I've been making these worst of the year posts for almost 10 years now. Maybe I need to find something better to do with my life? Nah, who cares about that? Making fun of bad music is too fun! That being said, my opinions on music have changed so much since I started making these posts. I feel like I've grown to love a lot of music I would not have even given a chance 10 years ago. Pop music has become something I love, not that I didn't enjoy it back then, but it's something I seek out more on my own, even outside of the charts. So I thought it would be fun to go back and see how my opinions have changed on the worst songs of 2016. Maybe I like the songs more? Maybe I hate them more? I will put my complete old post and update my thoughts in BOLD. I will also leave all my typos and dumb jokes in there for fun.
(2016)10. Work - Rihanna: "If you had a twin i'd still choose you" - Drake 2016
With classic lines like that this song was destined to be on this list. Sorry to say I can't really understand Rihanna throughout half of this song. The chorus just repeats words over and over to an annoying point and at some points it just sounds like Rihanna is mumbling her lines. The music is boring like most pop music this year (sorry if I repeat that complaint a lot, it's hard to ignore in all these pop songs). The music just feels really weak throughout the whole song. Still this song is far from the worse this year which is why it's all the way at my 10 spot. I still get some enjoyment out of hearing Rihanna mumble half the chorus, at least in a comedic way. She seems to be putting more emphasis on her accent on this song than some of her other songs, so I can give it a pass for that.
With classic lines like that this song was destined to be on this list. Sorry to say I can't really understand Rihanna throughout half of this song. The chorus just repeats words over and over to an annoying point and at some points it just sounds like Rihanna is mumbling her lines. The music is boring like most pop music this year (sorry if I repeat that complaint a lot, it's hard to ignore in all these pop songs). The music just feels really weak throughout the whole song. Still this song is far from the worse this year which is why it's all the way at my 10 spot. I still get some enjoyment out of hearing Rihanna mumble half the chorus, at least in a comedic way. She seems to be putting more emphasis on her accent on this song than some of her other songs, so I can give it a pass for that.
(2026) My love for Rihanna has grown a lot over the last 10 years and my love for this song has too. I will say it's actually got some good parts I like. Outside of the chorus, the verses are actually good. Also, the parts where Rihanna sounds like she's mumbling are actually in Jamaican Patois and not just gibberish like I stupidly thought. So yeah, this song is pretty solid actually. Even Drake puts up a decent verse here, outside of that stupid twin line. I mean, that's still such a weird line to put in this song.
(2016) 9. H.O.L.Y. - Florida Georgia Line: Speaking of lazy songs, Florida Georgia Line return to the top of the charts with their amazing song HOLY. Honestly I feel bad about putting this on the list because i'm not really huge on country music, but I know it can be done better than this. This doesn't even really feel like a country song, except the fact it's performed by Florida Georgia Line. Super cheesy cliche lyrics and super basic music with nothing exciting happening throughout the whole song. I know there's country music out there that's actually good or at the very least trying to be good, so it's sad that this super lazy song is the one that made it pretty high on the charts above the rest of them. I guess i'm just happy that this song wasn't annoying as "Cruise" and "This is How We Roll".
(2026) Man, I'm glad these guys aren't really a thing anymore in 2026. They had a hold on the pop country radio for way more years than they deserved, and this song just shows how lazy they could be and still get a hit. Yeah, I agree with me from 10 years ago about everything. Well, except for the country music part, because I certainly like a lot more country than I did 10 years ago. This song is boring as hell, though, and it just feels like paint-by-numbers pop country that we still somehow get these days.
(2016) 8. Low Life - Future/Weeknd: The power of Drake is strong with this one. I thought Drake was the king of boring songs that could put you to sleep in seconds, but Future looks to be trying to his throne. This song has zero energy musically and vocally, both singers sound like they haven't slept in weeks when they were recording and are trying their best to stay awake to finish recording. Why have a great singer like The Weeknd only to have him barely try to sing the chorus. Why is the music so boring? Why is Future allowed to make music? Why?
