Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 2023 - Revisited

Welcome back! I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I figured now is the time since I don't have a lot going on other than work. 2023 was a very interesting year. So much happened to me during that year, and it was an overall... experience for sure. I finished my first year of college. I got laser eye surgery and finally stopped wearing glasses. I got an extremely awful case of Lyme Disease that affected my ability to walk for months. There were good moments, and there were bad moments. I also made a lot of amazing friends during 2023, and grew as a person overall. Most importantly, though, I wrote my first lists that year.

At the end of 2023, I decided to write a year-end retrospective on my least favorite songs of the year. It was a strange chart year, and I had a lot of thoughts. I was inspired by multiple people I follow on YouTube such as Todd in the Shadows, Sean Fay-Wolfe, and Mark Grondin of Spectrum Pulse, who put their own year-end lists out every year. Those are always my most anticipated YouTube videos of any year, and I was excited to see how my list compared to theirs. 

However, the reason I've decided to re-write the 2023 lists is because I don't feel that they live up to the quality I strive for in my articles for The Landoman Experiment. Obviously, I was younger and less experienced, and I feel like my work has improved so much. I also feel that my opinions back then don't necessarily represent my feelings on the same songs now, so I'd like to make sure that's not the case anymore. Anyway, the rules are pretty simple. Any song that charted within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 within 2023 is eligible for the list, as well as any song that hit the Year-End Hot 100 released at the end of the year. I've got a lot of opinions to discuss, so let's get started. 

THE TOP TEN WORST HIT SONGS OF 2023 - REVISITED

#10.

If 2023 was the year of anybody, it was the year of Morgan Wallen. One Thing At A Time was the biggest country album of the year, and it dominated the charts throughout the entire year. To be honest, I'd say it was well worthy of that. I loved that album, and I've listened to most of the songs from it a lot. 3 of my top ten most played songs on Spotify are from that album. One Thing At A Time has become the album that has defined my college years, and I'm more than comfortable saying that it is one of my favorites of all time. The problem is... it's 36 songs. Any album with that many tracks is going to have a stinker. That stinker just so happened to be the biggest hit off the album, and the biggest overall hit of 2023. 

10. Last Night - Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen's redemption arc has been interesting to watch. After the n-word incident in 2021, which happened while I was a staunch anti-country guy, I figured he'd just be some nobody that I wouldn't hear from again. Then, he wasn't. He became the biggest country artist in the world. It wasn't until 2023 that I finally got Morgan Wallen. And, when I did, I got him. His mix of pop-country with rap music was something that scratched an itch for me. As bad as the incident was, I am more than willing to forgive him because... well, nobody's perfect. That's something I feel like a lot of people forget. He's human. He's going to make mistakes. Yes, that's a stupid one that shows immaturity and lack of self-control, but it's something I think he's grown and learned from.

Why is "Last Night" here if I have so many positive things to say about Wallen? Simple, it's the worst possible song he could've picked as a single. Obviously, not actually, since it was the #1 song of the year and spent 16 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, but I'm meaning quality-wise. Out of the 36-song album, I'd argue that this is the worst song. It's basic, using a 4-chord structure that's been overdone in pop music. It doesn't do anything with the guitar loop it uses at the beginning, just repeating it over and over again until you get sick of it. It sounds like it's been sanded down to remove any rough edges that could've possibly been there beforehand. 

"Last Night" is about another toxic relationship that goes on-and-off due to drinking and communication issues. This girl left him, but something is telling him that "no way it was our last night". You see, the title has a double meaning. "Last Night" means the previous night, but also the final night of the relationship. This isn't the least clever bit on the album, but it's just boring. There's more clever ones on the album, such as "Days That End In Why" and even "You Proof". There's also some weird bragging where he says that his friends want him to break up with her, while her friends say that he's the best thing to ever happen to her. Yeah, right. I'm sure that's the truth, buddy. 

Overall, I understand why people hate Morgan Wallen. He's got a voice that can be grating to the wrong ears. He's got a controversial past full of dumb stuff he's done while drunk. His music displays the toxicity of relationships that can really irritate you on the wrong day. It doesn't help that, at his worst, he's country Maroon 5. At his best, he's made some of my favorite songs of all time. That's not what "Last Night" is. This is Morgan Wallen fully embracing the idea of becoming country Adam Levine and making some of the blandest, most watered-down crap you'll ever hear on the country charts. This dude needs to pick some better singles. "Me + All Your Reasons" was right there, man. How do you blow it this badly?

#9.

