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This is a special sub-page for all of the predictions for future Top Ten lists that are neither Year-End lists nor Worst Hit Songs of Random Year lists.

Bear in mind that Todd's picks on his Top 10 lists are subjective.


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Albums and EPs

    Worst Album titles 
  • We've Never Heard of You Either by Evan and Jaron: He called the title salty in his OHW for "Crazy for This Girl".

Artists, Bands, and Music Execs

    Todd's Top 10 Most Hated Bands and Artists of All Time 
Todd has to explicitly say somewhere (e.g., his videos, Twitter, Patreon, Song vs. Song Podcast, FAQ) he hates the artist/band in question.
  • 311: Todd mentions on Twitter and his OHW review of "Butterfly" that he hates the band.
  • 4 Non-Blondes: They are responsible for Todd's most hated song of the 90's, and if Todd ever does an OHW episode about "What's Up", his opinion on their other work is likely to be negative, although there have been a few cases where Todd hated the one big hit, but tolerated or even liked the rest of the artist's output.
  • 50 Cent: During his OHW review of "Laffy Taffy", he compared the song's Jolly Rancher line unfavorably to a line from 50 Cent's Candy Shop - an action he preceded by saying "I can't believe I'm saying this because I don't like 50 Cent at all..."
  • 6ix9ine: In the Worst Hit Songs of 2018, Todd gives him a (dis)honorable mention "just for being a shitty human being".
  • ABBA: He thinks they're terrible, despite their positive reputation these days.
  • Bryan Adams: In addition to hating most of his work (aside from "Summer of 69"), Todd mainly despises him for his Take That, Critics! behavior towards Allmusic.
  • Iggy Azalea: Being a white, female Australian expatriate co-opting black, Dirty South culture doesn't help her case. Todd later tweeted and mentioned on his Worst of 2018 list that while he doesn't think she's a bad rapper, she's not good enough that it's worth putting up with her.
  • Justin Bieber: Todd hated Bieber for his immaturity when he first got big as a teenager, and Todd especially hates Bieber for his douchebag attitude as an adult. This tweet virtually guarantees Justin Bieber would make one of the high positions.
  • The Black Eyed Peas: Todd was once a BEP apologist (mostly defending their pre-Fergie songs, but also a few of the Fergie-era ones), but he has soured on them and gone back on his statement that he liked some of their songs. In the "The Time (Dirty Bit)" review, he said that while he thinks their early work is better, it's not that different from the rest, and it ended up kind of looking like a pose. In the "Look What You Made Me Do" review, he said that their music ranges from middling to really bad, and called will.i.am's sound annoying, vapid and musically incoherent. Even back when he defended the Fergie-era lineup, he thought they were stupid.
  • Chris Brown: Had Todd made this list when he was just starting out, Chris Brown would most likely have topped it. However, Todd admitted in the "Worst of 2014" that he doesn't have the passion to hate Chris Brown like he did in earlier videos, but Todd still finds him reprehensible nonetheless.
  • Luke Bryan: The poster boy for bro-country, along with Florida Georgia Line.
  • Bucks Fizz: In the Song vs. Song podcast, he said they're an awful band that sounded like ABBA if they had continued into the '80s and gotten far worse (which says a lot, considering he already dislikes ABBA).
  • The Calling: "There is one real noteworthy thing about them. Something that makes them very compelling to me, and I hope for you too. And that thing is that I fucking hate them."
  • Camila Cabello: Todd thinks she's a pretty bad artist who doesn't have a great voice, and lacks both charisma and a personality.
  • Lewis Capaldi: Todd hates "Someone You Loved" and thinks Capaldi is terrible at both singing and songwriting, calling him one of the most talentless artists of the 2010s.
  • Captain & Tennille: Along with ABBA, this duo is one of the poster children for the Lame 70s.
  • Peter Cetera: Todd hates Cetera for turning Chicago from a decent, energetic jazz-rock band into a terrible, schmaltzy soft rock band.
  • Chicago: Todd actually doesn't mind their earlier work (ex. "25 or 6 to 4"); however, it's their output since 1976's Chicago X as well as frontman Peter Cetera that Todd hates vehemently. Todd originally called them the "Nickelback of the 80s"; however, as of the "Girls Like You" review, he now calls them the "Maroon 5 of the 80s". If Todd ever makes this list, expect them to show up in one of the high spots.
    Todd: Have I mentioned that I hate Chicago? Have I mentioned that I hate, hate, hate, hate Chicago? 'Cause I haaaaaate Chicago!
  • Luke Combs: Todd stated he has not heard a single Luke Combs song he liked (at least, until "Doin' This" in 2021). He also commented in his Worst of 2020 list that if someone like Sam Hunt sang his songs, more people would be thrashing it.
  • Creed: Todd initially stated on Twitter that Creed was a better band than Nickelback on the virtue of being more ridiculous and over the top with how bad they were. However, Todd has since revised his claim after listening to their breakout album, "Human Clay", later stating that Nickelback was the better band on the virtue of having more variety in their music.
  • Daya: He calls her the least talented among the Lorde wannabes.
  • Depeche Mode: Todd finds them intolerably tedious and can't stand Dave Gahan's voice. However, in the Safety Dance episode of OHW, he mentions them when listing off the "really good" synth-pop acts from Britain, so he might've softened on them just a bit.
  • Jason Derulo: Todd said in his review of "Talk Dirty" that Derulo is the only man who can make Chris Brown "look charming and charismatic".
  • Fifth Harmony: "What if the Pussycat Dolls had even less charisma or talent?" In particular, Todd dislikes the group's Breakup Breakout star Camila Cabello.
  • Flo Rida: He sees him as one with no personality and nothing to really discuss with him.
  • Florida Georgia Line: Along with Luke Bryan, this duo is one of the poster boys for bro-country.
  • G-Eazy: Todd calls him uninteresting, especially since earlier white rappers had to earn their notability/notoriety. Todd also calls him out for having a painfully generic rap name.
  • The cast of Glee
  • Selena Gomez: Among the former Disney child actresses-turned pop princesses, Todd doesn't get Selena's appeal at all.
  • David Guetta
  • Hinder: Todd went as far as calling the band worse than Nickelback in his FAQ, and he has said that "Lips of an Angel" was one of his least favourite songs of all time.
  • Sam Hunt: Another strong candidate for the poster boy of bro-country, being a close second or third behind Luke Bryan or FGL.
  • Enrique Iglesias: Todd has called him a singer who adds nothing to a song. In the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" review, he said that he was sick of his Latin Lover shtick. However, he hated his attempt to sound more aggressive in "Tonight...".
  • Jack Johnson: One of the first artists Todd mentioned explicitly that he hated on the show. If John Mayer is the poster boy for the "White Guy with an Acoustic Guitar" genre, then Jack Johnson is a close second.
  • Jeremih: Todd called him the "poor man's Jason Derulo" on Twitter, and he already dislikes Derulo. His best chance of avoiding the list is probably his lack of relevance.
  • Jet: Todd stated that he hated the group in his review of "Tonight, Tonight", and reaffirmed his hatred of the band in his One Hit Wonderland review of The Darkness.
  • The Jonas Brothers: By the end of 2019, he had decided he hates their post-comeback material, putting "Only Human" at #10 on his Worst list and even saying he despises "Sucker". However, he doesn't think their Disney-era music was horrible and understands why they have an enduring fanbase.
  • Kenny G: Todd ended his "Worst of 1987" retrospect with Angrish while discussing "Songbird", his #1 worst song of that year.
  • Kid Rock: "Don't listen to Kid Rock. He's a terrible person."
  • Kidz Bop: Todd calls them "one of the most hilariously wrong things [he'd] ever encountered in music." However, it's unlikely Todd would attack any current or former member of the group and would save his ire for their handlers.
