The Top 15 Worst Hit Songs of 2025

... That was a disappointment.

After the theatrics that was the 2024 year in popular music, I expected it to continue into 2025. I mean, we weren't ever gonna get that level of big this year, but I wanted something. Music has been outright dead this year. The biggest songs of 2025... were the biggest songs of 2024. "A Bar Song (Tipsy)", "Not Like Us", "Birds of a Feather", "I Had Some Help", "Luther", and "Die With A Smile", just to name a few, continued to be dominant over any new music that released. The only things that got any real traction were the rise of former YouTube content maker Alex Warren and the movie K-Pop Demon Hunters. 

Or were they?

On the surface, music really did look dead. However, when you look deeper than just the top 20, like I tend to do, you'll see that there were all sorts of new music in the Hot 100. We saw a lot of new songs come from very promising artists, and I'm excited to talk about those on my best list later this month. However, I have to get through the worst of the year before I can get to the best of the year. So, what's the plan this time? 

Well, you can see that this is not "The Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 2025". It's "The Top Fifteen Worst Hit Songs of 2025". There's a reason for that. With how dormant the Top 20 and, presumably, the year-end Hot 100 were, I decided to switch the rules up to include more songs that I think will be interesting to talk about. Here are the rules.

1. A song cannot have charted for more than 18 weeks by the start of the year.

2. The song must have hit the Hot 100 at any point within 2025.

3. Only songs that hit the Top 35 count towards an album bomb's eligibility if 5 or more songs from the album bomb hit that mark.

4. If less than 5 songs from an album hit the Top 35, only the first 5 songs charting from the album will be eligible.

Those seem pretty simple, right? Well, hopefully they are. With how many new songs this criteria includes, I thought expanding the list this year would be fun. It gives me an opportunity to talk about more songs, and it gives you an opportunity to read about some more songs you may not have heard about if you're not in touch with the charts. I hope you enjoy what I'm doing here. Without further adieu, let's get started.

2024 was defined by the Kendrick Lamar - Drake feud. Although the diss tracks didn't continue into 2025, the impact of that was still felt by what songs were absolutely huge throughout the year. Kendrick Lamar's album GNX dominated the charts for most of the year, and is likely going to have at least 4 songs on the year-end list. Meanwhile, Drake did not see that much success. After how embarrassed he was by Kendrick, I don't see how he would have. He dropped an album with PARTYNEXTDOOR that had one honestly pretty good hit in "Nokia", but the rest of the album was mostly mediocre with a couple bad songs... and one really bad song.

$ome $exy $ongs for U was not the worst album I heard this year, but it wasn't anywhere close to the best. I already said that I liked "Nokia", and there were some other songs on that project I enjoyed, but overall I'd say it was like a 5/10 at most. I wasn't sure how Drake would follow up the beef, but his first official single afterwards felt like exactly what I expected. "Gimme a Hug" isn't the worst Drake song, nor is it even close, but this is exactly the kind of song that shows how much I really do not enjoy what he's trying to do. There's an overarching fakeness that smothers this song, and you can feel it from the moment he opens his mouth.

"Gimme a Hug" opens with a Gospel choir singing "when we make a joyful song, I know where I belong", and that's not a terrible touch, but I don't like the way they blend Drake's rapping over it once he starts. The sound of it is too much, and I think it overwhelms everything, It also just takes forever to build to a beat switch that feels a slight bit too late, but that seems like a nitpick. After that happens, I honestly don't hate Gordo's production, and think there's a lot of good moments. Then, the song transforms into Aaron Hall's "I Miss You" for some reason? I guess the song was building to that but I seriously was not expecting that bit. It's so hilariously stupid that I can't hate it. So, if I don't hate how this sounds, why is it on the list? 

Drake really needed to hire some new ghostwriters for this song, because this is just nonsense. There are so many awful lyrics in this song that I'm wondering if this was some sort of humiliation ritual. From "You Neo in the Matrix, these n****as just Nemo in the ocean, small fish, makin' kids feel emotion" to "had the girls up at 29, on stage twerkin' with a dictionary" to "Them Nike tights is huggin' on that ass like they missed it", there's just so many lyrics you can make fun of. After Drake's long verse, it then turns into a tribute to all of the "hos" in the strip club, with Drake telling them to "gimme a hug" with the biggest "where my hug at" energy I've ever heard. It's just embarrassing. However, that's not the most embarrassing moment. The worst part of the song is when Drake says "fuck a rap beef, I'm tryna get the party lit", basically dismissing the Kendrick beef and saying it doesn't matter to him. Unfortunately, Drake... you already proved it did. You wouldn't have made "Family Matters", "Push Ups", or "The Heart Part 6" if it didn't. 

Out of all of Drake's discography in 2025, "Gimme A Hug" was the worst. A lot of people hated "Meet Your Padre", but at least that was some sort of funny. I acted like this was "hilariously stupid" earlier, but, you know what? No. The song Drake sampled is by a guy who was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit with one of the most famous predators of our day, P. Diddy, so, no. It's not hilarious. It's just another sign that Drake has zero self-awareness and is willing to do anything to return to the top even if it means supporting some of the worst people this country has to offer. Billboard called this song "punchline galore", but it isn't. This song is the punchline, and Drake is the biggest joke of all.

When it's all said and done, I'm curious as to who's going to go down as the biggest artist of the 2020s. There are multiple candidates, but I think there's one artist who's separated themself from the crowd. They've had multiple of the biggest albums of the decade, have hit number one numerous times, and it feels like you're hearing about them a lot. Unfortunately, their album this year... was a huge disappointment. I'm sure you all know who I'm talking about at this point, so I'm going to take care of this entry swiftly....

 

Morgan Wallen has been the most dominant male artist of the decade. Three of his albums have hit #1 on the Billboard 200, he's had multiple #1 hits on the Hot 100, the first country artist to do so in a long time, and he has held the record for the most songs hitting the Hot 100 at once twice. Granted, that last fact is because he creates these gargantuan albums that feature 30+ tracks, but it's still impressive that he has that much of a foothold in the popular culture. All of that comes with a lot of baggage, though. Wallen has been heavily criticized for his usage of the N-word while drunk in 2021, as well as charges of public intoxication, reckless endangerment, and disorderly conduct. So, when Wallen announced that his fourth studio album would be called I'm The Problem, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, it was a very mixed bag. There were a lot of genuinely reprehensible songs on that album that showed Wallen to be a very unpleasant person, with "Just In Case" being one of the worst examples.

