I have a small back log of entries that are waiting to be written and they'll come over the next several days. It'll be good to get them off my chest or mind, though I can't guarantee their chronological order.

I thought about waiting on this one and doing a writing prompt at a new site I found, Soul Food Cafe, instead, but I have to get this one out of my system first or it will continue to bug me--however minorly.

Recently, around Memorial Day, I caught this...show (indignity is more like it in some parts) on VH1: 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs...Ever. Here's the countdown from what I've managed to find on the net. **Note: It looks like they've shifted some songs' placement from when I saw this 'cause Starship's We Built This City was in the number 1 spot when I saw this.

50) Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart

49) I'll Be Missing You (no artist listed)

48) Can I Touch You...There? [Album Version] by Michael Bolton

47) Something in Common by Bobby Brown

46) Two Princes by the Spin Doctors

45) Sorry 2004 by Ruben Studdard

44) * We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

43) Make Em Say Ugh [Pt. 2] by Master P

42) * Cotton Eye Joe (no artist listed)

41) Some Girls (Dance With Women) by JC Chasez

40) What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes

39) Informer by Snow

38) Mesmerize by Ja Rule

37) * From a Distance by Bette Midler

36) I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Badd

35) Heartbeat by Don Johnson

34) Jenny from the Block by Jennifer Lopez

33) * Broken Wings by Mr. Mister

32) You Remind Me of Something by R. Kelly

31) Pimp Juice by Nelly

30) * I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) by Meat Loaf

29) * Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley

28) Rump Shaker by Wreckx n Effect

27) The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You by Bryan Adams

26) You Rock My World by Michael Jackson

25) * Sussudio by Phil Collins

24) Thong Song by Sisqo

23) Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Richie

22) * I'll Be There for You [Theme from Friends] by The Rembrandts

21) Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) by Toby Keith

20) * You're the Inspiration by Chicago

19) Pumps and a Bump by Hammer

18) I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred

17) The Final Countdown by Europe

16) MMM, MMM, MMM, MMM by Crash Test Dummies

15) Will 2k [Featuring K-Ci] by Will Smith

14) Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block

13) * The Heart of Rock & Roll by Huey Lewis and the News

12) Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin

11) She Bangs by Ricky Martin

10) Party All the Time by Eddie Murphy

 9) * Breakfast At Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something

 8) Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice

 7) Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle) by Limp Bizkit

 6) * Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung

 5) * We Built This City by Starship

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If you're wondering why some of the songs have stars next to them, they're the ones I really like. When I first heard the title of this show I thought maybe they meant bad in a good way. You know, in an 80s way, 'cause they used awesomely. Awesome, cool, rad, narley were all 80s slang, so I was interested to see which songs made the grade.

Well, I was mistaken. Grossly mistaken. Awesomely bad didn't mean way cool; it meant stink-a-rama. Granted, some of the above songs need to be on this list, but come on! From a Distance by Bette Midler or Chicago's You're the Inspiration or even Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire? Come on! I don't care if you're the big wig who says what's popular and what's not. Those songs are great. And if you really listened to the lyrics and opened up your small mind you might be able to see whatever message the writer(s) intended when they wrote these songs.

And btw, Bette Middler is not the first artist to record From a Distance. She is, however, the first one who really was able to touch people with its lyrics or message. Something about the way she sings it touches people in a way the previous versions have been unable to do. I love her rendition. And I recently heard on tv--before Dad changed the channel, yet again--that song, by her, became the theme song or what have you for the First Gulf War. I challenge you to look up the lyrics and read them yourself and then tell me the song isn't cool.

I'm too lazy to look up Billy Joel's lyrics and it's been a long while since I heard the song itself. All I remember is We Didn't Start the Fire is a political statement.

The so-called experts or the ones "in the know" have no clue what really is good and what is really bad. Sure, the really, really bad ones are easy to pick out, but that's 'cause they're no-brainers. How can you even say You're the Inspiration by Chicago sucks? It's a classic hit people!

List found at VH1.com.

moon phase