  • Lil Dicky: Todd basically called him an unfunny version of Andy Samberg. He thrashed both "Freaky Friday" and "Earth", and wasn't particularly impressed by Dicky's earlier material (though he did note that "there was some sign early in Dicky's career that he was going to be an actual rapper who happened to be funny"). To make matters worse, Todd suspects that a lot of Dicky's success comes from AstroTurf. If it weren't for DJ Mustard's contributions to "Freaky Friday" making the music itself enjoyable, Dicky would've held the dubious distinction of being the only artist to top two consecutive Worst lists. In the Worst of 2019 video, Todd declared "Earth" the worst hit song of the year and said Lil Dicky was the first time he had a nemesis in years.
  • Lil Pump: He hated "Gucci Gang", putting it #5 on his Worst list for 2017. "I Love It" suffered the same fate in 2018, although Todd primarily hated that song for Kanye.
  • Lil Wayne: Todd pretty much hates everyone signed to the Young Money label except for Drake and Nicki Minaj; however, Todd states that even they are squandering their talent by staying with Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne and his label are the biggest purveyors of "bling and bitches" rap. Also, Lil Wayne's frequent collaborations with Chris Brown doesn't help his case.
  • Limp Bizkit
  • Lloyd: Todd compared his voice to Marilyn Monroe and tore apart both "Southside" (#5 on his Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 2004 list), as well as his guest spot on "BedRock" (roughly his #3 Worst Hit Song of 2010).
  • LMFAO: Not only does Todd find their party songs skin-crawlingly repulsive, he hates the fact that the only reason they ever got famous was due to nepotism, with both members of the duo being descendants of Motown founder Berry Gordy. While their career wasn't that long and they're pretty much forgotten as of 2021, the combination of annoying party songs and nepotism may be enough to get them a low spot or dishonorable mention on the list. However, it's also possible Todd is now nostalgic about "Party Rock Anthem" as he initially predicted, especially since pop music has become so downbeat and depressing in recent times, in contrast to the mindless fun LMFAO brought to the genre.
  • Mike Love: Todd was really annoyed by Love during the Summer in Paradise Trainwreckords to the point that he already considered him to be an "enemy of this show" in the "Toosie Slide" review.
  • Lukas Graham: Todd has only reviewed one song of theirs, but it's safe to say that they made a terrible impression. He hated "7 Years" to the point of naming it the #1 worst hit of 2016, and thinks their frontman comes across as an egomaniac.
  • Sarah McLachlan: He mentioned not liking her in the "Feel This Moment" episode.
  • Mario: Todd summed up his music as "ranging from the forgettably terrible to the terribly forgettable". It doesn't help that he's responsible for "Break Up", which Todd hated and named the #2 worst hit of 2009. However, he has a good chance of missing the list because he hasn't really done anything noteworthy in years and wasn't bad in a memorable way.
  • Maroon 5: More specifically, Todd has frontman Adam Levine on the shit list. Todd singles out "Moves Like Jagger" as the moment their musical quality started to decline. In the "Girls Like You" review, Todd straight up compares Maroon 5 to his other most hated rock band of all time, Chicago. If Todd ever makes this list, Maroon 5 will probably make a high position, most likely #1, given how the group is a near-perennial fixture on Todd's Worst lists, even if it's only a dishonorable mention that year.
  • Ava Max: Todd was unimpressed by "Sweet but Psycho" and thought "Kings & Queens" was terrible. However, as it remains to be seen whether she'll be more than a Two-Hit Wonder, and she at least has an identity, she most likely wouldn't be more than a dishonorable mention.
  • John Mayer: If Todd does this list, John Mayer would very likely make the list since he is Todd's poster boy for all WGWAGs.
  • Gerardo Mejía
  • Natalie Merchant: Hinted in the "Hey Soul Sister" episode, where Todd said adult alternative was the only place that hadn't yet realized that she "was a terrible, terrible mistake".
  • Mindless Self Indulgence: On his FAQs, he said that they were awful and that he doesn't see their appeal whatsoever.
  • Jason Mraz
  • Olivia Newton-John
  • Nickelback: Todd thoroughly outlines why he thinks Nickelback sucks and deserve all the hate they get on his FAQs. Expect to see them in a high position if Todd ever makes this list.
  • *NSYNC: Todd even states that he prefers their contemporaries, the Backstreet Boys. However, Todd does have mixed feelings about Justin Timberlake's solo career.
  • Rachel Platten: His "Worst New Artist" of 2015.
  • Powfu: "Powfu may be the worst fucking rapper in history."
  • Pussycat Dolls: Todd doesn't hold a very high opinion of the Pussycat Dolls, particularly after he called Fifth Harmony a "less talented and charismatic" version of the group.
  • Bebe Rexha: Todd calls her "a clip art stock photo" of a pop star, and mentioned on Twitter that he is "actively rooting" for her artistic output to get even worse following her releasing a fully AI-generated music video for "Stars".
  • Rick Ross: Todd indicated that he dislikes Rick Ross in the "Party Rock Anthem" review.
  • Saving Abel: He also called them "worse than Nickelback" in his FAQs.
  • Shinedown
  • The Shins: On his FAQs, Todd stated that the band represented everything he hated about Indie Rock and named their well known song "New Slang" as one of his least favorite songs of the 2000s.
  • Simple Plan: This band serves as Todd's benchmark for bad pop punk bands specifically and bad bands in general. In fact, as mentioned in the "Worst of 2004" retrospect, "Welcome to My Life" led to the creation of Todd in the Shadows, with Todd bitching about the song on his LiveJournal in 2004. This tweet from late 2019 reaffirms Todd's hate for the band ("when I say there's no equivalent to Simple Plan, I mean that there's no one who sucked as much"). This all but assures Simple Plan's inclusion on the list, should Todd make it.
  • Soulja Boy: Todd's benchmark for bad rappers and a likely candidate to make the list.
  • Staind: He stated that "Staind don't get enough shit. What an awful band" on Twitter and mentioned his disdain for them in a number of episodes. While he mostly doesn't mind frontman Aaron Lewis's career in Country Music, he hated "Am I the Only One" due to its racist defense of Confederate statues, feeling the song fell flat due to its whininess and insincerity.
  • Cat Stevens: Todd mentioned in the Mr. Big OHW review that he can't stand Cat Stevens' work.
  • Styx: He calls them "pretentious Journey", and considers them to be the lamest band in history.
  • Theory of a Deadman: While barely acknowledged by Todd, T.O.A.D had garnered a reputation throughout the years among rock fans as the poor man’s Nickelback. Don’t expect him to have anything nice to say about this band when he finally comes around to speak about them.
  • Toto: He said in his Song vs. Song podcast that their entire IV album was terrible except for "Africa", compared them to Chicago, and thought they came across as just a bunch of session musicians, as they had been prior to forming as a band.
  • Train: More specifically, Todd hates frontman Pat Monahan and his inability to write any decent lyrics.
  • Meghan Trainor: He compares her to early Justin Bieber as being too young, too cocky and not having enough charisma to back it up. He also called her the "poor man's Fergie" (who herself, to Todd, was already the poor man's Missy Elliott), especially with her second album. On the other hand, Todd did give her somewhat of a pass because she at least has a vision, and most of her music is upbeat.
  • Tyga: Even without his association with Lil Wayne and Young Money, Todd finds him to be a terrible rapper.
  • UB40: In his Worst of 1991 video, Todd consideres the band's contributions to reggae to be equivalent to Michael Bolton's for R&B, and remarked on the group sounding like a "hotel lounge singer performing with a drum machine" despite being a full band.
  • will.i.am: In his solo work; will.i.am seems to be content with recycling the same awful beat from "Dirty Bit" over and over again.
  • X Ambassadors: In his dishonorable mentions for 2016, Todd outright states he hates the band, calling them "badly functioning Mumford & Sons animatronics". He later reaffirms his hatred of the band in the "Thunder"/"Feel It Still" review.