This is a song where Morgan Wallen proudly exclaims that he goes out of his way to pursue women to use them and "get a taste", all while not bothering to learn their names in the process. Why does he do this, you ask? That's where the title comes in. He does this "just in case" his ex, who seems to have no interest, wants him back. That's a pretty disgusting lyrical sentiment, right? What's it doing all the way back at #14? The truth is, there is a reason. I can at least understand why someone would like this song, and I would understand why. I can see the kind of person that would interpret this to be about a guy who has all of these other relationships, but they all blur together because he can't get over "the one". I understand the kind of person that is emotionally compelled by this song.

Musically, this song is fine. The ukuleles sound decent, but they're crushed under this trap production that balances it out. It's not sour the way a lot of the worst songs Morgan has are. It's still not great, though. It feels like there's some oomph missing to make it really stand out, and the underwhelming trap production could have been replaced by some actual instruments to make it work better. I'm also noticing that the chorus to this kind of sounds like "Let Her Go" by Passenger? I guess that's kind of funny, considering this is about a guy who doesn't know how to "let her go". 

I don't think Morgan Wallen is a bad artist. He's made some really great music if you give it the chance. Unfortunately, the songs he pushes are usually this kind of garbage. I can't stand this song. It reminds me just how much of a prick Morgan can be when he's at his lowest. I know that's not everyone's interpretation, but it is mine. Learn some respect for women, Morgan. Maybe that will help you not have to write so many songs about "the one that got away". 

The rise of TikTok in the music industry led to a lot of artists getting a chance that they likely would not have gotten otherwise. Artists like Chappell Roan, sombr, and Olivia Dean have utilized this to become some of the biggest new artists in recent memory, with some great songs under their belt as well. There is another side of TikTok that gets talked about too, though... the bad side. Songs like "Party Girl" [StaySolidRocky], "Fancy Like" [Walker Hayes], and "Put Your Records On" [Ritt Momney] that got big on TikTok, but weren't quality enough to lead to anything big.

That's where I'm confident this song is going to end up. 

In the last entry, I talked about how I could understand the kind of person who resonated with that song. I cannot do that here. "Shake It To The Max (Fly)", a collaboration between Ghanian singer Moliy, Jamaican producer Silent Addy, and fellow Jamaican artists Shenseea and Skillibeng, was released as a remix in 2025. This was the first remix of the song, with other remixes featuring artists like Kalash, Major Lazer, and Sean Paul being released later. This is the official version of the song that charted, though, so it's the one that counts for this list. And, boy, let me say that this is the one that deserves to be here.

Before we discuss this, let me make it known that none of the reasoning for this song being on the list has anything to do with the cultures these individuals are from. I am not judging them for any cultural aspects, mostly just the fact that I do not enjoy how the song sounds. Frankly, I just hate this production. Silent Addy puts in a very half-cooked beat that has no momentum, just a creepy-sounding synth that plays throughout the entire song without one break. This is supposed to be a song you can dance to, but I'm not able to imagine a dance you can do to this song that doesn't look completely awkward. Considering that's the entire point of the song, I'd say it fails miserably. 

There's also the lyrics of this song. The chorus has no working rhyme scheme, with Moliy rhyming the word "max" 3 straight times. The production on her voice makes it sound really odd, and I do not like it whatsoever. Then, there's Skillibeng, who's layered with so much autotune that it makes him sound like a robot. Combine that with his accent, and it's really hard to tell what he's saying apart from "badman she love" like 20 times. Of course, I really wish I hadn't looked up what he was saying, because the entire verse is talking about how turned on this girl makes him, in the least subtle of ways. Then, Shenseea shows up after the second chorus, and she's honestly the best part of the song. She's got some sort of charisma, although the line "I am not a ho" made me audibly laugh the first time I heard this.

Overall, it's just an inconsistent song lyrically that really has no connection between the three artists. Moliy said in a Genius interview that this song was inspired by ... Rihanna of all people. I'm sorry, Moliy, but Rihanna made music that you can actually "shake it to the max" to. You made a song that would make me want to sit down if it started playing while I'm on a dance floor. For a song with this title, it fails so spectacularly at the one thing it's supposed to do that I felt the need to put it on this list out of principle. This is boring, amateur, and disgusting all at once. Try harder next time.

The worst thing about Morgan Wallen becoming the biggest artist in country music is that the rip-offs are now all starting to pile in. You've got guys like Tucker Wetmore, who had my #1 worst song of last year in "Wine into Whiskey", and Bailey Zimmerman starting to get bigger. Both of those artists had fine years this year, with the biggest hit between them being Zimmerman's appearance on a BigXthaPlug song of all things. Instead of giving one of those two a spot on this list, I'm going to give this spot to the song that I think most exemplifies the negative aspects of Wallen's rise in popularity.

Chase Matthew first popped onto the Hot 100 in 2024 with his song "Love You Again", which I wasn't particularly a fan of. I didn't like the very aggressive tone he was using for a song about being in love with this girl. This, however, is so much worse. This is honestly just humiliating. "Darlin'" wasn't a huge hit, but it did hit the Hot 100, which is enough to make this list. What I'm going to do with this song is a little bit different than what I usually do, but I'm going to talk more about the music video, which isn't the reason this song is here, but accentuates an already terrible song and makes it worse. 

The music video begins with Chase on the phone with his girlfriend, who's telling him how terrible he is and asking why she won't take him to the mall. He explains that he already said he would do it tomorrow and that he has to do this thing with his music buddies. She then says that he doesn't care about her and that her "friend" Jeremy is actually willing to take her to the mall, unlike him. OH, and by the way, she's sitting in Jeremy's truck. Jeremy reaches over and says "you tell him, darlin'", to which Chase angrily responds "darlin'?". Chase slams his door and hangs up, and then the girl screams. Chase then goes in with his bandmates, who show him a "ganjo" (guitar banjo), before they all see that his girlfriend posted a picture of her kissing Jeremy on the cheek. Yeah, really realistic, guys. Original. This inspires Chase to do a freestyle to a ganjo beat, and that is what this song is. I will say that it takes almost 4 minutes for the song to start within the music video.

