Encore Presentation: The Worst Songs Of All Time?

Editor's Note: This episode of All Songs Considered originally aired in Feb. 2014.

This week on a very special edition of All Songs Considered ... guitarist, actor, writer (and former writer for NPR Music, at her Monitor Mix blog) Carrie Brownstein returns. She joins us, along with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson, to do something we don't normally do: Talk about the songs we really, really don't like.

Our mission at All Songs is to bring you our favorite musical discoveries of the week. But after Stephen wrote his column examining Starship's widely reviled hit single "We Built This City," we watched the comments pour in like an out-of-control fire hose, and got to talking about all the songs that drive us bonkers. It was so much fun we decided to continue the discussion here, with a look at some of the contenders for worst songs of all time and why they stick in our craw. These are relentless earworms — songs you can't escape once they're in your head — or annoying novelty songs. "The Candy Man," anyone? We also look at songs that take themselves too seriously, songs we used to love until they were ruined by a bad personal experience and more.

Please direct your "Dear Idiots" letters in the comments section below, or via email to allsongs@npr.org.