Artists and bands who would've likely made the list in the past that Todd really doesn't dislike as much anymore

  • Miley Cyrus: While he's not a fan of her, he doesn't seem to hate her that much either — she's only made one Worst list (with "The Climb" at #10 in 2009). In the 2015 list, he said that at least she has a vision, unlike Selena Gomez. And in the 2018 list, he said that at she at least has a powerful voice while comparing her to Camila Cabello. Overall, Selena and Camila seem more likely to make the list.
  • Future: Initially, Todd didn't get why Future was a thing and "the most influential man in music" after hearing Future ripoffs. However, he isn't likely to make the list anymore as Todd finally understands his appeal and put "Life is Good" as an honourable mention on his best list for 2020.
  • Calvin Harris: Todd blames Calvin Harris' production of Rihanna's "We Found Love" for the rise of EDM in mainstream music. However, Todd stated that Calvin was starting to get on his good side with the inclusion of "Slide" featuring Frank Ocean and Migos in the "Best of 2017".
  • Lil Baby: Todd initially called him one of the worst rappers alive, but he might be unlikely to make the list since Todd hinted in the "Astronaut in the Ocean" review that he no longer hates him.
  • Pitbull: As of his Best Hits of 2015 video, he does seem to have warmed up to him some.

    Top 10 Artists and Bands who frustrate and/or disappoint Todd 
Either artists and bands which Todd likes but have done things to waste their talent or otherwise make him uncomfortable in liking them, OR artists and bands which Todd hates but keep making songs which he likes.
  • Beyoncé: He really didn't like Beyonce at first, putting three songs of hers on his Worst of 2009 list. He has warmed up to her this decade though, even putting "Sorry" on the best list; however, he is still hesitant of her messianic cult.
  • Big Sean: Todd admits that he likes Big Sean more than he should, calling him a boring rapper, but one who can be funny on purpose.
  • Cardi B: Similar to Nicki Minaj, Todd likes Cardi B, but states that she is wasting her potential.
  • The Chainsmokers: "#SELFIE" was Todd's second most hated song of 2014, and like many people, he was ready to write The Chainsmokers off as one hit wonders, but when the duo had a big year in 2016, Todd expected them to be a perennial contender for the worst list for years to come. However, "Closer" was Todd's most favorite song of 2016, and "Paris" took the penultimate spot on the "Best of 2017" list. Todd also gave "Something Just like This" with Coldplay a positive review.
  • Charli XCX: Todd generally likes Charli XCX as a singer, but she wrote some songs that Todd hated.
  • Coldplay: Todd hated their early 2000s work (e.g., "Yellow", "Clocks", "Speed of Sound"), but he has since warmed up to their 2010s work (e.g., "Viva la Vida", "A Sky Full of Stars", "Adventure of a Lifetime", "Something Just Like This").
  • DaBaby: While Todd likes DaBaby's output, he is a similar case to Cee Lo Green, Sia and Morgan Wallen in that his comments at Rolling Loud in July 2021 aren't likely to sit well with Todd.
  • Doja Cat: In the Worst of 2022 list, Todd stated that he doesn't like her, despite her multitude of positive traits and mega star power. In part, he thinks it's due to her association with Dr. Luke, whose hits-or-else style undoes a lot of her strengths.
  • Drake: Todd outright stated that Drake was wasting his talent in the "Worst of 2013" video, and Todd's patience with Drake seems to be waning.
  • Eminem: While Todd likes Eminem's pre-Encore output, Todd's feelings about his more recent output has been mixed at best to apathetic at worst.
  • Fall Out Boy: Todd likes Fall Out Boy; however, whenever he makes a negative review of a Fall Out Boy song, Todd gets a lot of flak, particularly when he added "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" on the "Worst of 2013" list.
  • Ariana Grande: As Todd tweeted: "[she has] pipes like Mariah Carey, [and] diction like Elmer Fudd".
  • Cee Lo Green: Despite "Fuck You!" topping the Best of 2011 list (which Todd eventually retracted), it's unlikely his rape comments will sit well with Todd.
  • Lauryn Hill: He described her acclaimed debut as "fierce, thoughtful, inspiring", and said she was a great performer when she had a good night. However, she has a bad habit of showing up late to concerts, and Todd was baffled that despite this, she didn't postpone her MTV Unplugged 2.0 performance after blowing her voice out in a rehearsal the night before. He called the recording of this concert one of the worst albums ever made — the songs are unfinished and sound the same, she sang and played badly, and the songs are intercut with disjointed rambling about her performance being "real" because "reality is good", which Todd felt was merely a pretentious excuse for her poor performance. Then she never released another album. If Todd puts Lauryn on the list, he'll probably be sympathetic towards her because many of her behaviours can be attributed to her emotional issues, and he criticized her record company for releasing the Unplugged 2.0 album to squeeze more money out of her. However, he also admitted that he felt insulted by her personally when he listened to the album.
  • Imagine Dragons: Todd loved them upon the release of "It's Time" back in 2012, but almost everything they put out since then has brutally underwhelmed him. At the end of 2019, he stated he really wants to like them despite being one of their vocal critics.
  • R. Kelly: Todd said he likes R. Kelly's voice but finds him to be a disgusting human being for being a pedophile.
  • Kesha: Todd seems to have a love/hate relationship with Kesha. However, Todd may be more sympathetic towards Kesha due to the alleged sexual abuse done to her by Dr. Luke.
  • Lady Gaga: Todd admits that she is a very talented singer, songwriter, and performer; however, Todd dislikes her more pretentious and eccentric aspects.
  • Kendrick Lamar: Todd likes Kendrick's solo work, but his guest appearances with Robin Thicke, Taylor Swift, Sia and Maroon 5 reek of Sell-Out; however, he later admits that Kendrick seems uncomfortable with being a guest rapper on pop tracks.
  • Dua Lipa: Todd states in the "Without Me" review that he likes Dua Lipa but notes that she lacks anything to really make her stand out. In the "Sweetest Pie" review, he explicitly called her frustrating because her songs are consistently good, but never great enough to make his Best lists (except "New Rules" in 2018).
  • Bruno Mars: Todd admits that Bruno Mars is a talented singer/songwriter and good at making retro-esque songs; however, Todd hates his more melodramatic and wangsty material.
  • Nicki Minaj: Todd likes her more aggressive rap singles but hates her softer pop singles and later stated that, like Drake, she's wasting her talent by staying with Young Money.
  • Morrissey: Todd has stated that there isn't a single Morrissey song he knows that he doesn't like, be they solo or with The Smiths, but he is weary of his questionable political views.
  • One Direction: Todd hated their songwriters for pandering to their teeny-bopper fanbase more than the band's members themselves, and soften up on them with the "Best Song Ever" review. However, Todd dislikes Zayn's solo work.
  • Panic! at the Disco: Todd liked their earlier work, but he states that frontman Brendon Urie is seemingly undergoing "Adam Levine-ization", with their comeback single "High Hopes" making Todd's dishonorable mentions for 2018, and Todd thoroughly trashes his guest vocals in Taylor Swift's "ME!". However, in the Best of 2019 retrospect, Todd drops the comparison to Adam Levine and Maroon 5 in favor of comparing Urie to Rivers Cuomo and Weezer.
  • Katy Perry: Todd hated Katy Perry since her 2008 breakthrough "I Kissed a Girl", yet several songs of hers ended up on Todd's best lists, most infamously "California Gurls" in 2010 at #2. Todd tried to embrace her tastelessness wholeheartedly after 2011; however, her output since her divorce from Russell Brand, particularly from Prism, reaffirmed everything he hated about Katy Perry, stating that most of her output since then was either too tasteless (e.g. "Dark Horse", "This Is How We Do", "Bon Appétit", "Swish Swish") or not tasteless enough (e.g. "Wide Awake", "Roar", "Unconditionally", "Rise"). However, Todd later admitted that Katy Perry is best enjoyed sparingly.
  • Rihanna: Similar to Kesha, Todd mainly seems to have a love-hate relationship with her. Despite admitting that he mostly liked her music in a 2011 FAQ (which he rescinded in his "S&M" review), he mainly grew to dislike her over the next year for her Call of Duty-esque release schedule for new albums, seemingly favoring quantity over quality, acknowledging that her managers have been afraid of her being forgotten, refusing to let her take a break. Despite this, Todd might have grown a fonder tolerance of her, as she only released one album since those comments, and was the main reason why "FourFiveSeconds" made his 2015 Best list.
  • Ed Sheeran: Todd has a higher tolerance of Ed Sheeran than he does for most WGWAGs; however, Todd seemed uncomfortable about adding 2 Ed Sheeran songs to his "Best of 2014" list. "Shape Of You", on the other hand, shows that Todd doesn't like the idea of Ed being a man about sex.
  • Sia: Todd has mixed feelings over Sia's music, and she somehow tends to be even more eccentric than Lady Gaga; while Lady Gaga relishes the limelight, Sia actively shuns it. Similar to Cee Lo Green however, her comments regarding autism in the aftermath of Music aren't likely going to sit well with Todd.
  • Taylor Swift: Todd claims that he's had more than enough Taylor Swift in his life for a long, long time; however, Todd admits that most of the hate against her is overblown. Her transition from country-pop to straight up pop doesn't help Todd's opinion.
  • T.I.: While “Live Your Life” was one of Todd’s favorite songs of 2009, his comments about his daughter’s body and sexuality almost certainly cross a line.
  • Justin Timberlake: While Todd generally likes JT, his output since "Suit and Tie" has not impressed Todd.
  • Usher: While Todd likes Usher as a singer, he was partly responsible for bringing Justin Bieber into public consciousness.
  • Morgan Wallen: Todd named his song "More Than My Hometown" as his Best Hit Song of 2020, only to immediately disown him a few weeks after as he caught into controversy for yelling the N-word on camera.
  • The Weeknd: Todd didn't think too highly of him at first, particularly criticizing his voice in "The Hills" review, but several songs of The Weeknd's has made his most recent best lists, albeit most of them are with artists which Todd generally likes.
  • Kanye West: Todd generally liked Kanye's output, but found his ego to be unbearable. Todd said he was finally done with Kanye in the 2018 Worst list.
  • Zedd: Much like Ed Sheeran for WGWAGs, Todd likes Zedd's work more than most EDM artists, but Todd states that Zedd tends to drain the featured artist's personality, citing Paramore frontlady Hayley Williams in "Stay the Night" as an example.