Then we have the actual song. This song is just not good from a production standpoint. This "ganjo" instrumental sounds too simplistic, and then it's paired with this awful trap percussion that doesn't feel like country music whatsoever. Country rap isn't necessarily a bad thing (I think I proved that with putting "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" at #1 on the best list last year), but when it sounds this non-country, just call yourself rap. It sounds like Morgan Wallen's "You Proof" but with even less country elements and even more awful trap. Then there are the lyrics, which ask this girl all sorts of questions like "why's he call you darlin'", ""why you try'na act like I'm just out here bein' crazy", and "does he drive your Mercedes". Wait... what was that last one?

Oh, now I have to explain the main reason this song is on the list. Chase Matthew, for some very strange reason, feels the need to explain the type of car that every single important character in this story drives. He disses Jeremy for driving a Ridgeline, while he says that he drives a Chevy, and obviously points out that the girl drives a Mercedes. This is so unbelievably stupid that it actually just makes me sigh out of disappointment. Accuse your girl of cheating all you want, Chase, but pointing out the type of car is not helping your case. It's such a weird mention that it just feels out of place. Don't mention every single unimportant detail. Just break it off with this girl and leave it be.

When it's all said and done, I'm curious as to who's going to go down as the biggest artist of the 2020s. There are multiple candidates, but I think there's one artist who's separated themself from the crowd. They've had multiple of the biggest albums of the decade, have hit number one numerous times, and it feels like you're hearing about them a lot. Unfortunately, their album this year... was a huge disappointment. I'm sure you all know who I'm talking about at this point, so I'm going to take care of this entry swiftly....

I reviewed Taylor Swift's album The Life of a Showgirl earlier this year, and it did not get a good grade out of me. I didn't know what to expect, but considering how mainstream and dominant she is, I figured it'd be at least passable. I didn't expect it to be that bad. Out of all of the songs on that album, though, "Actually Romantic" is the worst. It's not the most offensive, but it is the worst-written song on the album. This is apparently Taylor's response to Charli XCX's song "Sympathy is a Knife", and it shows just how ineffective Taylor is at handling drama even to the present day.

I'm going to start with how bad this song sounds, though. The production on this is some of the worst I've ever heard. I used this word a lot in the album review, but I will repeat it again. Everything about this song sounds undercooked. The guitar sounds like if "Where Is My Mind?" by Pixies got drowned in corn syrup, and it's honestly disappointing considering who it's coming from. This song, and this album for that matter, was produced by Max Martin, one of the most famous producers of our generation. How are his standards getting this low? I also have to wonder what this is even trying to be. Wikipedia says that it's "alternative rock" (lol), but it sounds so mushed together that I don't even know if it has a genre. 

Then there's what this song is about. Taylor is essentially saying that the "hate" she gets from people like Charli XCX and her haters are "actually romantic", and my first thought is that Taylor needs to grow up. She claims that "no man has ever loved me like you do" and I have to wonder what Travis thinks of all this. That is a sneak diss towards him, you know. Taylor is getting turned on by all of this, and I've got to say... this is weird. This song is just weird. I don't understand what the point of this is. This isn't effective as a diss track, and it's not effective as music, so what is it for?

My guess is that this is controversy bait. Taylor wants people to talk about her music at all costs, so songs like this, "Wood", and "Cancelled!" are all going to be ways to make that happen. These songs weren't part of any artistic vision. They were all made to make money. On all 3 of those songs, you can tell that Taylor, Max Martin, and Shellback are all phoning it in, putting in as little effort as possible to create something that is not only clickbait, but is watered down enough to appease Taylor's enduring fanbase. This isn't music. It's content. Bad content. I never want to hear this again. 

2025 was the first year in a very long time that I've seen so many Christian songs cross over to the Hot 100. You had 5 different Christian songs chart, including songs by Brandon Lake, Josiah Queen, and Phil Wickham. Even Alex Warren's "Bloodline" had a pretty Christian undertone to it, as well as multiple Jelly Roll songs. I'm not opposed to this. Christians need music, and it's nice that enough people are listening to something that makes them feel empowered, albeit in a different way from pop music. I grew up listening to Christian music. I wrote a "Top Ten Christian Songs of All Time" list just this year. At its best, the genre can be immensely powerful. At it's worst, it can be this....

Out of all the strange things to happen in 2025, "One of the guys from Sunday Best becomes the biggest Christian artist in the world" was not on my bingo card. Alas, here we are. Forrest Frank was originally part of the band Surfaces, who appeared on my best list for 2020 with the song "Sunday Best", which was a guilty pleasure of mine. This was not a pleasure in any way. Forrest Frank seems like a genuinely good dude, so I hate giving him a spot ahead of songs that should be more aggravating to me, but there's a reason this one's here. This is the song, above all of the other Christian songs that charted this year, that represents how far the genre has fallen.

Obviously that seems a bit overdramatic, right? Christian music is more popular than ever. That must mean it's appealing to more people. That's true. It does. That does not mean it's good. Out of the 5 songs that hit the Hot 100 this year out of CCM, I only liked 2 of them, those being Brandon Lake's "Hard Fought Hallelujah" and Josiah Queen's "Dusty Bibles". The other 3 were various shades of bad, but "Your Way's Better" was the biggest and most well-known. This song sounds like complete nonsense. The piano production mixed with the trap sounds like the members of AJR all got colds at once and decided to phone it in. Forrest Frank sings this with the reverence of a Coney Dog. I'm not trying to dismiss the message he's putting out, but when I hear "eh-eyeh-ver", I just cringe. There's just something about the way he sings this that feels ... wrong.