(2026) OH MAN, I forgot how much I hated Future's music back then. Honestly, I still have to love Future 10 years later, but I have a lot more love for The Weeknd. Mr. Weeknd has released some amazing albums in the last 10 years, so going back to this version of him is pretty depressing. Terrible lyrics and zero energy is right, but I've always disliked this style of trap song, even to this day. Future just brings no life to this track and sounds like he doesn't even want to be on his own song. Sad.
(2016) 7. My House - Flo Rida: Here comes the artist as interesting as a blank paper, Flo Rida. I never want to hear the word house again after hearing this song (he says it a total of 18 times the whole song or 24 if you count synonyms). Also I always get really annoyed during the chorus when he does that sloppy stretch of the line "we don't have to go out". Seriously though, Flo Rida has really only made one decent song in "good feeling" and the rest of his music has been pretty terrible.
(2016) 7. My House - Flo Rida: Here comes the artist as interesting as a blank paper, Flo Rida. I never want to hear the word house again after hearing this song (he says it a total of 18 times the whole song or 24 if you count synonyms). Also I always get really annoyed during the chorus when he does that sloppy stretch of the line "we don't have to go out". Seriously though, Flo Rida has really only made one decent song in "good feeling" and the rest of his music has been pretty terrible.
(2026) WELCOME TO MY HOUSE! AH, this song isn't that bad really. I mean, it's not great, but it's at least fun? Uhhh, I'm already bored after the first chorus. Never mind, I guess I don't disagree with myself from 10 years ago. Maybe I was a little too mean to Flo Rida, but I agree this song is pretty boring and repetitive. I still hate it when he says "We don't have to GooOOOooo out".
(2016) 6. Work From Home - Fifth Harmony: The idea of a song about missing someone you care about because you both work different times of the day is not a bad one, but it's not executed well here. The worst part of the song is of course the lazy chorus that repeats the word "work" over and over till it doesn't make sense anymore. Also this is one of those songs that repeat the same music loop over and over until the end of the song, and it gets old pretty fast. Also there's these weird sounds during the second verse that sound really out of place, a weird squeaky noise. Also Ty Dolla $ign does a verse so that's a thing. Also the word "work" is said 97 times in this song, so that's cool.
(2016) 6. Work From Home - Fifth Harmony: The idea of a song about missing someone you care about because you both work different times of the day is not a bad one, but it's not executed well here. The worst part of the song is of course the lazy chorus that repeats the word "work" over and over till it doesn't make sense anymore. Also this is one of those songs that repeat the same music loop over and over until the end of the song, and it gets old pretty fast. Also there's these weird sounds during the second verse that sound really out of place, a weird squeaky noise. Also Ty Dolla $ign does a verse so that's a thing. Also the word "work" is said 97 times in this song, so that's cool.
(2026) Also, this song is still terrible 10 years later. Also, Camila Cabello left the group to make even worse music. Also, I should have mentioned the obvious joke that there were two songs that repeated the word "work" a lot in one year. Also, I used the word also too much in that review.
(2016) 5. Roses - Chainsmokers: The drop in this song is so bad, I always die a little inside when it happens. So I know music like this has a big focus on the "cool" electronic sounds and effects, but none of that stands out here. I found the music on this one to be really annoying, with all the frustrating vocal effects used and the equally frustrating random "what" chanting in the background. This song just feels one giant mess and nothing feels right together in here. The vocals and music together don't work together and it makes it really hard to listen to this song all the way through. Chainsmokers made had a lot of bad songs this year, but this one stands out above them in all the wrong ways.
(2016) 5. Roses - Chainsmokers: The drop in this song is so bad, I always die a little inside when it happens. So I know music like this has a big focus on the "cool" electronic sounds and effects, but none of that stands out here. I found the music on this one to be really annoying, with all the frustrating vocal effects used and the equally frustrating random "what" chanting in the background. This song just feels one giant mess and nothing feels right together in here. The vocals and music together don't work together and it makes it really hard to listen to this song all the way through. Chainsmokers made had a lot of bad songs this year, but this one stands out above them in all the wrong ways.