    Todd's Top 10 Favorite Artists and Bands of All Time 

    Todd's Top 10 Most Overrated Artists/Bands 
  • ABBA: Despite their positive reputation nowadays and success in their heyday, Todd thinks they're terrible.
  • Bryan Adams: Todd thinks we decided to give him a pass because of "Summer of 69".
  • Justin Bieber: His reputation has improved since his early years in music, but Todd still doesn't like him.
  • Chris Brown: Does he even need an introduction?
  • Captain & Tennille: They're pretty much the quintessential act of the Lame '70s.
  • Chicago: Todd's most hated rock band of all time.
  • Luke Combs: Todd doesn't get his hype except for "not being Dan + Shay".
  • Deftones: Todd doesn't get why they're considered the "guilt-free nu-metal" band.
  • Jason Derulo: He's been one of Todd's most hated artists since "Whatcha Say", with "Wiggle" in particular earning a special brand of scorn from him.
  • Drake: While Todd likes Drake as a whole, he has been baffled by how ubiquitously huge he's been in the 2010s and is absolutely burnt out by his incessant dominance of the hip hop industry. Mostly, it's Drake's output from the second half of the decade, such as "God's Plan", "In My Feelings", "One Dance", and "Jumpman" that would win him a spot on this list, although Todd does at least like a few of his recent tracks, including "Passionfruit", "Nice for What", and his guest verse on "SICKO MODE". In the negative "Toosie Slide" review, Todd reaffirms that he's tired of Drake — he complains about the sheer number of dreary Drake songs and says that Drake hasn't grown much as an artist. While Todd still likes some of Drake's music, he argues that it's a function of quantity, not quality ("there's probably at least one good song among all of these").
  • Lauryn Hill: Might get an honourable mention because of her album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, which Todd despised even though it has a lot of defenders.
  • Enrique Iglesias: Todd called him the blandest of the late '90s Latin pop artists and hated "I Like It" and especially "Tonight (I'm F***ing You)".
  • Imagine Dragons: They're popular, but Todd dislikes most of their output. However, they're not likely to be that high on the list because their reputation isn't too good, at least with other music critics.
  • Jewel (pre-sellout): Todd wasn't impressed by her attempts to be deep, and thought she tended to oversing.
  • The Jonas Brothers: Todd doesn't understand the hype for these guys at all, saying they're "just there". By the end of 2019, he had decided he hates their post-comeback material, putting "Only Human" at #10 on his Worst list and even saying he despises "Sucker". However, he doesn't think their Disney-era music was horrible and understands why they have an enduring fanbase.
  • Led Zeppelin: Namely for Jimmy Page, who, despite his talent, is infamous for being a Control Freak when it comes to the band's sound.
  • Lil Dicky: Todd suspects that a lot of his success comes from AstroTurf and his skills at self-promotion, and not from having songs that are worth listening to.
  • Lil Wayne: Hinted mostly in the "I Can Transform Ya" Pop Song Review, but certainly not helped by his 2010s hits, either. Todd also said "A Milli" is one of his most hated songs ever in his FAQ.
  • LMFAO: Todd dislikes their party songs and hates the fact that the only reason they ever got famous was due to nepotism, with both members of the duo being descendants of Motown founder Berry Gordy. However, it's also possible Todd is now nostalgic about "Party Rock Anthem" as he initially predicted, especially since pop music has become so downbeat and depressing in recent times, in contrast to the mindless fun LMFAO brought to the genre.
  • Lukas Graham: They didn't even achieve that much success, but Todd hated them so much that they may make a low spot or a dishonorable mention.
  • Maroon 5: Todd singles out "Moves Like Jagger" as the moment their musical quality started to decline. In the "Girls Like You" review, Todd straight up compares Maroon 5 to his other most hated rock band of all time, Chicago. In the Worst of 2019 video, Todd said even early Maroon 5 was overrated, despite having their moments.
  • MC Hammer: "Well the big reason is, and bear with me here, Hammer wasn't good to begin with."
  • Olivia Newton-John: She was one of the biggest stars in the world in the '70s and early '80s, but Todd has stated he dislikes her work, having singled out "I Honestly Love You" and "Physical" as particularly bad songs.
  • Nickelback: They've been pretty popular, but are not that likely to make a high spot because they also get a lot of hate (which Todd thinks is deserved).
  • Pitbull: Possibly unlikely because although Todd hated Pitbull during the early 2010s, he seems to have become much more nostalgic for him in later years, due to his goofy, upbeat tone and distinct identity. He even gave "Time of Our Lives" an honorable mention in his Best of 2015 countdown.
  • Mike Posner: Like Ashlee and Meghan, Todd has argued that Mike Posner was one of those "successful, but no one really liked them that much" artists. However, Posner became more popular after his comeback. Todd dislikes most of his output, however.
  • Ed Sheeran: While he's not one of Todd's most hated artists overall, the success of songs like "Thinking Out Loud" and especially "Shape of You" might get him a low spot.
  • Ashlee Simpson: She's an interesting case — Todd has argued that no one really liked her that much even at her most popular. If he considers artists that fall under "popular, but no one really likes them that much" overrated, don't be surprised if Ashlee shows up on the list. Her apparent inability to sing live doesn't help.
  • Britney Spears: Todd stated he's never been super impressed by anything Britney has ever put out, although she's mostly avoided the bad zone, aside from a few later tracks she released with will.i.am.
  • Styx: Todd thinks they're unbelievably lame and despises Dennis DeYoung's voice almost as much as Peter Cetera's.
  • Taylor Swift: She's very popular, but Todd only loves a small handful of her songs and has put her on multiple Worst lists (most notably giving her both the #1 and #2 spots on the 2017 list). However, he has also called her "one of the greatest pop stars of our time" for her ability to capture the public's imagination, so she's not likely to end up high on the list.
  • Meghan Trainor: Like Ashlee Simpson, Todd has argued that while she was highly popular at a time, no one really liked her that much. Todd himself disliked Meghan's music, but gave it somewhat of a pass because it at least had upbeat production and wasn't generic.
  • will.i.am: While Todd recognizes why will.i.am is successful, calling him the Michael Bay of music, he also despises his work, citing annoying sounds as his primary influences. Unlike Pitbull, Todd does not seem to have warmed up to him at all — he has bashed the will.i.am sound as late as in the "Look What You Made Me Do" review.

    Todd's Top 10 Most Underrated Artists/Bands 
  • a-ha: "Did they deserve better? Hell, yeah, they did."
  • Coolio: After his untimely death, Todd tweeted that he "never got his due".
  • Dexys Midnight Runners: "Did they deserve better? Um, yes. The answer to that is yes, I hope I made that clear."
  • Fastball: Todd grew up a fan of theirs and stressed that they're not one-hit wonders in his Worst of 2016 video.
  • Carly Rae Jepsen: Although Todd thought "Call Me Maybe" was overrated at the time of its release, Carly's later work in the indie pop scene has thoroughly and completely won him over, resulting in three of her non-hits getting honorable mentions in his year-end countdowns ("Run Away with Me" in particular is one of his favorite pop songs of all time).
  • Midnight Oil: A one-hit wonder in America. Todd loves them so much that he thinks they deserved way better even though they were already huge in their native Australia.
  • Janelle Monáe: Strongly hinted in the Best of 2018 countdown, where Todd lamented that she's never going to be a real pop star despite her talent.
  • Scatman John: He's one of Todd's favorite one-hit wonders ever. Mind you, "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" didn't even crack the top 40 in America.
  • Barry White: Although Barry was successful in his day, Todd feels he should be recognized more for his artistic prowess.

