We all have artists and songs that get completely under our skin. They start playing on the radio so we mumble some expletives while, simultaneously, flipping off the power, too irked to even change the channel. Every once in a while, however, these catchy, overplayed beats make their way into our hearts, leaving behind a certain fondness only comparable to eating cheesecake in your underwear at 3 a.m. or binge-watching an entire season in one weekend. We try to repress the happiness these things bring us out of embarrassment, but when it comes down to it, these songs are our guiltiest of pleasures, and we can’t do a single thing about it.
1. "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
Cue a bubblegum pop and a hair twirl-- this pop anthem is, perhaps, the most cringe-worthy song of this generation, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to belt out every word in the backseat of my best friend’s car.
2. “Every Time We Touch” by Cascada
Every time I hear this song, I get this feeling and every time I do, I want to rip my hair out! But I still bought it on iTunes so kudos to you, Cascada. (check out that lyrical parallelism- Grammy nomination coming soon?)
3. “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” by Shania Twain
Let’s go, girls.
4. “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot
Were we born knowing these lyrics? I can honestly not remember the first time I heard this song yet I know every word by heart. Thanks for empowering big butts, Sir.
5. “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton
Thanks to “White Chicks,” this melody is the perfect way to get a group of people to sing at the tops of their lungs and maybe even play a sick air-piano solo. It’s so bad but so very good.
6. “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry
Did anyone else buy cherry chapstick after this song came out? Yeah, me too.
7. “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond
Whether you’re 4 or 40, you know that when this song comes on, you link arms with the people next to you and begin that nice little sway we all know and (kinda) love. Oh, and don’t forget to viscously air pump three times on the beat in between lines. So good, so good.
8. “Rockstar” by Nickelback
Nickelback. . . you either love them or hate them, but when it comes to this song, you know you have to adore it. It’s the first song I ever sang during karaoke and my go-to for any road trip; you might roll your eyes at the first note of the song, but by the end, we all just wanna be rockstars.
9. “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift
T-Swift, I normally loathe any song you produce, but this one is just too good to pass up.
10. “Like a Virgin” by Madonna
All I want in life is a cone bra with a bejeweled bodysuit. And to be considered the queen of pop. That would be cool, too.
11. “Party Up” by DMX
This song definitely makes me lose my mind up in here, but it’s too much of classic to skip on shuffle.
12. “Hey There Delilah” by The Plain White T’s
Before Ed Sheeran made acoustic so popular, we had this, whether we wanted it or not. It’s pretty embarrassing, but wasn’t all of 2005?
13. “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction
My 14-year-old self truly thought these British heartthrobs wrote this song about me. That may not be the case, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t get heart palpitations when I think about Zayn Malik to this day.
