We all have those songs that we pretend to hate on the radio but we secretly rock out to when driving in the car, singing in the shower, or dancing around in our rooms with a hairbrush microphone; our guilty pleasures. We can’t help it; these songs are meant to be catchy, but there’s something about them, whether it be the lyrics, the artist, or the fact that they are so overly played on the radio that make us ashamed to admit how much we love them. Here are 12 songs that I have decided to reveal on my guilty pleasure playlist .
“I Want Candy” Aaron Carter (2000)
Let’s face it, we all wanted to be Hillary Duff in that episode of Lizzie McGuire when she and Lalaine got to dance with Aaron Carter. It’s cute, it’s catchy, and has that nostalgia factor that 90s kids love.
“Shut Up And Dance” Walk the Moon (2014)
The hit summer song of 2015, “Shut Up And Dance” was overplayed and kind of irritating, but that didn’t stop me from listening to it over and over and over again. There’s something about the chorus that just makes me happy.
“What Dreams Are Made Of” Hillary Duff (2003)
Okay, this is the second time I’m mentioning Hillary Duff in this article, but that’s because Hillary Duff is just that awesome. I’ll admit that I had no idea that Hillary Duff played both Lizzie McGuire and Isabella Parigi, but rather I thought that she happened to have an identical Italian cousin who could sing. And we all totally cheered for Lizzie when she sang this song at a pop concert in Rome
“Cake By The Ocean” DCNE (2015)
The first time I heard this song, I was pretty sure I was going to die, because I was being driven to the McDonald’s for Shamrock Shakes by arguably the worst driver ever, so it took about twenty times for me to actually like this song. Fortunately, the radio plays it all the time so I heard it about twenty times in a week. Even though I know that “cake by the ocean” means something dirty, I can’t help but scream it every time the chorus comes around.
“I Just Had Sex” The Lonely Island (2011)
Anything that Andy Samberg is a part of has to be funny, and this song is no exception. For some reason, whenever my roommate and I made late night Sheetz runs or went out to eat, we put this song on and bellow the words. Our favorite lyric: best thirty seconds of my life!
“Hollaback Girl” Gwen Stefani (2004)
I am going to preface this by saying that I hate Gwen Stefani, but there’s something about this song that makes me want to either beat up someone or stomp my feet and dance around. This song also taught me how to spell the word “banana,” although I’m still not exactly sure what a “hollaback girl” is…
“Lip Gloss” Lil Mama (2007)
I actually wish my lip gloss was cool and that my lip gloss was poppin’ and that when I stood by locker all the boys were stoppin,’ but that would imply that I actually wore lip gloss in the first place… Anyway, I remember hearing this song on Radio Disney and really liking it and enjoying that my mom really didn’t.
“Call Me Maybe” Carly Rae Jepsen (2012)
I heard this song for the first time at the prom my sophomore year and then it just kept popping up over the summer with people making YouTube videos of car dances to this song. The best part is the music video, though, when the hot guy Carly Rae Jepsen tries to flirt with turns out to be gay.
“Thank God I’m A Country Boy” John Denver (1974)
I highly doubt any of you readers have heard a John Denver song outside of the Christmas album he did with the Muppets, but this is definitely my favorite song of his. The chorus is just about as hick as you can imagine: “Well I got me a fine wife/ and I got me an ole fiddle/ and when the sun’s comin up I got cakes on the griddle/ life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle/ thank God I’m a country boy,” making it a great road trip song.
“On The Open Road” A Goofy Movie (1995)
Speaking of road trip songs, I play this song at the start of every roadtrip. This little gem is one of Disney’s lesser-known animated features about a young Max Goof being coerced into a road trip with his dad, Goofy, despite the fact that he wanted to spend the summer with the love of his life, Roxanne. Goofy’s love of the highway and his complete ignorance at his son’s displeasure in spending “quality father-son time;” reminds me of times when I have had to spend time with my family against my will but we end up having a great time.
“Drunk on a Plane” Dierks Bentley (2014)
I have never been drunk on a plane, and I never plan on getting drunk on a plane (seriously, it’s a terrible idea, because there’s less oxygen so you’re bound to get intoxicated much faster), but this honestly sounds like the coolest high-altitude party ever, you know, once you get past the part where the protagonist got left at the alter.
"Beautiful Soul" Jesse McCartney (2004)
Let’s be real, Jesse McCartney was totally singing this song to me when this came out. Oh, wait, I was only nine… that would’ve been creepy… The best episode of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody (I know, again with the Disney Channel) is when Jesse comes on and sings this song. And when he gest all intenes at the bridge? *swoon*