The top songs of 2023 were mostly bad. I just discussed the #1 song of 2023 according to the Year-End Hot 100, and we're immediately moving into another song that made the top 4. I feel bad putting this one on the list, because you can tell it means a lot to the artist who made it, but this is not about how they feel about it. This is about how I feel, and I'm not a fan of this song. It didn't help matters that this was the most overplayed song of 2023, without question. Let's get this one over with.

9. Flowers - Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus having one of the biggest hits of 2023 still feels somewhat weird to me. Nothing she had made had charted in the top ten since "Malibu" in 2017. "Midnight Sky" was really good in 2020, but it didn't hit the year-end list. "Flowers" was heavily acclaimed, being named in numerous "Best Songs of the Year" lists and winning multiple Grammys. For the life of me, I do not understand why. I don't see anything nearly special enough about it to justify winning Record of the Year. I suppose to start, I'll have to explain what it is. 

"Flowers" is a song where Miley proclaims she'll be better off without this previous partner, saying that she can do all of these things for herself better than he ever could. It modifies the lyrics of Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man", which was about all the things he should've done better, to fit this idea. It's not a terrible idea in concept, but I just think the song needed more behind it. The problem with this is that some of the lyrics she uses just don't make sense in my mind. "I can talk to myself for hours", "Say things you don't understand" and "I can hold my own hand" just make her sound more schizophrenic than anything, honestly. 

The main reason this song ends up on the list, though, is the production. I hate how this song sounds. It's trying to be a funk disco song, but it ends up too slow and isn't compositionally interesting enough to resonate with me like a "Midnight Sky" would. It's not completely horrible and there are some elements I think would sound together in a vacuum, but it comes together to form something I find messy and unfinished. If the song was faster and had more power in the chorus, I think it could work a little better, but for now it just is kind of there.

"Flowers" is a song that could've worked with some different lyrical choices and production fixes. The song has potential, but it wastes that by choosing to be slower than it needs to be and having mediocrity in the wrong parts. I can tell this song means a lot to Miley, but the combination of wasted potential and extreme overplay and acclaim make me hate it. This isn't anything personal towards Miley, who's made plenty of music that I like, but this just is not it for me. Next.

#8.

I put both of these songs in my original 2023 worst list, but higher than this. Looking back, I don't think I was necessarily too hard on these songs, but I'm still putting them lower just because of how the list turned out. This artist's decline in 2023 was something so many people discussed, especially considering he was once the biggest artist in the world. Then, 2024 happened. This artist embarrassed himself on the worldwide stage, letting another artist essentially end his reputation in such a way that I don't know he could ever recover (although he currently has a top 5 hit, so maybe?). Of course, I'm talking about the Drake - Kendrick Lamar feud, which was the biggest musical event of 2024. That event had nothing to do with how bad these two songs were, but I'll digress.

8A. Slime You Out - Drake (feat. SZA)

8B. Search & Rescue - Drake

Drake's 2023 output might honestly be one of the most embarrassing things I've seen from a popular hip-hop artist. The first single he released in the year was "Search & Rescue", a slow, dour song with terrible lyrics and awful production. He then released a song with Central Cee, which flopped. Then, he released "Slime You Out" with SZA, which came from his upcoming studio album For All The Dogs, which had like 2 good songs on it, one of which ended up causing the aforementioned feud I was discussing earlier. Overall, it was a disaster - from the musical side of things. From the commercial side of things, Drake did perfectly fine. "Search & Rescue" peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, while "Slime You Out" and "First Person Shooter" both hit #1. It's such an astounding contrast that I'm honestly kind of impressed. Drake is the only artist who can make songs this bad while having them chart this high consistently.

Let's start with "Search & Rescue". This song has some of the worst production I've ever heard. The bass is too loud, the pianos are too quiet, and Drake's voice sounds like it's been processed to death. It doesn't sound real. There's also a lot of questionable lyrical choices, including "That's why I American Express my love for you" and "I know I'm a pitbull, but Dale Mami". The first line is just cringe, but the second line confuses me. What does the "but" mean in that sentence? There's also the line "All I know is hit the mall and see what damage I can do". Drake, as someone who has been noted for his creepy behavior around teenage girls, you should not be saying things like that. You know better.