(2026) Yeah, I got nothing to change about that original review. Chainsmokers were pretty bad at this, with "Closer" being the one single I actually liked by them. Even that one had the terrible vocals by Chainsmoker guy.
(2016) 4. Me Too - Meghan Trainor: When I first heard this song the first thing that popped into my head was Will.i.am, because musically this sounds a lot like something he would do. The bass sounds sound like they came straight from a Black Eyed Peas song or a song produced by Will.i.am. Normally I find a lot of Will.i.am's music to be pretty annoying, so the fact that this sounds like it doesn't help me enjoy this, as the bass sounds are really annoying and overdone in this song. Also hearing Meghan Trainor trying to be so cocky and cool just doesn't really work for her, I just don't believe it coming from her. At least I can say she was trying to do something new, which is why this song isn't any higher, but it's still a pretty annoying song.
(2016) 4. Me Too - Meghan Trainor: When I first heard this song the first thing that popped into my head was Will.i.am, because musically this sounds a lot like something he would do. The bass sounds sound like they came straight from a Black Eyed Peas song or a song produced by Will.i.am. Normally I find a lot of Will.i.am's music to be pretty annoying, so the fact that this sounds like it doesn't help me enjoy this, as the bass sounds are really annoying and overdone in this song. Also hearing Meghan Trainor trying to be so cocky and cool just doesn't really work for her, I just don't believe it coming from her. At least I can say she was trying to do something new, which is why this song isn't any higher, but it's still a pretty annoying song.
(2026) Good God, that bass is actually incredibly annoying. Like, I need to turn off the song because it's giving me a headache, levels of annoying. I tried to be kind to Meghan for trying something new, but she doesn't deserve that. I mean, she failed so spectacularly here that she ended up going back to her doo-wop sound not long after this. Like I said, this just doesn't work for someone like Meghan Trainor; it doesn't fit her vocal style or her personality.
(2016) 3. We Don't Talk Anymore - Charlie Puth/Selena Gomez: A tough question I had to ask myself when making this list: Who is worse - Charlie Puth or Shawn Mendes? After some thought, the clear answer was Charlie Puth (at least this year). Not only releasing the super cheesy and unsexy "Marvin Gaye", he makes this equally lame song with Selena Gomez that's about the same overused subject like "Don't Wanna Know" by Maroon 5. The vocals in this song stay in the same tone throughout the whole runtime never doing anything interesting. The lyrics don't add anything new to this subject that's been done to death, it feels so bland and unoriginal. A lot of my frustration with pop music comes from either extremely boring songs with no emotion or songs like this one that take a subject that's been done so many times and doesn't add a single new thing to it. It just feels like one of those songs that could have been written by any song writer and could have been much better with a different performer.
(2016) 3. We Don't Talk Anymore - Charlie Puth/Selena Gomez: A tough question I had to ask myself when making this list: Who is worse - Charlie Puth or Shawn Mendes? After some thought, the clear answer was Charlie Puth (at least this year). Not only releasing the super cheesy and unsexy "Marvin Gaye", he makes this equally lame song with Selena Gomez that's about the same overused subject like "Don't Wanna Know" by Maroon 5. The vocals in this song stay in the same tone throughout the whole runtime never doing anything interesting. The lyrics don't add anything new to this subject that's been done to death, it feels so bland and unoriginal. A lot of my frustration with pop music comes from either extremely boring songs with no emotion or songs like this one that take a subject that's been done so many times and doesn't add a single new thing to it. It just feels like one of those songs that could have been written by any song writer and could have been much better with a different performer.
(2026) Ugh, Charlie Puth. It's funny, I brought up the Charlie Puth vs Shawn Mendes argument in my original post. I still have no idea who I would pick, as both artists are as boring as they've ever been to this day. It doesn't help that he paired himself with Selena Gomez, who, at the time, I thought was one of the most boring artists making pop music. She's had a few decent songs since then, but not much, honestly. I will say the chorus isn't too bad on this song, maybe the only redeeming part of it, but not enough to bring me back to this song.