Then, we get to this song's lyrics. I understand the message Forrest is going for. Once again, I completely respect that. It's just that the way he goes about it includes singing lyrics like "everything you say makin' waves like a jet ski". Like... what is happening here? The song starts in this nice, powerful piano riff before turning into pop music slop that sounds like what Lewis Capaldi would make if he was happy. This just isn't for me. When I want Christian music, I'm going to listen to something with some musical depth like the early-2000s rock stuff. I appreciate that Forrest is trying to profess his faith, but doing it over music this bad makes me worry for what the future of Christian music.

Once again, Forrest seems like a good guy. I'm not trying to judge him as a Christian. I think he's genuine about his faith and what he's doing with it. The reason this song is on the list is purely because I don't like how it sounds. When it comes to Christian music, I have the same standards I have for secular music. This song is on the low end of the spectrum for the genre, and I hope that Forrest Frank doesn't take the wrong lesson from its success. Take this message and put it on a rock beat? Maybe that'd work. 

2025 was a strange year for rap music. On the whole, you would think this was a great year, but there was a point this year where there was not a single rap song in the Top 40. That is unprecedented in the time that hip-hop has been popular. So obviously, charts-wise, it did not do as well as in other years, but it still had a lot of moments that I really enjoyed. That Clipse album was pretty good, Doechii's album was nice, and even Lil Wayne's album had some good songs! Although, speaking of Lil Wayne... it's kind of weird that his biggest hit of the year wasn't even from his own album. In fact, it wasn't even his song.

THIS is the combo we most desperately needed in 2025. Of course. Why didn't I think of this? The biggest country artist in the industry collaborating with two rap artists that peaked in like 2013? Surely, this will turn out good! Let's see. Morgan Wallen's "Miami" was a track on I'm the Problem that, while I didn't think it was good, wasn't going to make this list. Then, they announced this remix, and I immediately worried for what it was going to be. Then, I actually listened to it, and it was much, much worse than I expected. Dear Lord, this song is terrible.

First, there's the butchering of Keith Whitley's "Miami" that feels completely disrespectful to the original. The production on this is lousy, with some of Wallen's worst trap percussion to this day. But, everything sounds exactly the same as the original, so why did it make the list? It's pretty simple, actually. Lil Wayne and Rick Ross may have actually put in the single worst effort I've ever heard on this song. Well, actually, I can somewhat see Lil Wayne trying. He's trying so hard to make these lyrics sound good. They're not. Not in any way, actually. Wayne raps lyrics like "she know that I'm colder than Refrigerator Perry", "I eat so much shrimp I got iodine poisoning", and "Like Morgan, boy, I'm Wallen in Miami" like they're the brilliance of "Real G's move in silence like lasagna". Then, there's the part where he sings along with the chorus and it just sounds so bad. It also doesn't help that he changes the line "ask yourself what the hell is a redneck gon' do in Miami" to say the n-word instead of redneck. I'm honestly surprised Morgan didn't just sing that himself considering his history.

Then, there's the Rick Ross verse. I'm not sure how this guy still has any semblance of a career after his verse on Rocko's "U.O.E.N.O.", but that's something to discuss at a later date. Rick's verse isn't nearly as stupid as Wayne's, but it's also much less interesting. I do respect him talking about his dad and his passing, but the rest of the verse is just cliche talk about Miami and it just feels unnecessary. His flow also isn't good here. It feels like he's slightly offbeat, which gives it a much more amateurish feel that I'm not a fan of. This just feels like it was meant for somebody else, and, turns out... it was.

Morgan Wallen originally wanted recent breakout star BigXthaPlug on "Miami", but there were scheduling issues. This would've been perfect for this, though! I actually think BigX would've improved this song a lot. Considering how surprisingly good his country-adjacent album was this year, I think it could've very well been decent. Instead, we get two washed up has-beens who put in either confusing or boring work, and make this song easily much worse than the original. 

Does anyone remember Tones & I? I'm sure you do. "Dance Monkey" was an ever-present song for a long time. While it was catchy, I found her voice grating and unpleasant. She seems like a nice person, but I thought the way she sang that song was bad from a technical standpoint. Well, I have to apologize to Tones & I. I was way too mean to her.

It can always, always get worse.

Jessie Murph is one of the worst singers I've ever heard in my entire life. Her voice is raspy and unpleasant, and it doesn't help that her technique is just outright terrible. "Blue Strips" might be the worst example of this in her entire discography. I cannot tell what she is trying to say on the chorus. She sounds like she could be saying either "boy I'm mad" or "boy I ain't mad", and it completely destroys any semblance of structure or purpose this song has. If you can't tell what the main lyric is supposed to be saying, you don't have a song. You have a guessing game. And, boy, is Jessie Murph's rise to stardom a guessing game as to what idiots we have to thank for this nonsense.

"Blue Strips" is produced by Bekon, who produced multiple songs on Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. as well as ... a few Lecrae songs? Hmm? Not my point. This guy is a very big producer who's worked for a lot of popular artists. How the hell did we end up here? How is he so desperate for success that he's producing music for JESSIE MURPH? I'll tell you why. Apparently he has regressed so hard to the point that he has no clue how to make music, because this is some of the worst production I've ever heard in my entire life. The bass is way too overdone, the synths are obnoxious, and none of it fits with Jessie's screaming wails of despair. It's such an awful mix of sounds that I'm genuinely shocked it's supposed to be an actual song and not random sounds being hit by a 2-year old on one of those music toys. 

What is this "song" about, you ask? I'm glad you ask. Jessie is trying to get back at an ex by bragging about how rich she is, throwing her money ("blue strips") at strippers, as well as $1 bills at the person her ex cheated with. She also brags about buying a mansion in Malibu and how she has a new man. It's definitely an idea, but I have a question. How exactly is this payback? Giving his new girl money? Wasting your money on a mansion? Throwing away thousands of dollars to try to get back at this guy? This just seems irresponsible financially. Also, I talked earlier about the confusing main lyric, but she is saying "boy, I ain't mad at you". Jessie, if you aren't mad at him, you aren't going to go out of your way to try to "get back at [him]". Don't lie to the audience. That's bad songwriting.