"Slime You Out" is just as bad. The production is lifeless and boring, and this is the biggest waste of SZA since Maroon 5 decided to work with her back in 2017. This song feels honestly misogynistic. Drake says that "you girls" need someone to "micromanage them" and that they "get carried away". It doesn't help that one of the first lines of the songs is "whipped and chained you like American slaves". I feel like that should be considered a war crime from Canada against us, but I'll digress. The title is also disgusting. "Sliming you for them kid choices you made". I had to look up what the title meant, and while it's not as gross as it sounds, it's still stupid to make a song with this premise. There's also this bit where he counts down the days of the week for absolutely no reason. This song goes on for 5 minutes, and it's an absolutely miserable listening experience.

Overall, I have come to the conclusion that the Drake era is over. While I'd argue that "Nokia", his new big hit single, is better than anything he's put out since "In My Feelings", that's a very low bar. Kendrick Lamar took his place as the most successful rapper in the world, while bringing a quality to his music that Drake just has never had. "Search & Rescue" and "Slime You Out" should have been the stepping stone that led us into a Drake-free era of music. Putting these at #8 are kind. Go back to Canada, Aubrey. We don't need you anymore. 

#7.

I'll be completely honest here. I do not enjoy talking about controversy when it comes to music. Songs like "Facts" by Tom MacDonald or "Swine" by Demi Lovato that have controversial issues baked into their very DNA are unpleasant to discuss, but I will discuss any song that offends me on an aesthetic, political, or personal level if I am compelled to. This is a case where an artist was trying to tell a compelling story about a hero that helped somebody out in their time of need, but instead came across as a power fantasy where a man cosplays as a vigilante while only making the situation worse.

7. Wait In The Truck - HARDY (feat. Lainey Wilson)

Hardy is an artist who I've been on very strange terms with. I'm one of the only people who seemed to like "Truck Bed", and I thought "Rockstar" was decent, but nothing else he's made has done anything for me. He once did a song with Brantley Gilbert and Toby Keith that they called "The Worst Country Song of All Time", and... well, they're not entirely wrong. That song was a complete disaster. Not entirely sure who they thought would laugh at that, but it sure as hell ain't me. So, yeah, I'm a bit more negative than positive on Hardy, but he's not completely terrible and has shown some signs of being a decent artist. "Wait In The Truck" is mostly fine, but it fails in one way that completely tears down everything it tried to build up.

The storyline of "Wait In The Truck" is as follows. A man encounters a woman on the side of the road while he's driving and picks her up. He notices that she's got bruises on her and realizes that she's been hurt by her significant other. He asks her where the guy is, and drives his truck down there, breaks into his house, and shoots him dead. This is all played as a heroic act, but the fact of the matter is that this isn't. Instead of being violent and angry, try to be more empathetic and help her in a way that doesn't get yourself locked up for life. It's honestly just.. stupid. Then there's the fact that it's played in a way that makes the girl grateful for it, with church choirs singing "have mercy on me" in the background while he begs for forgiveness. Buddy, you put yourself in that hole. You didn't have to kill him. You could've taken her to her family, make sure she's safe, and helped her in her time of need. Instead, you committed an act of murder despite the fact that it wasn't necessary. 

The worst part is... this song sounds great. The dark atmosphere perfectly encapsulates what Hardy is going for, with tense guitars and backing instrumentation. Even the church choir part sounds great. None of that matters. The entire reason this song is on the list is because I find the story to be completely pointless. The narrator's life is ruined because of what he clearly sees as a heroic act. This is glorifying murder in a situation where it probably wasn't even necessary. Sure, the dude was a terrible human being and a woman-beater, but there are better ways to handle that kind of situation. Violence is not the answer. Compassion and empathy are.

This is Hardy's biggest hit. This was a huge story at the time for the lyrical content and music video, both of which display a story I don't agree is worth telling. The idea behind this song is stupid at best and reprehensible at worst. It shows a side of vigilante justice that is dark and unnecessary. The moral of the story - don't think with your guns. Think with your brain. Maybe you won't end up in prison for the rest of your life if you do that.

#6.

This is probably going to be the hottest take of the entire list, but there's a song that, since my original list, has gotten under my skin badly. It was a very popular song, hitting the year-end Top Ten, the third time this list we've had a song from there and, spoiler alert, the last. It's weird because I've seen a lot of people praising this song. Rolling Stone named it one of the best songs of 2022, and Billboard named it the 10th best song of 2023. Clearly a lot of people like it. Let's try to find out why.