    Top 10 Most Controversial Artists and Bands 

    Top 10 No Hit Wonders 
Artists and bands who are well known, influential, and popular, yet do not have a Top 40 hit on the Hot 100.
  • 311: The band has several hits on the alternative charts, have 9 albums in the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 and celebrate their own holiday: 311 Day, an extended concert held on March 11 of every even numbered year since 2000.
    • Likely jossed, as in his OHW review of "Butterfly", Todd stated that he hates 311.
  • Against Me!
  • Alice in Chains: Despite almost no hits on the Hot 100, Alice in Chains have the distinction of having the first EP, Jar of Flies, to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200.
  • Anastacia: She's known for being an American pop singer who's had success in every corner of the world except her own country. Her debut single "I'm Outta Love" charted at #11 in Canada right before Canadian pop radio started relying more on music popular in the US, and even topped the US dance chart.
  • Björk
  • Bob Marley: "Roots Rock Reggae" did hit #51 however.
  • Cage the Elephant: Despite having nine #1 alternative hits, they have never had that one big crossover hit.note  Although they remain popular with a devoted fanbase.
  • Garth Brooks: Discounting the one hit as Chris Gaines, none of Garth Brooks' country hits were ever released to pop radio.
  • Mika: He suffers from the curse of being a British pop act that debuted during the Bush years, but he has a sizeable LGBT Fanbase stateside (which includes Todd's Song vs. Song cohost Alina Morgan).
  • Janelle Monáe: Two of her albums have charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, and her work has recieved widespread critical acclaim, but much to Todd's frustration, she's never come close to having a top 40 hit aside from her guest spot on Fun's "We Are Young". He also noted in the James Somerton debunking video that "normies don't listen to Janelle Monáe" when talking about James' claims about Monáe having to openly come out because people didn't understand "Pynk".
  • Oingo Boingo: "Weird Science" was the closest to the Top 40 the band had reached at #45. Like Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, Oingo Boingo frontman man Danny Elfman is very well known as a composer and a frequent collaborator with Tim Burton.
  • Phish: Like the Grateful Dead, Phish are very well known for their live performances, have a devoted following (especially among tape traders), and don't perform the same show twice. Phish inherited the role as the jam band to follow after Jerry Garcia's death.
  • Primus
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan
  • Slipknot: Corey Taylor's lesser-known band, Stone Sour, briefly cracked the top 40 with "Through Glass".
  • Sublime
  • Swans
  • The Offspring: "Come Out and Play" cracked the top 40 on the airplay charts, however.
  • The Ramones
  • tool
  • Townes Van Zandt: One of the most influential songwriters in folk music to never have seen chart success in his lifetime.
  • Velvet Underground: Frontman Lou Reed hit top 40 with "Walk on the Wild Side," but his group did not had the same luck.
  • Yellow Magic Orchestra

    Top 10 Worst/Dumbest Band Names and Stage Names 
While bands and artists which Todd hates would be the obvious targets, this list can potentially include artists and bands Todd may otherwise like. In particular, any band or stage name that uses Xtreme Kool Letterz, Letters 2 Numbers, or a Lucky Charms Title are likely candidates for this list.
  • 50 Cent
  • 6ix9ine: It's surprising Todd doesn't call him "Six-ix Nine-ine" to spite him.
  • Alien Ant Farm
  • Anal Cunt: While the name is clearly for shock value, it might still make the list for Country Matters.
  • Awkwafina: Namely because it's too phonetically similar to the brand of bottled water Aquafina.
  • The Band: Probably the most uncreative band name ever.
  • beabadoobee
  • Bhad Bhabie: AKA, the "Cash me ousside" girl from Dr. Phil.
  • The Black Eyed Peas: Both the name of the group and its members will.i.am, Taboo, apl.de.ap, and Fergie.
  • Butthole Surfers: It was at least a more intentionally repulsive name than the other entries here, but Todd may still include it nonetheless.
  • Captain & Tennille: More so with the Captain than Tennille, since it's her actual maiden surname.
  • Chvrches
  • DaBaby
  • Doja Cat: However, considering that her real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, Todd might give her a pass.
  • Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Flo Rida
  • Florida Georgia Line
  • Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl himself admitted that the band name was "worst fucking band name in the world".
  • fun.
  • G-Eazy: "How you gonna call yourself G-Eazy when there's already a Jeezy? It's like a rap name your grandma would come up with!"
  • Goo Goo Dolls
  • Gotye: Even though Todd likes his music, he did call Gotye's name unpronounceable, which might make it an honorable mention.
  • Gudda Gudda: "Sir, I can tell you're a man of taste and class and intelligence named Gudda Gudda, so I can tell you're already clearly well beyond criticism".
  • Hoobastank: Especially since it's a mangling of an actual German name.
  • Hootie & the Blowfish: He called it "one of the stupidest names in the history of rock".
  • Iwrestledabearonce: In the "Party Rock Anthem" review, Todd called this a name that "must've seemed funny at one point for, like, a minute".
  • Jae Millz
  • Jelly Roll
  • Juice WRLD: Todd thought this sounded like the name of a mall kiosk after a sign burned out. However, Todd might exclude him due to his sudden death in late 2019.
  • JVKE
  • Kajagoogoo
  • Kid Ink: In the Worst of 2014 list, Todd claims that Kid Ink sounds like a brand of glitter pens.
  • Kid Rock
  • Korn
  • Lil Baby: Hinted in the Worst of 2018 list, when Todd said, "I wasn't gonna make fun of your name, dude. It's too generic for that!"
  • Lil Chuckee
  • Lil Dicky: Todd is clearly tired of Dicky's Teeny Weenie jokes.
  • Lil Pump: Todd mocked it for meaning "small penis".
  • Lil Twist
  • Lil Uzi Vert: Todd said this rap name was just a bunch of random words.
  • Limp Bizkit
  • LMFAO: Both the name of the duo and its members RedFoo and SkyBlu.
  • lovelytheband
  • Mack Maine
  • MAGIC!
  • Maroon 5: If only as an excuse to bash his most hated modern band of all time even more.
  • Metallica: Todd thinks it's a "shitty name for a metal band", comparing it to if a rapper called himself "Rap Man".
  • Migos: Both the name of the group and its members Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset, although Takeoff's 2022 murder might exclude them.
  • Morningwood: Another name Todd mocked in the "Party Rock Anthem" review for similar reasons as Iwrestledabearonce.
  • OneRepublic: Todd thinks this one stinks of corporate marketing and sounds like the name of a bank.
  • Passenger
  • Portugal. The Man: Todd said that they had one of the worst band names in history in the "Thunder"/"Feel It Still" review.
  • Powfu: Todd thoroughly criticized his name in his Pop Song Review of "death bed (coffee for your head)", even attacking it before he was done with the episode's piano intro.
  • Puff Daddy: Also known as P. Diddy, Diddy, or Puffy.
  • Rae Sremmurd: The name is "Drummer's Ear" backwards.
  • SHAED
  • Soulja Boy: Given Todd's hate of him, Soulja Boy is a likely target.
  • T-Streets
  • T-Wayne: "This is T-Wayne, who is currently tied with Young Thug for "World's Most Generic Rap Name"."
  • TechN9ne
  • Tyga
  • Tyler, the Creator: A February 2013 tweet by Tyler admitted the name was stupid.
  • The Weeknd
  • Wiz Khalifa
  • XXXTentacion: Like Juice WRLD above, he may get a pass due to his young death.
  • Young Black Teenagers: Todd will surely consider this title to be a Non-Indicative Name, as the members were all white.
  • Young Thug: Todd finds it too uninspired.