Jessie Murph is probably my least favorite of the new big artists in music. She had so much success this year with this song, but who does this appeal to? What type of person do you have to be to be a Jessie Murph fan? Well... that's a good question. One of my coworkers over this summer told me she has seen Jessie in concert 3 separate times, one of those being before she even got famous. As much as I respect the dedication, I just do not understand how you pick this artist of all people. There are plenty of great female artists that need to be pushed more. Not this garbage.

The awful sampling in music needs to stop. Over the past 5 years, it's gotten bad and lazy. Songs like David Guetta's "I'm Good (Blue)", Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl", and Latto's "Big Energy" are all examples of how abysmal it can be when sampling is involved. This year, it wasn't terrible. There were a couple examples, but overall, it was limited to just a few songs. Out of all of the examples, I can't exactly say this was the worst, but it's pretty egregious.

"Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles is one of the most influential songs of all time. It was the first video ever aired on MTV, and started a trend that really captured the attention of a lot of people over the years. It's a song that should be treated with respect. So, what does Lil Tecca decide to do with it? 

He takes the "o-wa o-wa" from the song and turns it into a woman moaning during sex.

I feel like we've lost the plot a little bit. This is one of the worst examples of sampling I've ever heard, which is quite astonishing because there are some bad examples. The reason this one is so bad, though, is just the butchery of it all. It's flat out embarrassing. I didn't know how Lil Tecca has maintained such a level of success, but then I listened to "Dark Thoughts". That song is actually really fun and interesting, so I'm not entirely sure what went wrong here.

The production on this is subpar. It's trying to go for this melodic vibe, but the reverb on it is too much and it seems too dramatic for the subject matter. It's an earworm in the bad way. Once you hear it, it will not leave your head, and it is just obnoxious. It's a messy song with no cohesion in what it wants to be. There are lines that make it seem like it's introspective, with "I got too much to live, no time to forgive" and "A lot in my head, it's just replayin'", but then you'll hear the drowned-out "o-wa o-wa" and you'll completely forget any of that. It's incoherent nonsense that doesn't function as a competent song.

But, all in all, the entire reason this song made me angry enough to put it on the list is how it butchers the Buggles. I'm genuinely confused how anyone approved this. It's stupid, it's obnoxious, and it's lazy. Lil Tecca is usually a good artist, so this is a very random and shocking misfire. I hope he learns from the success of "Dark Thoughts" rather than the success of this. Maybe next somebody is gonna sample a "Seven Nation Army" chant and turn it into something like this. Hopefully not.

Country radio seems to have a lot of power over the music that hits the lower end of the charts. We already talked about "Darlin'" by Chase Matthew, but there were a lot of other examples of this. "The Fall" by Cody Johnson, "What Kinda Man" by Parker McCollum, and "Better Me For You" by Max McNown were all songs that hit the Hot 100 with very modest streaming but pretty heavy radio play. In this entry, I'll give you a two-for-one special with the worst two examples.

Sam Hunt and Jason Aldean are two very different types of bad artist within country music. The difference between them is that Hunt is "stupid fun" bad and Jason is "tedious and reprehensible" bad. Both of these artists have had my #1 worst song of a year before, with Sam taking 2017 ["Body Like A Back Road"] and Jason taking 2020 ["Got What I Got"], and I'd say both of those songs deserved that scorn. Those are the songs that fully represent why I don't enjoy these artists. However, the reason I've tied them here is that they both represent problems within country radio in the current moment.

First, I'll talk about Jason Aldean's "Whiskey Drink". This is a slow, dour ballad about Jason finding consolation through his alcohol, telling it to "be a good friend" and asking it for reassurance. That's a terrible premise. Don't talk to your alcohol, Jason Aldean. I worry that will make you want to try that in a small town or something. Funnily enough, this is on the same album as that song, so I'm not entirely sure why they're pushing it almost 3 years later. Jason talks about how he'd rather be "hungover than cold sober still hung up on goodbye" and, yeah... that's pretty standard. It's just, I don't buy any of this. Aldean didn't write this, the same way he doesn't write any of his songs, 

Meanwhile, Sam Hunt's "Country House" is just a complete disaster. I would expect a song called "Country House" to be a country song, but no. This is just a straight-up pop song. The music here is just awful. The trap percussion is abrasive and the looping guitar sounds cornier than, well, corn. Hunt also sings some of the worst lyrics I've ever heard. He talks about swimming in jeans and "chickens on the rooftop". So, it seems Sam wants to live on a farm? I guess that makes sense, except for the fact that nothing Sam has ever done has indicated "farm boy". He seems like the kind of guy that lives in an apartment in Nashville and thinks he's "country" because he listens to Morgan Wallen. 

These two songs represent the worst of what Nashville has to offer us. Nobody wanted this. These were barely streamed whatsoever. The only reason they were even eligible is because country radio got paid the big bucks to promote these piles of slop to the public. They gave you 2 choices. Jason Aldean grunting his way through 7 bottles of whiskey while giving them all names, or Sam Hunt jerking it to the idea of being even remotely country. Those are your options. I choose option C: get away from me.

Throughout the year, there was one song that it seemed everyone was targeting as the worst song of the year. I can't say I wasn't a part of that. I was incredibly mean to this song. I called it one of the worst songs of all time, said it had the worst lyrics I've ever heard, and was very unkind to the artist involved in making this. It's a shame, too. This artist seems like a decent person. She's made some pretty good music from her recent album. It's just a shame that the song that caught on was, well, "Anxiety".

"Anxiety" is not the most over hated song of the year (I'd give that to "Ordinary" by Alex Warren above anything else), but it is the most talked about song of the year. This song was originally released in 2019 as a demo track that Doechii did at age 21, so I feel the need to give it grace compared to the songs above it. I still hate the song, but I at least understand why it's made the way it is. The song uses the instrumental of "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye as its own instrumental. Oddly enough, that is NOT the reason I hate this song. Gotye said himself that he's perfectly okay with people sampling the song however they want, so she's just respecting his wishes. No, the reason I hate the song is that it perfectly encompasses the feeling of anxiety and is unpleasant because of that. 