(2016) 2. Fake Love - Drake: Drake is the king of boring songs that make me want to sleep, and most of the time actually do put me to sleep. I tried to listen to this while driving once, and it was a really bad idea. An artist that has been around as long as Drake has no excuse in releasing something this boring. BUT that's Drake thing right? Making music that's lifeless and boring with no passion. Music that's whiny and all about Drake complaining about people or his life. It's impressive the music is somehow even more boring than Drake's vocals in this song. I really wish people would stop buying and listening to bad music like this just because it comes from an artist that's already established and known around the world. I really think if this song was written by someone who wasn't as famous or popular as Drake people would hate it. Then again... I can't really speak for the majority, as I have no idea what they actually like, since artists like Flo Rida, Charlie Puth, Drake and Future all have huge hits this year. Drake needs to try something new and put more energy into his music, or at least just show some passion and emotion in his lyrics. Hopefully people will start to see how lazy this is and stop listening.
(2016) 2. Fake Love - Drake: Drake is the king of boring songs that make me want to sleep, and most of the time actually do put me to sleep. I tried to listen to this while driving once, and it was a really bad idea. An artist that has been around as long as Drake has no excuse in releasing something this boring. BUT that's Drake thing right? Making music that's lifeless and boring with no passion. Music that's whiny and all about Drake complaining about people or his life. It's impressive the music is somehow even more boring than Drake's vocals in this song. I really wish people would stop buying and listening to bad music like this just because it comes from an artist that's already established and known around the world. I really think if this song was written by someone who wasn't as famous or popular as Drake people would hate it. Then again... I can't really speak for the majority, as I have no idea what they actually like, since artists like Flo Rida, Charlie Puth, Drake and Future all have huge hits this year. Drake needs to try something new and put more energy into his music, or at least just show some passion and emotion in his lyrics. Hopefully people will start to see how lazy this is and stop listening.
(2026) Oh man, I was such a Drake hater back then. Look, it's not a great song as far as Drake is concerned. I will say, the beat is pretty interesting, sort of reminds me a little of "Hotline Bling", which is still one of Drake's better songs. Thankfully, he released the much better "Scorpion" a year after this. Still, I could do without the drowning vocals that sound way too sleepy for a song going out to all the "haters". Yeah, I'm sick of all the people being fake right in front of my face, but not enough to show real emotion about it.
(2016) 1. Gold - Kiiara: It was so hard trying to choose between this song and Drake for the worst of the year. This song is SO ANNOYING to listen to, and it was very hard listening to more than once. I just can't listen to this song all the way through, by the second chorus I have to change it. The chorus is one of the most frustrating things that i've heard all year, it really gets under my skin. The rest of this song is bland, boring and repetitive, but the chorus just takes it to a whole new level of bad. The lyrics repeat multiple times throughout the song, making the song that much harder to get through (since it doesn't make sense half the time anyway). While Drake might be boring, at least I can listen to his songs all the way through. This song somehow made it all the way to the TOP 13 spot and lasted 27 weeks on the HOT 100 charts. How can anyone give this a pass? How can anyone put up with the gibberish chorus? Please keep music like this away from the charts and the radio, it's not good at all.
(2026) Remember Kiiara? I didn't either until I started this post. Yeah, I can't stand this song even 10 years later. One of the worst choruses of the 2010s, easily. The chorus is supposed to be a scrambled version of the lines "The roof was on fire, but you never let me know", which is a decent line, but when scrambled to gibberish, it makes it frustrating to listen to. Maybe there was a good song somewhere in here, but this was not the way it needed to be presented. The gimmick just ruins the chorus, and the rest of the song just isn't good enough to make up for that. So yeah, I agree with 2016 me, this was the worst song of the year. But honestly, Meghan Trainor's "Me Too" probably should have been a close second.