Cheesiest song of all time?

Quote from FeelItComing

But Paradise By The Dashboard Light isn't meant to be taken seriously. It's funny. It's meant to be over the top.

Other songs which I find cheesy are American Christmas songs like WInter Wonderland, Sleigh Ride, etc. For a start I can't relate to them because I have Christmas in summer. I'd rather hear the grand old Christmas carols than this sort of kitsch (and I suppose you can throw in any Christmas song by Cliff RIchard).

I would also include the vast majority of disco songs, for example anything by Boney M (except perhaps Daddy Cool which is sort of catchy).

I always dread Christmas time going into the grocery stores.

Seems every store plays the same music.

Quote from Noni

I always dread Christmas time going into the grocery stores.

Seems every store plays the same music.

What... Christmas songs, by any chance?

Quote from Backdrifter

What... Christmas songs, by any chance?

I thought this was obvious.

Most retailers play the same old stuff each time. At the start it's OK, but after a while it's the same music on repeat mode. The quicker I get out the store the better. 😁

Cheese on Toast

Quote from Dr. John

One example for me is much of Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell album, particularly Paradise By the Dashboard Light.

I can't bear Steinman's work. I'd agree a lot of it sits on the cheese spectrum, it often has that overwrought quality fermented dairy songs often have. Total Eclipse Of The Heart is a stinking warehouse of low-grade cheddar.

There's an overly earnest vibe that sometimes characterises cheesey songs, an example for me would be 99 Dead Baboons.

Quote from FeelItComing

...

Other songs which I find cheesy are American Christmas songs like WInter Wonderland, Sleigh Ride, etc. For a start I can't relate to them because I have Christmas in summer. I'd rather hear the grand old Christmas carols than this sort of kitsch (and I suppose you can throw in any Christmas song by Cliff RIchard).

...

I'm not sure if living in a region that has snow on the ground six months of the year makes me more accepting of 1940s-era songs that conjure up wintry scenes. I've never thought of it.

But one yuletide song that certainly does grate on my nerves while out shopping in December is Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime."

That bouncy intro, that repeated chorus ... it's like a fire alarm urging me to get the hell out of there.

CSNY - Our House

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Neil Young fan (and so, CSN/Y), and I love this album - a classic - and this song. But I think it's cheesy. The "La La La" part is...

Same with In Too Deep from our favourite band. For me, the cheesiest song they ever produced (with the fake strings, and the infamous DX7 electric piano during the choruses...).

But I like cheesy songs...

Quote from Duke of Earl of Mar

Same with In Too Deep from our favourite band. For me, the cheesiest song they ever produced

For Genesis fromage, I vote Scenes From A Night's Dream by some distance. It's like cheese drowning in syrup. Snowbound wouldn't be far behind, for similar reasons. Mouse's too.

Quote from Backdrifter

I can't bear Steinman's work. I'd agree a lot of it sits on the cheese spectrum, it often has that overwrought quality fermented dairy songs often have. Total Eclipse Of The Heart is a stinking warehouse of low-grade cheddar.

There's an overly earnest vibe that sometimes characterises cheesey songs, an example for me would be 99 Dead Baboons.

Then surely Land Of Confusion too?

Quote from Witchwood

I'm not sure if living in a region that has snow on the ground six months of the year makes me more accepting of 1940s-era songs that conjure up wintry scenes. I've never thought of it.

But one yuletide song that certainly does grate on my nerves while out shopping in December is Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime."

That bouncy intro, that repeated chorus ... it's like a fire alarm urging me to get the hell out of there.

Of course people in the Northern Hemisphere would regard songs with 'wintry scenes' as par for the course. But it's only Christmas songs of this type I find cheesy Unlike BD, I don't find Snowbound cheesy, and to quote the afore mentioned Meat Loaf 'the snow is really piling up outside' from Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad - I don't find that cheesy either.

Genesis cheese? Tell Me Why, which is cheesy for all the wrong reasons because it's so well intentioned.

Genesis- Tell me Why.

Phil Collins- Another Day in Paradise.

