — Sam Smith
Magic!’s mindless hit about accosting the father of one’s prospective fiancee for not granting his daughter’s hand in marriage features this gem of a chorus: “Why you gotta be so rude? / Don’t you know I’m human too? / Why you gotta be so rude? / I said, I’m gonna marry her anyway.”
2015: “Shut Up and Dance” — Walk the Moon
1. “Uptown Funk” — Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
2. “Thinking Out Loud” — Ed Sheeran
3. “See You Again” — Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
4. “Trap Queen” — Fetty Wap
5. “Sugar” — Maroon 5
6. “Shut Up and Dance” — Walk the Moon
7. “Blank Space” — Taylor Swift
8. “Watch Me” — Silentó
9. “Earned It” — The Weeknd
10. “The Hills” — The Weeknd
Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” is the type of pop song you heard incessantly for months and never bothered to figure out who the artist is, only to find out and then instantly forget that it’s a band called “Walk the Moon.”
2016: “Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots
1. “Love Yourself” — Justin Bieber
2. “Sorry” — Justin Bieber
3. “One Dance” — Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
4. “Work” — Rihanna featuring Drake
5. “Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots
6. “Panda” — Desiigner
7. “Hello” — Adele
8. “Don’t Let Me Down” — The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
9. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” — Justin Timberlake
10. “Closer” — The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
In a year that featured two top 10 singles each from Justin Bieber and The Chainsmokers, the grown adult brothers of Twenty One Pilots lose out with their weepy wish for a return to adolescence on “Stressed Out.”
2017: “Something Just Like This” — The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
1. “Shape of You” — Ed Sheeran
2. “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
3. “That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars
4. “Humble” — Kendrick Lamar
5. “Something Just Like This” — The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
6. “Bad and Boujee” — Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert
7. “Closer” — The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
8. “Body Like a Back Road” — Sam Hunt
9. “Believer” — Imagine Dragons
10. “Congratulations” — Post Malone featuring Quavo
Two of the most mocked yet paradoxically popular groups in music combined forces to make this track that features 12 repetitions of the refrain “Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo.”