I talked about this in my 2016 worst list, but I hate songs that convey a feeling of despair. "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors was the song I talked about in that list, and "Anxiety" makes me feel the exact same way. When I hear that chorus, my brain turns off. The layers of Doechii's voice against each other lock you in and make you feel the anxiety she's talking about. It doesn't feel like she's using this song to get rid of her anxiety and be a positive force. It feels like she's using this song to personally transfer her anxiety into you like some sort of ritual. It's unpleasant, it's obnoxious, and worst of all, I can tell she really is trying to make good music.

Then, there's the lyrics of this song. I know it's a freestyle, so I'm not going to judge it too harshly, but there's still some very bad moments. From "unhappy, no homo" to "court order from Florider" and "negro run from po-po", this song is chock full of blatantly terrible lyrics that make me sigh in exhaustion. The flows are there, but they don't go with this instrumental, and it just comes off as awkward and too fast-paced for its own good. It's completely unstructured. This is exactly what I expect from someone who is still learning what she's doing. That's no excuse for the re-released version.

Doechii re-released this song in 2025 due to heavy demand after it went viral on TikTok. Then, it was everywhere. If you scrolled through TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram Reels, you would hear this song. That made it worse. This probably would have been #1 on this list if that had continued. Except, it didn't. Once it went away, I mellowed out on it enough to at least give it props where it earns it, but that doesn't mean it's not one of my least favorite songs of the year. Keep making "Denial Is A River" and "Nissan Altima". Don't make this. 

So... uh, I don't even know how to start for this one. I guess I'll try to find something, though. I will say that it isn't very often that I'm left flabbergasted after the first time I listen to a song, but it does happen. One example of this was "Mathematical Disrespect" by Lil Mabu, a song so outrageously stupid I'm not even entirely certain that wasn't a fever dream I had. That's the kind of "flabbergasted" I'm talking about here. So, good job, Jessie Murph, you get a 2nd song on the list!

This is the first song that I just... don't understand. Every other song on this list so far has at least had some artistic idea, but "1965" is such an industry plant monstrosity of nonsense that I can't help but feel disappointed in everyone involved. Murph described this as satire, but her delivery is so serious and overwrought that I just do not believe her. The reaction tot his was bad. People criticized Murph for so many things, including the lyrical content, the music video's pornographic content, and the fact that there was a child in the video literally 2 seconds before that pornographic content. Jesus. That is a lot of baggage for this. It's not unwarranted.

"1965" sounds like what would happen if Meghan Trainor sang "Marvin Gaye" about a drug addict instead of Charlie Puth. It's disgusting-sounding in all of the wrong ways. The trap percussion and awful bass do not go with the old-timey-sounding instrumentation. It's an awful balance that doesn't work in any way. On top of all of that, Jessie Murph can't sing. We have already discussed this in detail, but her voice on this song is more irritating than I've ever heard her. Her performance on the chorus is unlistenable. There's so many rasps in her voice that it makes my ear cringe. Every aspect of this song's production is terrible. 

Then, there's the lyrical content. The regressive nature of this song's lyrics have already been commented on to death, with lyrics like "I think I'd give up a few rights" and "I would be 20, and it'd be acceptable for you to be 40" showing some really gross implications. Jessie doesn't deliver it like it's satire or a joke, either. It comes off entirely genuine and it's utterly baffling why she would choose to do this. Nothing about this song indicated "humor" to me. If it is, it's a complete failure at every level. If it isn't, then Jessie Murph needs to go into the DaBaby tier of artists we leave in the past and never speak of again.

Jessie Murph is the worst new artist of the 2020s. It's not close at all. Who's worse? Benson Boone? No. Oliver Anthony Music? No. Ice Spice? Actually, yeah that might do it. Either way, this is a girl who wrote a song about how she misses when women were basically slaves to their husbands, and then backtracked because she humiliated herself in the process. The fact this isn't #1 is a testament to just how much the music of 2025 really sucked. Screw this song, and I hope Jessie doesn't ever get another hit.

Note: I want to preface the top 3 songs on this list by saying that I might get a bit... serious. Most of this list is to make fun of bad pop music. The top 3 songs on this list are all morally reprehensible in such a serious manner that I feel it necessary to tear them down, not make fun of them. That's exactly what I'm going to do.

On September 8th, 2025, a dead body was found inside the front trunk of a Tesla in an impound lot. 8 days later, the body was identified as 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The body was found a day after what would have been her 15th birthday. She had run away multiple times during the last year. This vehicle was associated with David Burke, a popular music artist also known as "d4vd". Burke was 20 years old at the time the body was found. The girl's mother had mentioned a boyfriend named "David", and they were later revealed to have matching tattoos. Throughout the rest of 2025, it became increasingly obvious that, at minimum, d4vd was a pedophile, and at worst, he was a murderer. 

Before any of this was reported, d4vd had one of my most listened to songs of the year. 

You ever have a song you like, and then you find out something about the artist, and it completely ruins it for you? That's what happened to me in 2025. Although "Feel It" did release in 2024, it was eligible by my rules, and I have to be honest. What d4vd did made me hate this song. It made me despise this song. Normally, I don't put songs on lists like these because the artist is a bad person. This is something different altogether. The artist being a bad person changed the context to this song's meaning. Let me explain why.

This is a love song. "Feel It" is about how much d4vd loves this girl, stating that he loves "the way [she] got [him] feeling" and "be the wave, I'll be the shore, crashing all over me, I want you". Considering the context of who d4vd is and who "this girl" is... this is disgusting. A love song written by a pedophile was a charting song in 2025. Obviously, nobody knew he was a pedophile, so that makes it slightly better, but it still feels icky. I can justify this pick a little bit more by comparing it to a situation I've seen before.

In his 2023 worst list, Sean Fay-Wolfe put the song "Special" by Lizzo at #3. The song was released before the allegations against her came out, but he justified the selection by saying that he's not judging how the song hit when it came out, but how it hits now. That's how I'm going to do this. "Feel It" directly relates to the accusations placed on d4vd because the song is about how much he loves the girl he's with. By all serious accounts, that girl was a 14-year-old that was eventually found dead in his car. This song hits me with a feeling of disgust and anger, to the point where I want to burn it with fire.