6. Calm Down (Remix) - Rema (feat. Selena Gomez)

I'm going to be as honest as humanly possible with this entry. I don't get it. I don't like anything about this song. The production is clunky and annoying, Rema's voice gets on my nerves, and I genuinely can't understand a single word he's saying. Adding Selena Gomez to this does nothing for me, although I've never really liked her as a singer anyway. Even still, I find this to be a waste of a singer who deserved a much better song. Everything about this sucks. Also, before you tell me that I'm being ignorant about Afrobeats or whatever, I'm not. There are plenty of Afrobeats songs I've seen get popular that I've actually liked. "Essence" by Wizkid is really good. "Water" by Tyla, although mostly Amapiano, has good Afrobeats elements mixed into it. The problem isn't the genre. The problem is how it's executed.

I'm going to try to analyze the lyrics of "Calm Down" thoroughly. From what I can understand, the chorus is essentially saying "Baby, calm down. Your body is putting my heart on lockdown. You're sweet like Fanta. Don't tell me no, give me your love". Uh.... that's a bit much, specifically the "don't tell me no" bit. The good news for Rema here is that the girl is into it, that girl being the aforementioned Selena. She wants him to calm down and take the lead, telling him not to ask because he knows he's allowed. Her part isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world, but this song wastes her potential by surrounding it with the most unintelligible singing I think I've ever heard in my entire life.

Then we get to how this sounds. I'm going to be blunt here. This song has terrible production. The drums have too much kick to them, the repeating guitar loop is annoying, and there's this weird beeping noise that comes in throughout the song that I find to be obnoxious. Every single production decision Andre Vibez makes here is questionable at best and terrible at worst. It also doesn't help that Rema here decides to start the song off by saying "Another banger", which is either the best or worst part of the song depending on my mood. There's something pretentious about him saying that in my mind.

This song sucks. I'm not going to be kind to it just because it's from a genre I'm not as familiar with as others. It sounds terrible, the main performer can't spit out an intelligible lyric to save his life, and we have an unnecessary feature from Selena Gomez that adds nothing to it. It was the 6th biggest song of 2023, and I'd argue that it didn't deserve to be. Hopefully the biggest impact that it did was helping people find better Afrobeats songs than it. I couldn't for the life of me understand why anyone would willingly subject themselves to this. Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna go listen to Tyla. 

#5.

It's very rare that you see a consensus "worst song of the year" among the music critics on YouTube. Most of the time, each of them have some unique take that was personal to them or that they thought was morally reprehensible. 2023 was... different. You see, in July of 2023, there was this music video that released. From the moment of its release, it created more controversy than any music event I had seen in the past 5 years. This was big. It was by an artist I was familiar with, but it was someone I never envisioned having chart success during the year since he had seemed to fall off the map. Most critics hammered it for its glorification of violence, racist undertones, and overall crappiness. Those are all bad. I'm going to go in a little bit of a different direction.

5. Try That in a Small Town - Jason Aldean

I don't like Jason Aldean. I've already gone into thorough detail about why in my 2020 worst list about why this dude has none of my respect, but if you want the breakdown, I'll give it to you. He cheated on his wife, abandoned his family, married the new girl, and released a song about how he doesn't regret it one bit. It's one of the most evil hit songs I've ever heard, and I honestly think I was too kind to it in that list. If I can't stand this dude so much, why is the song that's essentially unanimously believed to be his worst only #5 on this list? Well... it's complicated. I'm not going to give it the satisfaction of being #1 on this list. It doesn't deserve that. Especially when it's not even authentic.

Jason Aldean doesn't actually believe any of this shit. Hell, he didn't even write this song. Sure, he may be a conservative, but his views on these issues seem to have fluctuated over the years. Aldean once said in an interview that it was "too easy to get guns", but here he complains about the government taking your guns and how he'd defend himself against anyone trying to take them. There's also the fact that he filmed this music video in front of a lynching site, which he didn't choose and has been used before. I don't know if doing that was actually his intention, but I doubt it. What's the biggest issue, though? Jason Aldean isn't from a small town. He's from Macon, Georgia, and grew up both there and Homestead, Florida. Both of those towns have populations over 80,000. He doesn't know anything about how small towns operate. He's never lived in one, and I doubt he'd even choose to live in one if given the choice.

While the production on this isn't great apart from the guitar solo, that doesn't matter. Aldean didn't make this song to show off any fancy instrumental choices. He did it to make a statement. For some people, that statement was "I'm a racist who wants to kill anyone who does something I don't like." For me, that statement was "I like money". He saw that being hateful was profitable and decided to make a song that perfectly fit that mold. And everyone bought right into it. This wouldn't have been a hit if the left-wing outrage mob had just ignored it, but they feel the need to call out anybody and everything who does something wrong. I doubt very many conservatives would've heard of this song if not for that. Because of this, Jason Aldean, who had never hit the top 5 of the Hot 100, got a #1 hit. I'm not dismissing how dumb it is that conservatives thought this was good. Neither side is blameless here.