    Top 10 Worst Career/Image Changes 
  • Garth Brooks becoming Chris Gaines, a fictional pop singer who was supposed to be the main protagonist of a movie that was ultimately never made.
  • The Clash's second lineup. Todd thought Bernie Rhodes' muddy, synthy production badly ruined Cut the Crap, and felt the record failed miserably to bring the Clash back to their raw punk roots.
  • Miley Cyrus's Bangerz-era persona: While Todd wasn't a fan of her Hannah Montana days either, he doesn't seem to appreciate that she broke away from her Disney image by being grossly oversexed and one-dimensionally edgy instead of legitimately mature.
  • Danish eurodance group Daze trying to go Darker and Edgier as a reaction to the Aqua comparisons following their debut record. They employed the famous Max Martin sound associated with Britney Spears as the basis for an anti-authority image, with which they tackled scandalous subjects atypical for bubblegum dance like prostitution and trash television. Despite the novelty, it came off as mostly an Indecisive Parody and badly alienated the group’s original audience, flying completely under the radar in America and bombing even in their native Denmark, where their debut record was a big hit.
  • Bob Dylan becoming a born-again Christian at the turn of the '80s: While Saved and Shot of Love are much worse-received than Slow Train Coming, Todd would probably be puzzled by this sudden change from an artist whose audience is generally very secular.
  • Jewel becoming a dance-pop diva for 0304. Todd thinks she just sold out and couldn't even pull it off well. He also hated her explanation that it was "ironic": For starters, he doesn't buy it and thinks it's a cop-out so she can pretend she's not doing what she's doing. He also argues that even if he did believe it, the whole thing would be self-defeating.
  • Avril Lavigne's gradual maturity regression since "Girlfriend".
  • Madonna going political for American Life: Todd thought it made sense in theory, but Madonna ruined it by making it all about herself.
  • Maroon 5 selling out in the 2010s: Seems like a likely number one choice.
  • Mase becoming a family-friendly Christian rapper on Welcome Back.
  • MC Hammer going hardcore for The Funky Headhunter. It alienated his existing fans who appreciated that he was family-friendly, and failed to bring him new fans because most people found his gangsta image completely unconvincing. Todd also argued that gangsta rap requires lyrics, flow, and the ability to project realness — the exact opposite of Hammer's strengths.
  • Nastradamus-era Nas.
  • Witness-era Katy Perry: Todd was put off by how she tried to reinvent herself as a political artist who made "purposeful pop" when most of the tracks completely failed to deliver that, and her surrounding attempts at activism mostly consisted of a feeble "why can't we all just get along?" message that just didn't work in 2017. However, this probably wouldn't make a high position because Todd often found her fascinating and sympathetic during this era even if he wasn't impressed by what she was doing.
  • Snoop Lion: When Snoop Dogg converted to Rastafarianism and became a reggae musician. It was an abrupt Genre Shift, and many Rastafarians suspected that he didn't genuinely appreciate the religion and just embraced it as a PR stunt and excuse to get high.
  • Taylor Swift's Darker and Edgier reputation-era persona: Todd doesn't think Taylor Swift can play the bad guy, and argued that the change in image was a last-ditch attempt at spin from a woman who had badly lost control of the narrative. This seems pretty likely to end up high on the list, as New Taylor is so far the only artist to make both #1 and #2 on the same Worst list. note  It doesn't help that Todd put another New Taylor song on the Worst of 2018 list (though only at #8) and reaffirmed his hate for Taylor's obsession with her reputation.
  • Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco's Adam Levine-ization since Pray for the Wicked: Possibly unlikely because in the Best of 2019 list, Todd decided Brendon Urie is starting to look more like 2000s Weezer than Maroon 5. Time will tell though whether or not he'll start to worsen as time goes on.
  • Kiely Williams's attempt to go Darker and Edgier with the controversial "Spectacular", which ended up killing her career.

    Top 10 Best Career/Image Changes 
  • The Beatles evolving from Merseybeat to psychedelic rock.
  • David Bowie in general.
  • Creed firing Scott Stapp and recruiting Myles Kennedy to form Alter Bridge.
  • Miley Cyrus ditching her oversexualized Bangerz-era image and becoming more respectable.
  • Nelly Furtado going from folksy singer/songwriter pop to Timbaland-produced dance-pop.
  • Carly Rae Jepsen going from an overrated bubblegum pop singer to one of Todd's favorite indie pop artists of all time.
  • Kesha going from dance-pop to singer/songwriter on Rainbow.
  • Lorde on Melodrama.
  • Machine Gun Kelly going from rap to pop punk.
  • Pantera going from hair metal to groove metal.
  • Post Malone's turn towards singer/songwriter alternative music on songs like "Circles".
  • Radiohead evolving out of their angsty grunge phase.
  • Gwen Stefani easing her way into plastic pop.
  • Harry Styles going from just another pretty face from One Direction to the modern equivalent of Peter Gabriel.
  • Sugar Ray going from metal to pop-reggae.
  • Taylor Swift going from an overly vain popstar to a talented acoustic folk singer on her 2020 albums, as well as finally becoming more socially conscious in real life ever since 2018 Tennessee Senate election (despite the flawed choices on "You Need to Calm Down").

    Todd's Top 10 Most Hated Songwriters, Producers, and Record Executives 
This list covers specifically those who write and produce songs for other artists and not necessarily those who write and produce their own material.
  • Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld: These two are the corporate hacks at Razor & Tie responsible for creating Kidz Bop.
  • Bangladesh: AKA, the guy who produced "Break Up" and "Diva" — Todd's #2 and #1 worst hits of 2009.
  • Dave Bassett: The guy who wrote "Second Chance" and "Fight Song". He also wrote "Ex's and Oh's", which might soften Todd's opinion on him.
  • Scooter Braun: He was partly responsible for Justin Bieber's ascension to mainstream consciousness.
  • Cirkut: A "guilty by association" example, he frequently collaborates with Dr. Luke and Max Martin.
  • DJ Mustard: Todd tweeted "You guys might not know [who] DJ Mustard is, but trust me: You hate him". Todd later said on Twitter that he at least understands what he's trying to do, but that it's not really for him. However, Todd seems to have gradually warmed up to him, having put "IDFWU" on his Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2015 list and stating DJ Mustard was the sole reason "Freaky Friday" did not top his Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 2018 list.
  • Dr. Luke: If Todd doesn't hate him for his music, then he'll almost certainly hate him for his alleged sexual abuse towards Kesha.
  • Simon Fuller: While Fuller has an impressive portfolio of artists he's worked with and created the Idol franchise, Todd criticized his production style in the S Club 7 OHW review, especially when compared to Max Martin.
  • Teddy Geiger
  • Steve Greenberg (the one mentioned in the "Who Let the Dogs Out" OHW, not the "Funkytown" one): He's another master of the teenybopper Sell-Out, responsible for shaping acts such as The Baha Men, The Jonas Brothers, Hanson, and AJR into what they're best known as. However, his roster is a bit more diverse than that (e.g. Fountains of Wayne), so Todd might spare him.
  • David Guetta
  • Calvin Harris: Todd used to hate Harris' early work but has since started to lighten up on him.
  • Marshmello: In the Worst of 2019 list (which "One Thing Right" with Kane Brown was #7), Todd called him the worst of the big name producers, claiming he ruins everything he touches with his featureless production that all sounds the same, regardless of who he works with.
  • Mike Will Made It: "I mean, that's not a calling card at the beginning of his songs, that's a warning label."
  • Lou Pearlman: His 2016 death will not likely spare him any ire for his shady business practices, which landed him in federal prison.
  • Bernie Rhodes: His meddling made Cut the Crap sound much worse than it had to. In the Trainwreckords episode, Todd made it clear that he is not willing to give Rhodes a pass just because he was important to The Clash's previous success.
  • J.R. Rotem: Specifically, Todd hates his misuse and abuse of sampling.
  • Rick Rubin: Probably unlikely since he has lent his hand on a slew of classic albums with artists as diverse as LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down and Johnny Cash. However, Todd can still talk about how Rubin is often associated with the Loudness War.
  • Shellback: He frequently collaborates with Max Martin.
  • Phil Spector: Todd admits to liking his work, but the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2003 may warrant a dishonorable mention.
  • Scott Storch: Todd blames him for every bad dance song which was released in the early and mid 2000s, claiming that he uses the same template: "some vaguely world music-sounding Indian riff or something, add hip hop beat, done".
  • Ryan Tedder: Todd's opinion of Tedder and OneRepublic might have softened at the expense of Imagine Dragons; however, that doesn't mean Tedder still didn't write and produce songs which Todd dislikes.
  • will.i.am: Not content with keeping his awful beat(s) to himself, he sometimes lend his composition "skills" to other artists.

