Top 10 Reasons Why 2017 Was an Awful Year for Music
2017 wasn't just a rough patch. It was a full-blown musical meltdown. Think autotuned mumblers on every radio station, songs built like fast food, cheap, forgettable, and everywhere, and a whole parade of artists with the emotional range of a cardboard cutout. If you had even a sliver of hope that mainstream music might surprise you, 2017 was the year it laughed in your face and handed you a fidget spinner instead.
You probably spent more time hitting "skip" than actually listening. And when you weren't skipping, you were questioning how some of these songs ever saw the light of day. Passion? Absent. Creativity? MIA. It was like the industry got together and made a bet to see how low the bar could go. Spoiler alert: they won.
So what exactly made this year such a disaster for your ears? That's where you come in. Vote for the reasons you think truly dragged 2017 into the musical abyss.
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Mainstream music was at its all-time worst
I'm 15, and there were no new songs from 2017 I liked. Even 2015 and 2016 had one each. Whenever someone turns on the hit station, I almost immediately feel disgusted or repulsed, now that hip-hop and trap are bigger than ever and rock is nonexistent.
Why can't we have the music of 1983 back already?
Well, stuff like Sam Hunt, Kodak Black, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift, yes. But that doesn't mean all mainstream songs this year are bad.
Aside from Praying, Havana, and Feel It Still, I can't find any song on the charts that is a 5/5.
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No passion was present in music that year
Songs like Shape of You and Despacito are so bland.
And when there was, it was very rare.
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There was way too much trap music on the charts
Trap music is boring, and it sounds the same. I prefer older rap beats to trap. Some tone-deaf autotuned guy rapping lyrics all about the coolest shoes, clothing, money, and girls, and the same overused beat.
My parents were born in the 1970s with actual good music. They're lucky, but they actually like this wack trash. They tend to listen to the newest stuff more than the old stuff.
I hate trap. It all sounds the same. Now some pop artists are trying to copy trap in their songs.
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Chester Bennington died
Why isn't this at the top of the list? This is probably the worst thing that happened in terms of 2017 music, along with the Manchester bombing at Ariana Grande's concert.
Sigh... I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I found out that Chester died. I was on vacation in the mountains, far away from my house. I was in a gift shop in town, just looking at all of the funny souvenirs that I knew would just get lost in my closet if I bought one of them.
As I was browsing around, I took a big drink of my root beer, and the guy talking on the radio said something along the lines of "Chester Bennington committed suicide." I was so shocked, I almost spit my root beer out! I just can't stop thinking about that day. R.I.P. Chester.
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Despacito was overplayed
So was What About Us. In fact, that song might be even more overplayed than Despacito. After all, its overplay lasted at least three times longer.
I like Despacito, but why would someone overplay it? I don't want Despacito to end up like Teen Titans Go!
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Taylor Swift released her album Reputation
I remember being a fan of her songwriting ability during my early years of unintentional exposure to radio pop music, but nowadays, her albums make me feel embarrassed about myself.
I hate this album. It has a bunch of terrible songs. This album is not worthy of selling millions of copies. No passion, no creativity, just plain mean-spirited, and nothing interesting. Not as bad as a BOTDF album, but still awful.
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Pop music was at its worst that year
That really says a lot, because it is.
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There were way too many overplayed songs
There was a time when every time I turned on the radio, it would be What About Us, Praying, or Love So Soft.
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Lil Pump became popular
Gucci Gang? Worst song ever. I hate Lil Pump, so he is more like Lil Pimp!
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Fifth Harmony released trash
Down, He Like That, what more can I say?
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Chart organizers started cherry-picking songs with less meaning instead of the most viewed songs with actual meaning
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The good songs did not become popular
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Lyrics that year, for the most part, were terrible
There are plenty of lyrical gems such as The Promise, Speak to Me, and Praying, but a lot of lyrics are reprehensible.
They're just about drugs, money, and sex, and they just repeat the same thing over and over again. There's no meaning in the words.
Like BOTDF, Taylor Swift, Kodak Black, Katy Perry, and Sam Hunt. Now those are terrible lyricists. But there are also some lyrical gems like Green Day's new song.
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Songs like Gucci Gang became viral
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The worst music artists got exposure that year
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Rock music steadily declined and most rock bands turned into pop bands
That really sucks. Some rock bands turned pop, and others are declining in musical quality, like Blink-182, sadly.
There should be new rock bands that are good, which is what I am trying to do - keep rock music alive. I am glad Green Day is still a good band and that Tom DeLonge will never become a pop artist and consistently makes good music, so I do have some hope.
Oh, my god, there's literally been one good metal album all year as well! What the hell?! In 2016, there were new Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax albums, and in 2015, I got my all-time favorite song. What happened in 2017?!
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Many rock artists died that year
This isn't a good reason, and I avoided using this in my original draft.
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No effort was put into songs that year
Again, there are a few exceptions, but the effort is barely there.
Mainstream was flooded with lazy songs.
I know Halsey uses effort. So do Maroon 5, Camila Cabello, Coldplay, and Portugal. The Man. Everyone else is a 0/10.
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There were a lot of disappointing returns from older artists
"Praying" was better than most of the rest of Kesha's discography, but I still didn't feel the craze for it. Pink's "What About Us" has been played a gazillion times (give or take) on car radio, and despite the good message, the delivery doesn't quite work for me.
"Look What You Made Me Do" was a guilty pleasure of mine, but not as good as Taylor Swift's older songs. The most disappointing return of the year was Kelly Clarkson, who came back with her worst song yet, "Love So Soft."
That's always the reason why a year is bad. Or it's because there weren't any good songs released that year.
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Too many music artists sold out or ran out of creativity
Creativity is endless for most artists (cartoonists, musicians, movie directors, book authors, etc.), but the problem is that most artists are always running out of ideas. What if creativity goes extinct for the next million years?
Creativity will never end. There will always be creativity no matter what. There are unlimited ideas on this planet.
Trivium and Sinners Are Winners have been the only big acts I remember being creative.
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David Bowie released an EP
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Mainstream radio repeated the same horrible songs
Every day, I hear that one song I talked about, with its "bloody shoes" or whatever it says. Ugh!
It's like my life depends on hearing What About Us again...
Well, sometimes it plays Bad At Love. That is good.
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Most of the singles on the radio were terrible and awful to sit through
I liked Now Or Never, Havana, Bad At Love, Feel It Still, Wait, and a few others, but I agree.
There are a few exceptions, but most 2017 singles are mind-numbingly awful.
This one girl just talks about "these bloody shoes" or something, and it hurts me every time.
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The charts only got worse since the previous year
The songs may be worse, but hey, at least we got hits this year. Unlike last year, where we barely got any hits, it was boring.
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Liam Payne released the abomination that was Strip That Down
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Not many good metal albums were released compared to recent years
Meanwhile, we have Hollywood Undead, who I can't even listen to with a straight face.
I don't really love much of the new metal works this year. Songs from the 2000s and 1990s are better.
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Praying was one of the best songs of 2017 but was seriously underrated
It was one of the few actual good songs to come from this year.