"Try That in a Small Town" is a mediocre-sounding country song that became awful with added context. Jason Aldean is a self-righteous hypocrite who chose to profit off hate and endorsed a message he knows nothing about. The only reason it's not #1 on this list is because I refuse to give him that satisfaction. Somehow, despite all of this, it's still not the most evil song he's ever made. There's a reason Jason Aldean is my least favorite country artist. It's because, no matter what he chooses to do, he supports the worst side of every issue. This song may have allowed him to hit his peak, but it's also what ensured he'll never be a respectable country artist again. Good riddance.

#4.

Rap music might have actually had its worst year in 2023. The only "rap" song in the Year-End Top 10 was a 21 Savage verse on an R&B song, and that was one of the year's better moments. There were no ubiquitously known songs. There were no major events. Hip-hop better be thanking its lucky stars that Kendrick Lamar basically saved the genre in 2024, because another year like this could've cemented country music as the dominant genre in America. It doesn't help when the genre is pushing garbage like this to the forefront. Gosh.

4. Peaches & Eggplants - Young Nudy (feat. 21 Savage)

How this missed my original list is beyond me. Listening to it now, I don't even know what to say. This makes me angry. It's a pathetic whimper of a song that offers nothing of value from listening to it. The only reason this song even got popular at all was because it got 21 Savage's blessing, which makes sense considering that Young Nudy is his cousin. Let's be real - Young Nudy doesn't stand out whatsoever. His voice has no unique qualities to it. His flows are generic. He's only here to attempt to leech off his more talented relative's success. 

"Peaches & Eggplants" is barely a song. The production is overly basic. It's just 808s and trap beats with no melody or rhythm to it whatsoever. The only interesting instrumental qualities are the weird squawking that Nudy does throughout the song, and even that sounds strained and unpleasant. That's probably how these women Nudy and Savage talk about feel about their performance in bed. Both of these guys sound so uninterested in being here that I'm genuinely wondering if they're actually interested in women or if it's just a part of the job for them. 

Who finds this relatable or enjoyable? What kind of person do you have to be to enjoy something like this? I don't usually ask that question because I usually have an answer, but this is a song I can't find one for. If you want music with this kind of attitude, there's better stuff out there. None of the lyrics are special - they're just obvious sex references that have been both done to death and done better by more talented artists. Neither of these guys have the charisma to pull off a sex jam, at least not with this whimper of an instrumental. If you want this to work, pick a more sexy-sounding instrumental, sound more enthused, and write more interesting lyrics. Unfortunately, all of those were too hard for this cousin duo, who instead decided to write one of the laziest hits of the year.

If you're reading this and think I hate rap music, you're wrong. I hate lazy music. It's just a shame that a lot of the hip-hop that's gotten popular has been made by artists who don't seem to want to put in any effort, but that's exactly what I hear with this song. This is a famous dude's cousin adding that famous dude onto his song to ensure a hit while putting in zero effort whatsoever. Even 21 Savage, who's easily a better rapper than Young Nudy, sounds unenthused and tired on this song, which goes against the entire vibe the song is going for. If you're going to release a song like this, make sure it actually sounds good and has a purpose. Otherwise don't even bother at all.

#3.

Unlike the last two artists, I can at least tell that this guy tried. Despite that, I still place it one spot ahead. At least they didn't directly rip off another artist. They may not have sounded good, but there aren't a lot of artists making songs with 21 Savage's flow. There's something unique about it despite the fact that it sucks so unfathomably bad. With this song, the artist in question basically admitted throughout the year that he was trying to emulate another's style. It'd be kind of funny if it weren't so ungodly pathetic. Ironic considering the religious themes in this song.

3. Daylight - David Kushner

David Kushner seemed to forget one of the biggest things about being a musician - personal identity. Throughout 2023, he kept releasing TikToks essentially begging Hozier to collaborate with him on a remix of this song, which never happened. I can understand why. I can also understand why he opened for Dean Lewis and Lewis Capaldi considering how overwrought and unpleasant his voice is. The difference is - those artists have an identity. They have something distinct about them that make them special. Kushner doesn't have that. He's directly trying to copy Hozier, and this song specifically feels like an attempt to copy "Take Me To Church". I'm not doing this again.

