5 of the “Most Hated” Songs Ever That Were Still Monster Hits

Ever wondered how a song so hated could become so incredibly popular? Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Here are just five of the most hated songs ever that still managed to become enormous hits.

1. “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons

It feels like 2017 was a million years ago now. If for some reason you stumble into a rip in time and space and ended up in that very year, it wouldn’t look too different. However, one thing would let you know what year you found yourself in: whether or not “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons was playing literally anywhere.

“Thunder” was overplayed and overproduced, according to quite a few haters of the song and band. Still, it peaked at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and also dominated the charts around the world. Despite the fact that everyone was sick of it, it also got a Grammy nom. Ah, what a time for electropop.

2. “Baby Shark” by Pinkfong

If you were a parent to a child under three years of age in 2016, the mere words “Baby Shark” probably make you sick. We get it. The grip this Korean song by entertainment company Pinkfong had on young children was insane. Tiny shark costumes were in high demand that year around Halloween. Some parents had to hide the iPads because the obsession with those stupid little sharks had gone too far.

It took a while for the hype around “Baby Shark” to die down. By 2022, it became the very first YouTube video to reach an astounding 10 billion views.

3. “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor

Meghan Trainor’s debut single “All About That Base” was pleasant enough when it first came out in 2014. There’s nothing too controversial about it; it’s simply a song about loving yourself and body positivity. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so widely hated if it wasn’t overplayed to hell and back. Humanity can only handle so much bubblegum pop! Give us a break!!

4. “All Summer Long” by Kid Rock

This 2008 Kid Rock song did great in Australia, the United Kingdom, and a number of European countries. Which is odd, considering it’s an annoyingly American song from a very particular era of country rock. It did quite well in the US and bounced between mainstream and country radio for a while. However, a lot of people actually hated “All Summer Long”. 

When you think about it, Kid Rock just smashed together “Night Moves”, “Sweet Home Alabama”, and “Werewolves Of London” together with a beat made by someone else, notably Violent J of Insane Clown Posse. To many, it was a breath of fresh air when radio stations stopped playing this one.

5. “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus

Who could forget “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus? It wasn’t the song itself that was hated by many, though there was a lot of controversy over whether or not it was a real country song. Rather, it was the fact that this song was inescapable. 

It dominated radio stations, playlists, gas stations, shopping malls, you name it. It’s a great song, but it was played to death. By the end of 2019, it had been sitting at no. 1 on the Hot 100 chart for 42 whole weeks.

Photo by John Keeble

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