This song is not the worst hit song of 2025 because, unlike the two at the top, it at least provided some value this year. But, everything that happened around it changed it from a great song into something that I wish never existed. What once was a fun, uplifting song about being in love turned into an anthem for disgusting losers who think it's okay to groom and rape teenage girls because they "love the way [they] got [them] feeling".

Rest in peace, Celeste. I'm sorry for you and your family. You deserved better.

I'm sure every single one of you has, at the bare minimum, heard a story about a toxic relationship. Some of you have been in one. Some of you have had family members or friends be in one. I've heard stories about exes that stalk the other person, which is one of the worst ways a relationship can end. Some toxic exes try to "get back" at the other person by doing something stupid or dangerous. Writing a song about this can be good, but it has to be from a perspective that paints the ex out to be toxic. Surely that can't be difficult, right?

The biggest modern artist in country music apparently took this as a challenge.

2025 was the year I soured on Morgan Wallen. I'm the Problem was easily his worst album, portraying him to be a narcissistic jerk that treats women like objects and doesn't care about them whatsoever. "Kiss Her In Front Of You" is the worst example of this on the album, and the single worst song Morgan Wallen has ever made. There is not a single redeeming aspect to this song. Yet, it captured my attention. When I looked at the track listing for the album, this song's name stuck out to me. I knew, before I even listened, that this was either going to be one of the worst songs I've ever heard, or something I wasn't expecting. It was the former.

This song's sound does not help whatsoever. It's very sour, with a twang to it that makes it feel all the more despicable. So, of course it's a trap-percussed song! Almost every single song Wallen has with an awful sentiment seems to have some sort of trap percussion. I mean, let's look. "Thinkin' Bout Me"? Check. "Just In Case"? Check. "Whiskey Whiskey"? Check. "Broadway Girls"? Check. The exception to this rule is "One Thing At a Time", who's production is so good it made my best list. However, out of all of these songs, "Kiss Her In Front of You" has production so bad that it doesn't compare to any of them. There's a sinister undertone to all of it that just feels wrong.

You all know the production isn't the main reason this song is on the list, though. This song is on the list because of what it's about. "Kiss Her In Front of You" is a song where Morgan Wallen brags about how he stalks his ex with his new girl with him, and plans to kiss this girl in front of his ex to make her jealous. Buddy, you're the jealous one. You wouldn't do this if you were over her. That's what makes it all the worse. Morgan says that she "[wants to] see me tonight", but I don't believe him. Nothing in this song indicates that he's telling the truth. This girl has a new man, so it's clear that she's moved on. He hasn't, and he's going to creepily stalk her at a bar, and "ruin [her] favorite spot" before "[acting] like [he doesn't] know her in the parking lot". This is being a toxic ex at its purest, most evil form.

By every standard I have, this should be the worst hit song of 2025. However, this was barely a hit. It charted for like 2 weeks due to the album bomb, and everybody rightfully realized that this was complete trash and gave it up. However, this had to make it through the album process, past all the other cuts, and approved by the label. Enough people thought this song, which displays sentiments so disgusting I consider it abhorrent, was good enough to be featured on the biggest country album of the year. Shame on all of these people. This is an abysmal song with not a single redeeming feature that's worse than anything Morgan Wallen has ever made. He better not ever make a song this atrocious again. 

And now, before I reveal the worst hit song of 2025... some dishonorable mentions.

[DM1] Eternity - Alex Warren

Everybody loves to hate on "Ordinary", but that's a good song. Y'all are just wrong on that one. Instead, please direct your attention to "Eternity", the song that showcases everything people say "Ordinary" is. It's boring musically, the lyrics are trying too hard to be grandiose while showing absolutely no substance, and there's just an eerie feeling that I don't enjoy. It's not offensively terrible, but it is the worst song on You'll Be Alright, Kid by a large margin.

[DM2] Worst Way - Riley Green

I'm not a big Riley Green fan. He's a fine singer, but the music he makes just feels dull to me a lot of the time. "Worst Way" is supposed to be his sexy love jam, but it's sung in this over-serious manner that makes me feel like he wants to be aggressive in this, which ... no. Riley Green is at his best when he's emotionally compelling, and I don't want to hear the guy who wanted every home team to win every high school football game (yes, actual quote from one of his songs) saying how much he wants to "wine and dine" his significant other. 

[DM3] What Did I Miss? - Drake

Does Drake understand how embarrassing this is? Yes, the beat is good, which is why it's not on the list, but there's a Drake on that beat. He acts like he doesn't care if other people like him, but it's pretty clear he does. He absolutely cares. There are also some awful lyrics like "her ass is all natty like Florida Gator"... that's just stupid. It's not the worst thing I've ever heard, but I still just cringe with this guy. He's lost everything that made him unique and is now just making the most nonsensical, boring music.

[DM4] Yukon - Justin Bieber

This song probably would've been good if it weren't for the awful vocal production. There's a weird effect on his voice where it just doesn't sound like him at all, and it really distracts from the rest of the song. I don't outright hate it, I just thought it was a weird choice that dragged a B- song into being a D+. The rest of the album was pretty decent, for what it's worth. I actually really like "Daisies". 

[DM5] It Depends - Chris Brown (feat. Bryson Tiller)

You know, one of the main reasons I just can't enjoy Chris Brown's music is that he's in R&B, a genre where you need charisma and believability to succeed. That's a problem because... I just can't buy this guy. He's always got this fakeness to him. It's so artificial and basic that it's impossible to sit through. Also... "I'll freak you like no one has ever made you feel"? The jokes write themselves. You sure will, Chris. You did it to Rihanna, what makes anyone think you wouldn't do it to other women? 

[DM6] 4x4 - Travis Scott

Travis Scott is a good artist. Just like most artists, though, he has his duds. This song is the worst thing a rap song can be, and that is boring. There's nothing interesting here. The vocal production is basic. The lyrics are basic. The beat is basic. It's just "baby's first Travis Scott song" and it doesn't do anything special to justify being a single. Reminder that this hit #1 this year! It then immediately fell off because no one was actually captivated by this. They just saw "new Travis Scott song" listened, and left immediately afterwards, never to hear it again.