The difference between "Daylight" and "Take Me To Church" is pretty clear. The latter actually knows what it's about. "Daylight" doesn't seem to have a clear topic. The entire song is pretty vague, with mention of some sort of vice that Kushner "loves and hates at the same time" and calls a "poison". There's no clear mention of what it is, but I think I know what he's trying to do. He wants people to relate to this, so he's making it as vague as possible so anybody can stick whatever they want in that role. That's lazy songwriting. I hate when artists do this. "Daylight" is no exception. 

It also doesn't help that this song just sounds miserable. The overall production is dour and ugly. It does everything that "Take Me To Church" does, just in the wrong way. There's also this effect on his voice in the chorus that I think sounds awful. It's one of the few songs that genuinely gives me anxiety when I hear it, and I wish I didn't have to hear it. The good news is that I think this is what broke people. We got a Hozier hit in 2024 and it was one of the best songs of the year. I much prefer the real thing to the knockoff, every. single. time.

"Daylight" is one of the worst hit songs of 2023. It's one of the worst songs of the 2020s, period. It's only #3 on this list because the top 2 were so unbelievably bad that it got this spot by default. It shows exactly what you shouldn't do. When an artist makes themself look pathetic by basically begging an artist to collaborate with them, only to be denied and have to settle for making a song that basically sounds like their leftover scraps, it's not going to be good. The fact that this was one of the biggest hits of the year was a travesty. I'm glad we don't have to deal with this anymore. I suppose I'm just too sweet for this.

#2.

One of the biggest trends of 2023 was the rise of female rappers onto the scene. We had already had Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B for a few years, but we saw artists like GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Ice Spice absolutely tear up the charts throughout the year. Of course, like any trend, there's good and there's bad. With this song, this is really bad. I'm still not confident I shouldn't have put this at #1 instead of my actual choice, but I digress. This is one of the worst songs of the year, and it's a song that not only infuriates me, but disappoints me in the process.

2. Area Codes - Kaliii

This song is so much worse than you remember it. If you remember it at all, you probably remember that it samples the hook from Ludacris' song of the same name. What you probably don't remember is the fact that it butchers that song so hard that I think Kaliii could actually be tried for murder. Out of all the female rappers who broke onto the scene in 2023, I'd argue that Kaliii might be the worst. She has what I'd like to call "anti-charisma". What is anti-charisma? Well, let me explain.

Throughout "Area Codes", Kaliii brags about having guys who will do whatever she wants for her and how they treat her. The problem is... I don't believe her. Not whatsoever. The conversations she has with the guys in this song sound manufactured. None of them sound real. No dude is just giving you money for no reason. That's not how this works. I also just find this kind of reprehensible. Using men for money is an obnoxious sentiment no matter what way you slice it. If I was in a relationship with someone who only wanted me for my money, I'd leave. It's a disgusting thing to do and I don't appreciate Kaliii acting like this is something to be proud of. 

Here's the thing, though. A song with that sentiment could work... if it sounded good. Unfortunately, this song sounds like unbridled trash. The production on this is horrible. The drum and bass setup doesn't work at all. It's so boring and tiring. There's nothing to this. It's one of the least musical instrumentals I've ever heard, and it makes the sentiment of the lyrics all the more obnoxious. I can jam to songs with bad sentiments if they sound good. For example, Morgan Wallen's "One Thing At A Time" has rough lyrical sentiments, but it's one of the best songs of 2023 because it's a jam with great production. You put these sentiments over that instrumental? I'd probably like it. There are very few cases (see Ariana Grande's "yes, and?") where I hate a song that sounds good because of the lyrical sentiment. It takes something truly awful to do that. This... didn't stand a chance. It both sounds awful and is preaching a bad message.

I don't think I saw a single person put this on their worst list for 2023. That's embarrassing. This is easily one of the worst hit songs of the 2020s, mostly because it sounds so terrible. Combine that with Kaliii being one of the most obnoxious MCs to ever touch a microphone, and you have a recipe for one of the worst songs of all time. The only reason this isn't number one is because the song at the top is so bad that I had no choice. This song can screw off.

And now, before I reveal my updated #1 worst hit song of 2023, some dishonorable mentions.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS.

DM1. Lift Me Up - Rihanna

I originally had this on the list back in 2023, but now that I look back, I was overreacting. Sure, this is a big disappointment and is mostly generic. Calling this the 8th worst song of the year? Lmao. Not even close. It's bad for Rihanna standards, but if somebody else released this I'm sure I'd be okay with it. I still would've liked something with a bit more life in it, but I guess she has that song for the Smurfs movie she did this year, so I guess that'll do.

