1. Gwen Stefani, "Wind It Up"
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This batshit insane song from 2006 features Gwen Stefani sing-rapping gibberish over a Pharrell Williams beat and a Sound Of Music sample. It's a hot mess, obviously, but it's also perfect for musical theater nerds who need to get hyped before heading to the club.
2. Katy Tiz, "Whistle (Why You Work It)"
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Katy Tiz's delightfully tacky ode to hustling is built around an allusion to "Whistle While You Work" from Disney's Snow White. While there's definitely something questionable about lifting a phrase from a children's song and inserting it in a grown-up pop anthem, questionable taste is what pop music was built on.
3. Fergie, "Fergalicious"
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When was the last time you listened to this song? Fergie turns her name into an adjective that means, roughly: sexy AF. Then, immediately after explaining that, she feels the need to clarify that she doesn't actually sleep around; she just blows kisses. It's a super-prudish song about sex that features will.i.am repeatedly misspelling the word tasty in the bridge. Insane! Completely insane.
4. Countess Luann, "Chic C'est Le Vie"
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Is it a joke? Is it sincere? Is it both? The Countess is a truly elusive chanteuse who sing-talks in genuinely mediocre French. What more do you need?
5. Fannypack, "Cameltoe"
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You haven't lived until you've heard a group of bratty pop-rappers demand to know if your "crotch is hungry, girl 'cause it's eating your pants." Good taste is nowhere to be found on this perfect gem of a song.
6. Leslie & the LY's, "Gold Pants"
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This lo-fi disco anthem is a DIY fairy-tale: a woman who is bestowed with a pair of gold spandex pants and uses their powers to find self-esteem, adventure, and romance before living tackily ever after. It's inspiring AF, if we're being honest.
7. Plastiscines, "Pop In , Pop Out !"
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This song sounds like what an improviser who speaks absolutely no French would sing if they were prompted to make-up a French pop song. It's perky, fun, and completely nonsensical.
8. The Shangri-Las, "Leader Of The Pack"
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Just to recap: The Shangri-Las' "Leader Of The Pack" is about a girl named Betty who falls in love with Jimmy, the leader of a motorcycle gang. Betty's parents don't approve of the relationship and Jimmy has a death wish. Jimmy ultimately spins out in the middle of a rain storm with Betty watching on. It's pure, unapologetic melodrama, an after-school special with exquisite harmonies.
9. The B-52's, "Dance This Mess Around"
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Nobody does kitsch like The B-52's do kitsch. They practically invented it. Their music is goofy, weird, and "Dance This Mess Around" is no exception. It's a shouty house party of a song that begs the question, why be tasteful when you can be fun?