    Todd's Top 10 Favorite Songwriters and Producers 
  • Max Martin: Despite making several Pop Song Chord songs that made the Top 10 since the mid-1990s, he has produced several songs Todd likes, including some Katy Perry hits, and four of his songsnote  made his best list for 2015. Additionally, Todd made quite a few favorable comments about his production style while discussing the comparatively "edgeless" S Club 7.
  • Prince
  • The Smeezingtons: Despite Todd's mixed feelings with Bruno Mars, he admits that Bruno is a talented songwriter.
  • Timbaland
  • Pharrell Williams

    Top 10 Worst Black-Appropriating Artists 
  • Awkwafina: Todd could note she is a rare example who is also a POC (East Asian) in this case.
  • Iggy Azalea

Music Videos, Films, and TV Shows

    Top 10 Worst Music Videos 
  • "Your Body" by Christina Aguilera: Hinted in a tweet. Todd called it a ripoff of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" without the self-awareness to justify the shock value.
  • "Yummy" by Justin Bieber: Todd compared it to the Mr. Creosote scene from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, stating that the video takes the food theme too literally and that the food looked extremely unappetizing.
  • "Father & Son" by Boyzone: He'll probably find this music video so unfitting of the track that it's a disgrace even to Cat Stevens, who he already hates. Despite the song being a solemn piano ballad from the perspectives of a rapidly aging father and his coming-of-age son, the music video instead focuses on the five members of Boyzone making seductive poses. Like One Direction's "Little Things", the song loses its personal tone due to its presentation (although the song itself is at least a Ronan Keating solo performance).
  • "Adventure of a Lifetime" by Coldplay: Todd found the CGI monkeys so off putting, he instead used footage of Coldplay's performance at Super Bowl 50 for the "Best Hit Songs of 2016" retrospect.
  • "One Last Breath" by Creed: Hinted here. In the "Sweetest Pie" review, he called it an "all-time stinker", said it was ridiculous even by Creed's standards, and mocked a case of Special Effect Failure.
  • Miley Cyrus
    • "Can't Be Tamed": Todd called this Miley's initial attempt to sexualize her image by being a bird.
    • "Wrecking Ball": Todd argued that the gratuitous nudity and weird content like Miley licking a hammer and riding a giant (wrecking) ball didn't fit the subject matter at all, and just dragged down whatever gracefulness the song could've had.
  • "Way 2 Sexy" by Drake ft. Future & Young Thug: Todd called it "part of the Dave Meyers pantheon of being butt-ugly and doing way too much".
  • "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65: Todd said the CGI looked bad even for the time, and called the blue alien butt-ugly.
  • "Steam" by Peter Gabriel: Todd considers it obscenely bad, describing it as "a really horny version of those animated scene transitions on Home Improvement", comparing it to Eminem's "Just Lose It" and "We Made You".
  • "Shush Up" by Alison Gold: The video portrays Alison Gold as a sexualized criminal who dances, commits robbery with implied murder, and is put to death in the electric chair. This would have been somewhat sleazy, but nothing unusual, if it weren't for one thing: Alison was still a preteen when it was filmed. The backlash was swift and intense. The video was pulled within days, and Alison hasn't released anything since. It also killed the career of Patrice Wilson, the mastermind behind Ark Music Factory and much of its acts, who awkwardly defended the video and called it "art". His 2015 single only gained attention for its utterly bizarre music video. While Todd may think picking on a stupid video by someone who was basically a child would be mean, he may mention this video to berate the adults involved in its production, and possibly criticize Ark Music Factory in general. (He has mentioned on Twitter that Alison made her earlier single "Chinese Food" bad on purpose to get it more views, but he could still argue that the adults at Ark shouldn't have agreed to it.)
  • "Intuition" by Jewel: Todd criticized the Indecisive Parody aspect of it — he felt that her "it's ironic" explanation was merely a cop-out she could pull when her pop makeover and the sexual imagery inevitably got her accused of selling out.
  • "Hello Kitty" by Avril Lavigne: Hinted in the "Shake It Off" review, where Todd used "Hello Kitty" as an example of Lavigne releasing something flailing and desperate. The controversy surrounding the video's portrayal of Japan doesn't help.
  • "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO: RedFoo's and SkyBlu's flopping junk would likely make this list.
  • "7 Years" by Lukas Graham: He called the video "completely insufferable" when he named this song the worst hit of 2016.
  • "American Life" by Madonna: Specifically, the makeshift video with anything anyone could object to removed, so it ended up saying and implying nothing. Even the American flag is mixed in with a bunch of other flags. Todd called out Madonna for chickening out and cancelling the original video, which was a shocking critique of the Iraq war.
  • "Break Up" by Mario ft. Gucci Mane & Sean Garrett: He mockingly called it the "dumping you dance" in his Worst of 2009 countdown.
  • Maroon 5
    • "Animals": Todd found the premise of "Adam Levine is a going to hunt you down and kill you in a sexy way" creepy, and argued that such a role is unfitting for Levine.
    • "Girls Like You" ft. Cardi B: Todd noted in his review of the song that unlike when Drake did a similar thing with "Nice for What", this video doesn't work for him, as it just reminds him "that important things are happening while Levine jerks around singing banal shit that even he doesn't care about", and that the women here "don't get to do anything but try in vain to bust a groove to this beatless, grooveless song", noting that even Ellen DeGeneres couldn't bring herself to dance to it.
  • "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars: Specifically the monkey version.
  • MC Hammer
    • "It's All Good": Todd described this video as "the real embarrassment", claiming that Hammer trying to dance like a gangsta made the entire pose look like choreography.
    • "Pumps and a Bump": Specifically the original video, for showing Hammer's bulge right at the camera. Todd argued that Hammer changing his image to become more sexual didn't work because unlike teenage stars who demonstrate that they're reaching sexual maturity alongside their audience, Hammer was much older than his audience of little kids, which he commented: "So him waving his dick and like 'oh check me out, I'm growing into my sexuality.' It's more like being flashed by your youth counselor." Todd will probably go with the "It's All Good" video over this, but it could still get a dishonorable mention.
  • "Sweetest Pie" by Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa: Todd called it "part of the Dave Meyers pantheon of being butt-ugly and doing way too much". He also felt that it didn't fit the tone the song was going for, and that the Witch Hunt metaphor didn't work because the two singers' characters actually were evil witches.
  • Katy Perry
    • "Bon Appétit" ft. Migos: Hinted in the "Yummy" Pop Song Review, where Todd said the sexual metaphor is badly misguided because nobody wants to literally eat Katy Perry. He reaffirmed his hate for the video in the Witness Trainwreckords, where he said that it was too gross to be fun and too stupid to be erotic.
    • "Swish Swish" ft. Nicki Minaj: Todd said it's "beyond even her zone of acceptable tackiness," and later said "it may be the worst video of the decade" in the Witness Trainwreckords episode. He highlighted the use of dated memes, the poor attempts at comedy, and that the "goofy basketball game" concept doesn't work at all for a song where Katy tries to be tough.
  • "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran: Todd tweeted here that he thought the video was normal-bad until the halfway point where it takes a hard turn into nonsense, noting that he would call it a Creator Killer if not for Sheeran's maddening imperviousness to cringe. It was also the main reason the song got a dishonorable mention in his Worst of 2021 video, and he later called it "part of the Dave Meyers pantheon of being butt-ugly and doing way too much".
  • "Rock Me Tonite" by Billy Squier: It notoriously features Squier arising from satin sheets and prancing around in a pink tank top. He might have got away with it if it were released today (it has a mention on the Music subpage for So Bad, It's Good), but back in 1984, it just made people think he was gay, and he stopped selling out shows.
  • "Adore You" by Harry Styles: Despite Todd's utter love of the song, he dislikes the music video's focus on a CGI fish. He later called it "part of the Dave Meyers pantheon of being butt-ugly and doing way too much". This tweet confirms that he thinks this is Dave Meyers's worst video, though the one for "Swish Swish" came close.
  • Taylor Swift
    • "Bad Blood" ft. Kendrick Lamar: Described as "terrible" and "overrated" in the Witness Trainwreckords.
    • "ME!" ft. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco: Todd called it "part of the Dave Meyers pantheon of being butt-ugly and doing way too much". In the "Sweetest Pie" review, he highlighted it as an example of Dave Meyers using CGI in a hideous and incoherent way.
    • "Shake It Off": Todd thought the joke about Taylor Swift not fitting the costumes fell flat because they did fit her in his opinion.
  • Justin Timberlake
  • "Best Friend" by Toy Box: Like Eiffel 65 below, this is another example of terrifying late '90s CGI from a eurodance group that seemed to be vying for its own Saturday morning cartoon.

