30 day song challenge - Day Two

Day Two - Your least favorite song
Jimmy Buffett - Margaritaville

I know this is something that a lot of people can't believe. She's a chick who enjoys feet in the sand, drink in the hand, Hawaiian shirts, Cargo shorts, summer sunshine songs and jam bands.

Yup.

But I cannot stand Jimmy Buffett, and this song is primarily the reason.

Let me explain. Before you send me scads of hate mail and flaming comments.

I actually struggled with this, after reading the list songs I'd have to think of. It was exceptionally hard for me to think of a "least" favorite song. There are songs that I don't like, but I think for the most part I can respect that someone took the time to work on and create something, and that I can always respect even though I don't enjoy the song.

There are songs that I'm bothered by, usually because of language use. Not because I'm a prude or anything but I think that songs that have exceptionally violent or filthy language are ... useless. Sometimes a good ANGRY song a great thing to behold, but obscenity for the sake of obscenity just bothers me. The English Language is a beautiful thing -- work on finding words other swears. Craft something of value, please.

There are songs I never ever need to hear again, like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Or "Good Times, Bad Times" by Zep, or "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. But they do not fall into a least favorite category. They fall into a "I'm totally over this song" category.

Sometimes, I hate cover songs. I could give you a list of least favorite cover songs, but the songs themselves are songs I like or even love, and the artists are people I like or love. For instance, I cannot stand Shawn Colvin's cover of "Every Little Thing" by the Police. I cannot stand Counting Crows' cover of "Big Yellow Taxi." They are cringeworthy to me. But they didn't fit into this category.

I had to find a song that I actually disliked. And that is a hard thing.

So I boiled it down to an artist/genre/song/culture combination that bothers me, and that turned out to be "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett.

Now, I know a lot of you LIKE/LOVE Buffett. You are die-hard Parrotheads. You enjoy the pre-game shenanigans, the tailgating, the motor homes and the lawn chairs in the parking spaces. I like that too when I go to a show. Good times, good times are had indeed.

But there is just something about Jimmy Buffett's looks, his voice, and this song that make me barf. Combined with the fact that 90% of the audience is utterly obliterated from drinking in the parking lot since 8am the night of the show, it makes for a rather unappealing package for me.

And this song is the "WOOOOOO!" song that everyone wants to hear, and raise their drunken red keg cups up in celebration to when they hear it.

My good friend Ben came into my office one day and I was listening to Dave Matthews. I love Dave. I love his music. I love everything about him. Well, except the past two albums or so... Anyway, Ben HATES DMB the way that I hate Jimmy Buffett. He blames all the stuck up, tank top wearing, big breasted drunken DMB fan girls that he was exposed to in high school and college. He associates the band directly with the "bitches who love that talentless ass." I think he feels the same about John Mayer.

Someone pointed out to me that the song is culturally relevant and important, having been used in an episode of the Simpsons, when Barney and Sherry Bobbins are sitting drunk on the floor singing this. Sure, yes. Culturally relevant. I'll give it that. But not important, or even interesting to me.

Perhaps I am like Ben in my lumping together the Parrotheads, the drunkenness, and the pedestrian lyrics and blaming this one song for everything. But. It is what it is.

I also hate that Volcano song, and I dislike the Cheeseburger in Paradise song. Again, even though I like Margaritas, volcanoes and cheeseburgers, I do not like this man's musical representations of said topics.

So perhaps my least favoriting