DM2. Baby Don't Hurt Me - David Guetta (feat. Anne-Marie & Coi Leray)

David Guetta going from okay DJ to talentless hack really caught me off guard. I called "I'm Good (Blue)" the worst hit song of 2022, and I stand by that. This song is probably just as bad, but it did not nearly achieve the success that other song did, and the trick is duller the 2nd time anyway. He even did this trick a 3rd time by ripping off Dragostea Din Tei by O-Zone. What's next... Mambo No. 5 EDM version? Wait... no, he's already reading this. I just gave him an idea. HELP.

DM3. Mathematical Disrespect - Lil Mabu

This kid is still one of the worst rappers I've ever heard, but this song wasn't a hit. I only put it on the list last time because it was an easy target. It's still an easy target, so let's dunk on it some more. "She said Mabu, I like purple, so I blew her back out and I left her on read" is already a bad line, but the fact that he FELT THE NEED TO EXPLAIN THE JOKE AS IF HIS AUDIENCE IS STUPID (which they are, by the way) just angers me. Hope this kid never sees a smidge of chart success ever again.

DM4. Karma - Taylor Swift (feat. Ice Spice)

Adding Ice Spice to this song was pointless. The original "Karma" is a very good song. This is like if you took a can of Dr. Pepper and put uranium in it. It's an unmitigated disaster that completely misses the point of the original by adding an unnecessary rap verse. It doesn't help that... well, I cannot stand Ice Spice whatsoever. I've never liked her. Her flows are obnoxious and she's always rapping about the same thing. No need for her here.

DM5. Single Soon - Selena Gomez

Ah, welcome back Selena. Could you try acting like a normal person? Nobody breaks up with their significant other by leaving a note in their jacket. On the phone... maybe okay, depending on the situation. More importantly, though, this is a Taylor Swift rip-off through-and-through. Unfortunately, Taylor was already the most over-broadcast person in the world in 2023. We didn't need people shamelessly copying her.

DM6. Painting Pictures - Superstar Pride

This song is here for one lyric and one lyric only. "When I'm quiet I be thinkin' bout killings". You sure are, man. That's why you murdered your barber. My lord, dude. How stupid do you have to be to do something like that? Even despite that, this is just aggressively mediocre. Nothing special whatsoever. It's a song that anybody could've made that only got popular due to factors that had nothing to do with the music. This dude can screw off.

DM7. What It Is (Block Boy) - Doechii (feat. Kodak Black)

Everything Doechii does on this song is good, great even. The problem is that Kodak Black is here for some reason and, just like he always does, completely ruins the song just by existing. I swear, this dude is on a mission to make every good song bad. He's a mush-mouth who doesn't even deserve to be popular because he's one of the worst people working in the music industry. Glad Doechii seems to have found a groove... although there is something I will have to address at some point, sadly. You'll have to wait until December on that one.

DM8. BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 55 - Bizzarap (feat. Peso Pluma)

This is the only Spanish song on this list despite how dominant the language was on the pop charts. The reason for this is that the combination of Peso Pluma's voice and EDM might be the most cursed combination anybody has ever thought of. It's one of the worst-sounding songs I've ever heard and probably would've actually made the list had it not completely flopped. For a celebration of Peso's accomplishments, it takes his discography's average down by a lot.

DM9. HOPE - NF

The worst song NF had ever made, by a gigantic margin. I put this at #3 on the original list, but it misses out now mostly due to the fact that, even when he sucks, I still can appreciate NF's delivery. This is still a tedious slog that boils every NF song down into one miserable hunk. I also associate this with Michigan winning a national championship because ESPN wouldn't stop playing this song during that season, so yeah, this can go away forever.

DM10. Heart On My Sleeve - Ghostwriter977

Artificial intelligence scares me. It has the potential to be a great tool that helps humanity into a new age, but it also has the potential to ruin the lives of so many innocent people. When "Heart On My Sleeve" became popular in 2023, it was a sign. Something was about to shift. Now, A.I. is everywhere. ChatGPT is being commonly used in schools. I can't go on social media without seeing yellow-tinted A.I. memes. This song was the turning point. When this dropped, all bets were off. Seeing someone realistically recreate the voices of both Drake and the weeknd in a way that actually sounded like it could be legit showed what A.I. has the potential to do. It has the potential to damage the music industry. Artists deserve a right to their own voice. People shouldn't be going around using filters that make them sound like other artists to further their own popularity. It would be wrong of me to make a song that said "featuring Drake" and then use a filter to make myself sound like Drake. That's the morally incorrect thing to do. "Heart On My Sleeve" is one of the worst musical events I've ever had the misfortune of experiencing, and we need to do better as a society to prevent shit like this from happening again. 

