Least Favourite Songs of the 1980s

I don't really like it either, although it's not one of my least favourite songs from the '80s. Just out of curiosity, what do you think of Pseudo Echo's cover of it?

*Sigh*, I tried hard to like these songs. 1983 and 1984 were excellent years for music, and Depeche Mode recorded some pretty legendary music on their debut, as well as Violator. But I'm sorry, after really thinking about these tracks again, I just do not care for them at all.





Both songs have really cold, ugly production. I'm actually kind of a sucker for '80s synth techno, but these here are not robotic in a fun, ethereal, exciting way like "Living on Video," nor are they emotionally riveting like the singles from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's Architecture & Morality album. They just sound bloated, emotionless, and musically dissonant. "Everything Counts" loses me with just its first two seconds. Also, no, they are not deep songs, either. "People are People" has especially boring, overly leading lyrics. I've heard more thought provoking social commentaries by manufactured teen pop bands, and that's no exaggeration. A major reason I'm more moved by stuff like Mariah Carey's "There's Got to Be a Way" or even White Lion's "When the Children Cry" is that they have strong sentiments. They may be naive, but it's the feeling that counts. I get no feeling from most of Depeche Mode's mid-80s output, and it certainly doesn't have the intellectual capacity to back it up, not that that would truly forgive the joyless production, in the first place. Give me "New Life," "Just Can't Get Enough," "Stripped," "Personal Jesus," and "Policy of Truth" before this rubbish instead.

For the record, I would probably put "People Are People" at #6 on my worst list on the first page. "Everything Counts" isn't as bad, I just really dislike the first few seconds, and the rest of the track isn't strong enough to make up for that off-putting intro.

In retrospect, these songs are also extremely boring, in my opinion:






Unlike Todd in the Shadows, I actually like most of UB40's songs. "One in Ten" and "Red Red Wine" are especially great. The above, however, I think needs little explanation. With a title like that, it's pretty much dead on arrival, and the sloppy composition certainly doesn't compensate.

The main problem with the song is that the production does not compliment the lyrical thesis at all, or certainly not in any way that’s emotionally persuasive. It’s not simply Depeche Mode putting “too much emphasis on the synths,” as that was just their predominant sound at the time. There are even a few cases in which it works okay, such as “Master and Servant,” which also has a pretty annoying intro but still works much more effectively in conveying its theme, which is more broodingly cynical.

With “People Are People,” however, the lyrics come off as both really preachy, as well as utterly apathetic. With S Club 7’s “Gonna Change the World,” the smooth vocal melodies and breezy guitar-supplemented teen pop production evoke a calm that make it natural to imagine the peaceful dream the narrators are striving for; their words indeed heal. Hearing “People Are People” though, all I can think about is the very justifications of why there are so many malicious assholes in the world, because Depeche Mode make such a weak and uninspired case against bigotry that comes off much more as a backlash catalyst than a spiritual rejuvination. The fact that the music itself is such a slog to listen to only makes the track even worse than ever.

Since I've brought up so many more songs since I started this thread, here’s an updated top 10 worst songs of the '80s:

10. The Jets - Cross My Broken Heart
9. Living in a Box - Living in a Box
8. Fancy - Slice Me Nice
7. The Associates - Party Fears Two
6. Depeche Mode - People Are People
5. New Kids on the Block - Please Don’t Go Away Girl
4. UB40 - Rat in Mi Kitchen
3. Adam Ant - Ant Rap
2. Genesis - Who Dunnit?
1. Sophia George - Girlie Girlie

It's possible though that the word is censored on radio or other media broadcasts. Given the progression of LGBT rights over the years, it would surprise me if the word wasn't censored in some form. 

I was just listening to this song earlier today. As much as I adore LL Cool J, this here undoubtedly has to be one of the worst early hip hop songs ever. It's a pretty embarrassing diss track aimed at Kool Moe Dee, who LL was feuding with at the time. I just cannot stand this song's obnoxiously childish and elementary execution, nor LL's sleepy, repetitive, fragmented flow throughout the piece. The mediocre beat can't save it, either.

8. Hard To Say I'm Sorry - magnificent! Belongs maybe in the top 50 greatest 80's songs.
4. Totally - The Associates per se were just annoying and this is one dreadful dirge.

I agree too with the #1 choice but thankfully don't know the others.