I had my mind bombarded by a lot of great music and a lot of crappy music growing up. This was thanks to Rage (an Australian version of MTV).
Also my dad had a massive vinyl collection that was filled with some great albums – Led Zeppelin and Kate Bush, as well as some really outrageous stuff like Boney M, Meatloaf and Modern Talking. I suppose it all depends on how you define bad and cringey really. I think that cringe is generated by a combination of the following variables:
- Memorably bad video clip.
- Silly lyrics.
- Songs that are insane in terms of concepts and themes.
Nevertheless, it’s still fun to watch them. I hope you will enjoy these cringey gems, be sure to wear a Hazmat suit and a gas mask to protect yourself from this….dangerous to consume!
Bonnie Tyler – If you were a woman and I was a man
Boney M – Rasputin
Cameo – Word Up
The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men
Cher – Half Breed
OH GOD! Put on your welding mask for this one…the cringe will be bright and may permanently damage your eyes.
Modern Talking – Brother Louie
Murray Head – One night in Bangkok
Pia Zandora and Jermaine Jackson – When the rain begins to fall
East 17 – Alright
Wham! Last Christmas
Dshingus Khan – Rom
I hope you wore some cotton buds in your ears to muffle out some of the cringe when you consumed these. Or else you may actually start to enjoy them! Any other suggestions for 70s and 80s cringe, please feel free to add them below…
Content Catnip 
You are absolutely right. It’s unusual to see so much garbage collected in one place. Anything by Boney M is dreadful, of course, but some of the others may have had a few better moments …. maybe not.
What really stands out is ‘If you were a woman and I was a man’. What is this supposed to mean??? What are the alternatives? We are just two dudes locked up in the same jail on 20 year sentences? We are both asparagus?
I hope some of these ‘artists’ wake up screaming in the middle of the night when they remember what they have done.
LikeLike
‘Brother Louis’ was one of the playlist when we were bouncing hundreds of km across Mongolia in our landcruiser. My Mongolian driver and I would face each other at the appropriate point and chime in with “….Easy!” But OMG – I’d never seen the video…. (:
LikeLike
That song and other Modern Talking songs are really catchy, I don’t blame you for singing it, would have been a memory now burned into your brain in the car driving in Mongolia. Probably would make a much better video clip than their actual video clip haha
LikeLike
And the winner is….’Half Breed’! Best enjoyed with a look incredulous shock. Brilliant! The music and production for one night in bangkok really holds up — sounds great. The video not so much…
LikeLike
I don’t understand ‘One Night in Bangkok’ for me it sounds like a cacophony, perhaps it’s because I don’t know the backstory of this musical? if it’s good, I trust you hehe.
Yes…Half Breed oh my god!! It’s just too much I can’t help but laugh with glee at it hahaha, it is ripe for memes and in a way it’s good that the world seems to have forgotten about Half Breed hahaha.
LikeLike
Last Christmas has been played to death on the radio. I still enjoy it though as gets me in the Christmas spirit. If I’m honest, I enjoy the nostalgia of re-discovering music I loved when I was younger 🙂 I agree silly lyrics are more apparent when I hear stuff as an adult.. Same with movies, the flaws are clearer now compared to the saccharine taste when a child.
LikeLike
Yeah I know what you mean.I have a love-hate relationship with Last Christmas, it’s so bad it’s good, or so good it’s bad hehe. Movies yes it’s the same…I can think of a few that seemed amazing when I was a kid and when watched later on as an adult you can see a lot of holes in them – Labirynth with David Bowie, and the Neverending Story, were dissapointing when I watched them recently, what movies are you meaning? 🙂
LikeLike
I loved Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom (1984) as a kid, still fun now but implausible, I should do a bad it’s good post at my site 🙂 I was in my 30s when I saw Labyrinth (1986) for 1st time,the non-CGI set designs are impressive while the plot is very simple.
LikeLike
I loved that one too, Indiana Jones it was really great in the 80’s wasn’t it. The parts with the slaves coming out from under the earth and also the special effects look comical now though sadly.
LikeLike
I should say – the slave bit wasn’t comical…I am not that heartless LOL! more this part is really a hot-button issue and wouldn’t be in any modern movies.
LikeLike
Yep, Rasputin is an absolute shocker. And Last Christmas is so cringeworthy I could die!!
LikeLike
He he yeah I know, I trolled myself from writing this I actually had Rasputin in my head while trying to sleep and I couldn’t sleep, it was absolute torture haha
LikeLike