And now, to reveal my updated pick for the worst hit song of 2023.

#1.

It's kind of funny. I did this list to see what opinions of mine changed and how they evolved over time. As you can see, this list is wildly different from my original one. Except for one thing. You see, when I wrote my original worst list for 2023, there was this song that completely mystified me with how bad it was. It wasn't some massive smash hit, it didn't make the Year-End list, and it barely qualified for my list at all, but it was, without a doubt, the worst song of the year. To summarize what I said in 2023, when you have a song that takes the worst instrumental of the year, the worst lyrics of the year, and the worst artist of the year, you have a recipe for something truly disastrous. When you have a recipe, you need ingredients. When you need ingredients - you go to the deli.

1. Deli - Ice Spice

As thoroughly incompetent as "Area Codes" is, there was not a chance in hell that it was topping "Deli" was my pick for the worst song of 2023. This isn't just the worst hit song of 2023. It's one of the worst songs of all time. It's a complete disaster that marked the end of Ice Spice's career as a hitmaker. That was short-lived. The only things she's done after this were a flopped collab with Rema, a song called "Think You The Shit (Fart)", and a collaboration with British drill rapper Central Cee. All of these songs were bad. None of them came even close to being worse than "Deli". None of them even hit the top 25 of the Hot 100, and it seems like nobody cares about Ice Spice anymore. She had her 15 minutes. She's now a past fad. Let's find out why.

"Deli" has the worst instrumental of the year. This was produced by RiotUSA, who produces a lot of Ice Spice's music. If I was them, I would be truly embarrassed that this is the type of stuff I'm releasing to the public. This doesn't just sound bad, it sounds evil. It has this really creepy vibe that completely contrasts with Ice Spice's carefree vibe and it just does not work. It's one of the worst-sounding songs I've ever heard in my entire life. From the creepy synths to the overblown bass, it just does not have any enjoyability to it. I don't know how a person listens to this song without coming away with a migraine.

Then, we have the lyrics. This song might actually have the worst set of lyrics I've ever heard. From the first verse, we have "Call me that bee while he eating my honey" (gross) and "Passenger princess, he pass me his knock" (I would not trust Ice Spice with a gun). From the second verse, there's the famous "I'm that shit, I'm that bitch, I'm miss Poopie". Does Ice Spice have a scat fetish? Between this and "Think You The Shit (Fart)", I'm a bit exhausted with the childish poop humor. It's not funny. Then there's the line "I'm not a regular artist". Yeah, you're not. Regular artists don't make music this terrible. Then, there's the chorus, which is... obviously bad. The title line just confuses me. "But I'm still shaking ass in the deli". I don't want to walk into the grocery store and see someone twerking. I want to get my cold cuts and get out of there. Get out of my way.

There's also some level of controversy with this song as well. You see, Ice Spice faced backlash when this song's music video dropped for including sexually provocative dance moves performed by a 16-year-old girl named Aya Tanjali. She knows full well that she has a large male audience that is going to watch the music video to see these moves, so I actually find this morally reprehensible. Although, this is the same girl that sampled Diddy, so I'm not surprised. It just makes me angry. This kind of shit is the reason why Ice Spice will never be a hit-maker again, and I'm glad that we've replaced her presence on the charts with other artists who don't act disgusting in this manner. Also, if you defend this, you can screw off. I don't care if "it's just twerking". Don't try to act like it's okay to show off a 16-year-old shaking her ass in a music video. It's not. 

"Deli" is the worst song of the year, no questions asked. Everything about it, from the awful instrumental to the awful lyrics to the awful performance by Ice Spice to the disgusting music video, just angers me. The Ice Spice experience is something I am not glad to have lived through. I didn't like any of her music, and that includes "Boy's A Liar Pt. 2", which I find that she ruined. I've heard her called "Jack Harlow for college girls", but I have a better comparison. She's female Kodak Black. An artist who, no matter what she does, ruins every song that she's in. "Deli" is her "Tunnel Vision". An awful-sounding, morally reprehensible piece of music that turned her from a bad artist into an awful artist. Let's hope we never have to hear from her again.

I'm glad you decided to read this. I hope you have a wonderful day. The best list will be coming soon, so be on the lookout for that! For now, this is Lando from the Landoman Experiment signing off.