Steve Hackett- Wingbeats.

For me lyrics full of cliches!?

The Carpenters: “Top of the World.” The lyrics and music are syrupy. Plus the multi-tracking they did on the vocals on all their songs was cheesy, and totally unnecessary. I included The Carpenters’ song “Superstar” on my list of favorite female performances, but that was based on live versions of the song that I’ve seen on YouTube. Karen’s voice live was sublime.

Quote from foxfeeder

Then surely Land Of Confusion too?

Not for me, but i did say sometimes

Quote from thewatcher

Anyway, another chunk of aural brie came to mind: Islands In The Stream by Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers. Although maybe that one is more schmaltzy than cheesy?

I think of schmaltzy as being sappy and overly sentimental. I think of songs like You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone or Feelings by Morris Albert. Or anything by Air Supply.

Quote from FeelItComing

But Paradise By The Dashboard Light isn't meant to be taken seriously. It's funny. It's meant to be over the top.

I get that it is supposed to be humourous. But the humour is so obvious that it is not funny and just makes the song even cheesier.

Cheesiness does not mean I end up hating a song. Rasputin by Boney M is pretty cheesy to me and yet kinda irresistible at the same time.

Quote from Backdrifter

I can't bear Steinman's work. I'd agree a lot of it sits on the cheese spectrum, it often has that overwrought quality fermented dairy songs often have. Total Eclipse Of The Heart is a stinking warehouse of low-grade cheddar.

I think Steinman's work is very marmite. I personally like most of it but totally get why people wouldn't, and I'm afraid if you were unlucky enough like me to see Meat Loaf live anytime after 98 it's an even tougher listen the poor guys voice was completely shot.

Achy Breaky Heart has to be the cheesiest song of all time. Hands down.

Quote from Backdrifter

Not for me, but i did say sometimes

For me, Land of Confusion is cheesier, if only for the line "I won't be coming home tonight, My generation will put it right", though there are other bits.

99 Luftballons however, I will forgive, for several reasons. Firstly, they were living in West Berlin, in the early 80's, the focal point of east/west relations at the time, being an island behind enemy lines. Of course they were going to be earnest about the subject.

Secondly, the English version is not an exact translation, sometimes that can be done, sometimes not. In this case, the translator, Kevin McAlea (Kate Bush live band/Barclay James Harvest keyboard player at that time) argued it was too difficult and it was agreed he do it with variations. 4 other songs were translated by other people on the International album, some exactly, like "Let Me Be Your Pirate" some very differently. (Incidentally, Lisa Dalbello, a Canadian Singer/songwriter was mentioned on the Female Voices thread, she did the translation for all the songs on the next album, and they are a mix of exact through to totally different translations.)

Thirdly, it was inspired by an actual event, Carlo Karges, the guitarist (Who was older than the other band members, they were all born around 1960, he was born in 1951, old enough to be in Genesis!) attended a West Berlin Rolling Stones gig, at which they released balloons. He considered the possible repercussions of them drifting over the wall and being mistaken in the night sky for something more sinister. It seems to me it's a good story for a song.

Carlo died of liver failure age 50 in 2002 after owning a bar, and being too partial to the merchandise.

Quote from The Lamb

Achy Breaky Heart has to be the cheesiest song of all time. Hands down.

A lot of country songs seem to be cheesy, down to the titles. There is a song called Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off, which I have never heard, and never want to hear (unless it's supposed to be 'funny' in the way that I said Paradise By The Dashboard Light is funny).

I agree that schmaltz applies more to stuff like Barry Manilow and Celine Dion. The only Manilow song I like, Copacobana (At The Copa) is cheesy, I guess.

As For Another Day In Paradise, this song is so divisive in many ways. I don't find it cheesy; the title for me goes to You Can't Hurry Love. I never liked the Supremes.

Regarding LOC, which is my second favourite Genesis song, I've always found the 'my generation will put it right' line to be pure irony. They can't, and they know it. If there is anything cheesy about it I would say the middle eight (I remember long ago,etc), which of course occurs just before 'I won't be coming home tonight'.