[DM7] Mutt (CB Remix) - Leon Thomas (feat. Chris Brown)

Chris Brown ruins a promising up-and-comers song by hopping on a remix. Adding a well-known woman beater to a song with the chorus "baby I'm a dog, I'm a mutt" is a tremendously stupid decision.  What once was a very good song with a fun premise turned into slop by a guy willing to do whatever it takes to get big. "Baby I'm a different breed". You are, Chris. You're the dog that bites people because you enjoy it.  Get Chris Brown out of music. It would benefit everybody. Screw this. Listen to the Freddie Gibbs remix instead.

[DM8] Cancelled! - Taylor Swift

The other really bad song from The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor proves herself to be chronically online by talking about how much she likes her friends "cancelled". It's a terrible song with some of the worst lyricism of her career. "Did you girlboss too close to the sun?" would be the worst lyric of the year, but my #1 song exists, so it isn't. Taylor is the biggest artist in the world. She should not accept songs this bad. 

[DM9] Evil J0rdan - Playboi Carti

I listened to Playboi Carti's album MUSIC when it came out, and I was very disappointed. There were some good songs on there. I really liked "Good Credit", "Crush", and "I Seeeeee You Baby Boi", but the worst song on the album was the biggest hit, because of course it was. This song starts out with a really cool intro, building up to something that could be truly amazing. What did it build up to? One of the worst sounding beat drops I've ever heard in my entire life. This sounds like an alarm clock that you dread waking up to.

[DM10] Blink Twice - Shaboozey (feat. Myles Smith)

I feel disappointed listening to this one. I've never been a big Myles Smith guy, but Shaboozey was one of my favorite breakout artists of last year. To see his attempt at a follow-up to "Good News" be this bad was hard to watch. This is some of the most generic production I've ever heard, and both artists have some awful vocal production that highlights their worst qualities. The faux-uplifting message here also doesn't help. Definitely the biggest musical disappointment of 2025. 

And now... the worst hit song of the year.

What makes the worst hit song of the year? That's honestly a good question. I think it depends on what you're looking for. The worst song of the year could have awful qualities musically, with lackluster production. It could be insincere, and lack the honesty you want from music. It could have awful lyrics and be morally reprehensible. The worst songs of the year for me have all fit this category somewhat. If a song doesn't fit these categories, it's not going to be something I hate.

The worst hit song of 2025 hits all of these categories easily. I can't stand the way the song sounds. I don't think the artists involved are being genuine when they perform it. It's morally reprehensible. Everything about it sucks in some way or another. But, those things weren't what got it to #1. 

What got it to #1 is that it is the only song on this list that I think is a genuine threat to the entire music industry.

You probably weren't expecting this song to be #1. Honestly, I doubt anyone was expecting to be on this list at all. Some of you are probably really confused right now. Why is "Timeless" by the weeknd and Playboi Carti the worst song of the year? Why is it "a genuine threat to the entire music industry"? Have you lost your mind, Lando? I can assure you, this pick makes perfect sense. If you want to debate me on this, go ahead. You're allowed to disagree with me. Just hear me out and I'll explain..

Playboi Carti used artificial intelligence to create his music this year. Songs like "Rather Lie" and "Fine Shit" were widely sourced as using A.I., but the first example of this was "Timeless", which released before the album and wasn't included. There is a myriad of evidence for his verse on "Timeless" being A.I., including the fact that the vocal inflections line up heavily with those of Keith Lawson, one of the main songwriters on the song. Lawson is not credited with this, obviously, but the fact that it's this obvious makes it even worse. There's no reason for Carti to use A.I.. This verse is something he should be able to rap easily. The only reason he didn't is because he doesn't care. He's not making music because he wants to. That was further proven by the catastrophic release fiasco that was MUSIC, where the album was delayed for seemingly years. At first I thought he was taking his time to make sure it was good, but now I think he just didn't care.

Artificial intelligence has no place in music. It's a hack for people who are too lazy to actually put in an effort. Playboi Carti has stained his legacy with this song. However, that's only one part of the story. "Timeless" would have been on this list either way. Let me explain why. 

First, I hate the production on this. It was produced by Pharrell Williams, with the weeknd even mentioning this with the lyric "Neptune drum on the beat", but I don't like it. The looping synth sounds greasy, and I find it in a weird uncanny valley between smooth and rough. The intro draws you in with some dramatic synths, and then it blindsides you with how crappy the rest of the production is. A song with this production would only get a dishonorable mention most of the time, though. 

Here's the last main reason this song is on the list. The chorus of "Timeless" is one of the worst choruses in recent memory. Essentially, the entire point if this song is that both artists are bragging about how successful they are. That's fine. Unless you do what the weeknd does here. Let me read out the lyrics. "Ever since I was a kid, I been legit. If I was you, I would cut up my wrist"... and there you have it. The real reason this song is on the list. The thing that, combined with the usage of AI, put this song at #1.

The weeknd thinks you should kill yourself because you're not as famous as him.

That's quite literally what he's saying. It's the worst lyric of the year, and it's not particularly close. The weeknd lost every single aspect of respect I've ever had for him in one lyric. It's the kind of lyric that completely ruins any appeal an artist has. It's on a level with lyrics like "I get any girl I want, I don't gotta rape" and "Put molly all in her champagne, she ain't even know it". The Genius annotation says that "now that he has made it, this persona directs his old mental state towards those he sees as unsuccessful and unworthy of their lives." 

Talking about music is supposed to be fun. Instead, in these last three entries, I've had to talk about some of the most evil music I've ever heard in my entire life. Yet, it wasn't close. "Timeless" was always going to be #1. It's one of the worst songs ever made and I don't know how anyone can disagree with that. If you want to disagree with me, go ahead, but just know you're supporting a man who said you should kill yourself for not being as famous as him, and another man who was too lazy to even perform his parts himself.

"Timeless" by the weeknd and Playboi Carti. The worst hit song of 2025.

Thank you guys for reading. I hope you've had as good a time as I have. This is Lando from the Landoman Experiment, signing off. Take care.