Topic: Songs you genuinely like but you get the impression you shouldn't

[Tikwid]

Not necessarily songs with problematic auras - skeevy lyrics, songwriter burned down a church or was in a cult, etc - but songs which you get the sinking impression mass media tastemakers would decry you for expressing your admiration of. You know the type - those snivelling, wretched indiecrats, the irony-poisoned merchants of what's hot and what's not that transcent generation, social strata and demographic - quite simply, those who would drag me to hell and back for daring to admit that Fairground by Simply Red is a genuinely emotional and beautiful song. (yeah that's my contribution to this thread you got a pROBLEM)

[icehaven]

Back when charts and that were a thing and every year saw a few huge, ubiquitous pop/dance hits; although I mostly ignored/disliked/actively hated them every now and then there'd be one I actually thought was alright. It used to feel like 'proof' that I wasn't just reactively judging music on what it was rather than how it sounded, which for some god unknown reason was important to me at the time.
A few that made the cut were:
Offshore by Chicane
Lady by Modjo
Black and Gold by Sam Sparro

That sort of thing.

[Shameless Custard]

Starships by Nicki Minaj

I mean, it's a pile of shit isn't it? Yet I absolutely fucking love it when I hear it. I like the bit where it goes all Aldi Chemical Brothers

I once said this to a lady on a first date, and I've seen less disgusted faces during murder trials

[Vodka Margarine]

Baby Shark is better than most new music I've heard all year.

[Shameless Custard]

Baby Shark is great, mate

ALEXA, ALEXAAAA, PLAY BABY SHERK

[Jockice]

What's Up? by Four Non Blondes. I really like this one despite feeling that I should by rights hate it. And I try, oh my god do I try.

[Howj Begg]

Joss Stone - Don't cha wanna ride

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSBiyoPllYE

In fact I like most Joss Stone I've heard

[Brundle-Fly]

That one by the New Radicals.

[Jockice]

That one by the New Radicals.

Decent song. Even if it is bollocks. You definitely don't get what you give.

[manticore]

What's Up? by Four Non Blondes. I really like this one despite feeling that I should by rights hate it. And I try, oh my god do I try.

Yes! I have exactly the same problem. Just about everyone on here hates What's Up? and they they give good sounding reasons and everything but I've defended it before and I'll defend it again - it's a great song with that combination of uplifting music and melancholic lyrics that works so well in popular music. Just a bit overproduced, that's my only beef.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Yes! I have exactly the same problem. Just about everyone on here hates What's Up? and they they give good sounding reasons and everything but I've defended it before and I'll defend it again - it's a great song with that combination of uplifting music and melancholic lyrics that works so well in popular music. Just a bit overproduced, that's my only beef.

Rips off " Don't Worry, Be Happy "  by Bobby McFerrin, too.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Hannah Diamond / Anything else on PC Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPFvbc4onks

[Chriddof]

I think that Four Non Blondes song is much better as a dance banger sung by Prince Adam (AKA He-Man):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32FB-gYr49Y

I'm being sincere in that opinion, as it happens. The bit where they interpolate it with "Don't Cry Out Loud" is particularly good, even if it was intended as a joke.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

Starships by Nicki Minaj

Yeah I like this too. Her videos are always on at the gym and remind me what a fucking ridiculous looking woman she is, it's like every aspect of femininity turned up a grotesque level.

[Brundle-Fly]

Yeah I like this too. Her videos are always on at the gym and remind me what a fucking ridiculous looking woman she is, it's like every aspect of femininity turned up a grotesque level.

I think she is rather delightful.

[Absorb the anus burn]

Sigue Sigue Sputnik Love Missile F1 11

[buzby]

Offshore by Chicane
Black and Gold by Sam Sparro

Nowt wrong with either of these. Black And Gold is a great song (even though the production on it owes an awful lot to Soft Cell).

For me, Clive, it would be things like Yes Sir I Can Boogie by Baccara (which a few others on here like, but is mostly derided as laughable eurodisco despite being a great tune with fantastically lush production), Sweet About Me by Gabriella Cilmi (generally written off as a sub Duffy/Amy Winehouse 60s revival bandwagon jumping, which it is, but it's a decent tune as well).

[bgmnts]

No Limit by 2Unlimited.

[chveik]

Hannah Diamond / Anything else on PC Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPFvbc4onks

pc music's definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.

[Maurice Yeatman]

That one by the New Radicals.

Because it's Todd Rundgren essentially. Just One Victory meets Sons of 1984.

[billyandthecloneasaurus]

Oh man, a huge percentage of my favourite songs are this.

Big Country - In a Big Country
The Shins - Australia
A-Ha - Take on Me/The Sun Always Shines on Tv
Crowded House - Don't Dream it's Over
Johnny Clegg- Scatterlings of Africa

Basically any kind of cringey, overly sentimental but pseudo-intellectual pop music I can't resist. 

[Chriddof]

Sigue Sigue Sputnik Love Missile F1 11

I spent Christmas Eve listening to three different 12 inch mixes of that, multiple times. I do not regret it. The "Japanese Remix" features the most ludicrous gated snare ever put to tape. (Actually it may be some tom drums, not sure)

[Nowhere Man]

Oh man, a huge percentage of my favourite songs are this.

Big Country - In a Big Country
The Shins - Australia
A-Ha - Take on Me/The Sun Always Shines on Tv
Crowded House - Don't Dream it's Over
Johnny Clegg- Scatterlings of Africa

Basically any kind of cringey, overly sentimental but pseudo-intellectual pop music I can't resist.

Nothing wrong with Don't Dream Its Over or Take On Me, absolute banging tunes no matter how ubiquitous they might be

[Better Midlands]

Nowt wrong with either of these. Black And Gold is a great song (even though the production on it owes an awful lot to Soft Cell).

No love for Modjo - Lady Buzby? In the spate of ripoffs that followed Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You I always thought this was almost as good as that (which is a damn near perfect tune).

[Twed]

Dario G - Sunchyme

Arguably naff and simplistic. None of this is pioneering or even interesting in concept, but it's all done so tastefully. Just the right amount of everything. There are one or two points in the album version where they mix throw in some syncopation with the piano (which is just the right timbre) and it's really good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L32jaCsFeb8

[thraxx]

Nothing wrong with Don't Dream Its Over or Take On Me, absolute banging tunes no matter how ubiquitous they might be

Yeah, Take On Me is a totally perfect record, one of the best tunes ever in fact so dont feel shy about that one. With hindsight, A-Ha were fucking brilliant.

[Special K]

Big Country - In a Big Country

What? This is a brilliant song!

[Jockice]

What? This is a brilliant song!

Indeed. There are several on here that I just think are quality pop music and in no way naff. Although 21st Century Boy was the superior SSS single.

I really like Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes' Up Where We Belong and Meat Loaf's Deadringer For Love. Are they uncool? I dunno but I sort of get the feeling they might be.

But lying next to me at this very moment is someone who genuinely seems to have no concept of 'cool' in music at all. Where Do You Go To My Lovely is one of her favourite songs ever and she's not even saying it ironically. And her favourite bands are Squeeze (fair enough. Great group) and the sodding Saw Doctors (er...)

[icehaven]

Roxette.

[Jockice]

Roxette.

Joyride was great. And had the same bassline as the Jesus And Mary Chain's Sidewalking.