    Top 10 Best Music Videos 

    Top 10 Worst Musicals, Music-centric or Dance-centric Films, or Films Starring Musicians (not including nonfictional documentaries or concert films) 
Any film staring Madonna is excluded from this list since Todd covered her entire filmography in the Cinemadonna mini-series.
  • Airheads
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks series: Todd reviewed The Squeakquel with Film Brain.
  • Burlesque: Todd already gave a review of the film.
  • Cats: The 1998 direct-to-video film based on the actual stage show (with several alumni of various international productions reprising their respective roles) was better compared to the 2019 CGI/Live-Action adaption, despite the former being cut down to fit into a two-hour run time.
  • Cool as Ice: The Nostalgia Critic already gave a pretty through review of the film.
  • Crossroads: If Todd does this list, he likely won't add more since he and Lindsay already tore it a new one.
  • Dirty Dancing: Todd already expressed his hate of the film during the "Dirty Bit" review, mainly because his ex-girlfriend subjected the film to him one too many times.
  • Get Rich or Die Tryin': Todd calls the album of the same name "Get Rich and Stop Trying", so the same logic would likely apply to the film.
  • Glitter: Todd already pointed out the film's many flaws despite his love for Mariah Carey.
  • Grease: In the "Worst of 1976" retrospect, Todd briefly mentions that Grease sucks while discussing John Travolta's "Let Her In".
  • Hannah Montana The Movie: Todd already did a review of the film.
  • Heavy Metal: The film has does have cult status as a So Bad, It's Good film, which may spare the film from being on the list proper.
  • Josie and the Pussycats
  • From Justin to Kelly: Todd and Lindsay already reviewed the film, so he's likely to add nothing else.
  • High School Musical series
  • Pitch Perfect series
  • Queen of the Damned: Considering that Aaliyah died before the film was released, Todd might exclude this film.
  • Spiceworld

    Top 10 Best Musicals or Music-centric films 

    Top 10 Worst Rockumentaries (not including mockumentaries) and Concert Films 
  • Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds
  • Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience
  • Justin Bieber: Believe: If only because of Bieber.
  • Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
  • Katy Perry: Part of Me
  • One Direction: This Is Us
  • Rattle and Hum: Todd already discussed the five biggest flaws with the film.

    Top 10 Best Rockumentaries and Concert Films 

    Top 10 Worst Music-centric or Dance-centric TV shows or Reality Shows Starring Musicians 

Lists Regarding Todd in the Shadows episodes

    Todd's Top 10 Most Hated One Hit Wonderland episodes 
  • "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm: While Todd loved the cover, he called Alien Ant Farm the least interesting band he covered on OHW.
  • "Mickey" by Toni Basil: Despite Todd admitting that Toni did pretty well for herself, he still hated the song.
  • "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone
  • "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks: Todd doesn't like the song despite at least respecting its place in pop cultural history, and while he thought Brooks' sophomore album Bad Bad One was decent, he wasn't impressed by her as a whole and was particularly put off by her recent politics.
  • "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling: He stated that he hated this band almost a minute into the review, so it would likely rank fairly high, although not #1.
  • "Butterfly" by Crazy Town: Though Todd actually defends the big hit, he was very unimpressed with the rest of their catalogue.
  • "Laffy Taffy" by D4L
  • "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots: While the song has grown on Todd since he put it at #5 on his Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1976, he certainly doesn't consider Rick Dees to be a legitimately good musician.
  • "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65: Had this not been a Patreon request, Todd would have skipped it entirely.
  • "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo and Patsy: He claims that making the episode was a mistake. Prior to "The Night Chicago Died", it would likely be #1.
  • "Rico Suave" by Gerardo
  • "Party All the Time" by Eddie Murphy: Notably, this is the only one-hit wonder who Todd explicitly felt deserved worse.
  • "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" by Nine Days
  • "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace: He straight-up called it one of the worst songs he's ever reviewed, and unlike bands like Coven and S Club 7, Paper Lace is not redeemed by their other work outside of their signature hit.
  • "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex
  • "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell: Despite loving the hit, he claimed that was mostly due to Michael Jackson. His answer to "Did He Deserve Better?" here was probably the most emphatic no he's ever directed at an artist featured on the show.
  • "Never Had a Dream Come True" by S Club 7: He was more hard on the song rather than the group, though he did inflict some scathing comments in his review, calling them "edgeless" and even going so far to compare them to The Wiggles. However, they're also a guilty pleasure of his to a certain degree, as he finds their music extremely catchy.
  • "Informer" by Snow

    Todd's Top 10 Favorite One Hit Wonderland episodes 
  • "Take on Me" by a-ha
  • "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie
  • "Lovefool" by The Cardigans
  • "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba
  • "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
  • "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness
  • "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite
  • "Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners
  • "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls
  • "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls: Todd called its follow-up "Space Age Love Song" one of his favorite 80s songs, and said that the band deserved a little bit better.
  • "MMMBop" by Hanson: It would likely make the list despite Todd not considering the band a one hit wonder.
  • "Jump Around" by House of Pain: Given that he in his FAQs states that it's his favorite one hit wonder of all time, it would most likely be #1.
  • "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil: He loves them so much that he thinks they deserved way better even though they were already huge in their native Australia.
  • "I Melt with You" by Modern English
  • "Return of the Mack" by Mark Morrison
  • "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals
  • "Here It Goes Again" by OK Go
  • "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett: While his music career didn't extend very far beyond novelty, Todd expressed overwhelming admiration for what a renaissance man he was outside of the original hit.
  • "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers
  • "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Dop)" by Scatman John
  • "Closing Time" by Semisonic
  • "Oh Yeah" by Yello
  • "Bust a Move" by Young MC

    Todd's Top 10 Worst Trainwreckords episodes 
  • Summer in Paradise by The Beach Boys: Todd was appalled by the poor production and abundance of shit covers and shit "Kokomo"s. He levied special criticism towards "Summer of Love", due to Mike Love's cringe-worthy attempts at seductive rapping in his 50s, as well as the John Stamos-led cover of Dennis Wilson's "Forever".
  • Two the Hard Way by Cher and Gregg Allman: Todd thought their voices and styles did not fit together at all, complained about the complete lack of chemistry in their romantic songs, and compared the sound of the album to cheesy TV from the '70s. When it comes to the artists, he's not a fan of Cher's voice in general, and he thought the normally-good Gregg just sounded disinterested. It also didn't help that the potential appeal of a real-life couple singing love songs to each other was seriously undermined by the turbulence of their real-life relationship (which was all over the tabloids), and Todd didn't even like the idea of them as a couple. While he did enjoy "Shadow Dream Song", he was less than impressed by the rest of the album.
  • Cut the Crap by The Clash: Todd thought Bernie Rhodes' muddy, synthy production badly ruined the album, especially on "Dictator", and felt the record failed miserably to bring the Clash back to their raw punk roots. While he thought "Movers and Shakers", "This Is England", and "North and South" were okay tracks, everything else sounded like pure garbage to him.
  • Mardi Gras by Creedence Clearwater Revival: An album with a lot of songs about CCR's own band chaos might sound like it would at least be entertainingly messy, but Todd didn't even think it was that, and concluded that "this album blows": Doug's songs were forgettable. Stu's were only memorable for the bad singing and excessive amount of attacks on John. Even most of John's songs were disappointingnote , with the exception being "Someday Never Comes", which Todd did find great and may be enough to save the album from a high position.
  • MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 by Lauryn Hill: Todd outright called it one of the worst albums ever made because he felt that it consisted of unfinished, boring songs that sounded the same and were performed badly. Lauryn's rambling about "reality" being a justification/excuse for her poor performance did not help either. So far, this album looks like a major contender for #1.
  • American Life by Madonna: Todd found the hype and baggage surrounding the album very off-putting, even though not everything about the album was horrible to him. Still, the "American Life" rap alone could make this a contender for the list.
  • St. Anger by Metallica: It's one of the single most infamous albums of all time, and even with all the time that has passed since its release, Todd thought it was just as bad as the hype suggested.
  • Funstyle by Liz Phair: Although Todd was starting to warm up to this album's bizarreness and respected Liz Phair's unflinching independence making it, the record's tediously meta lyrical focus ruined any chance he had of admitting to actually liking it.
  • Van Halen III by Van Halen: He thought every song was a malformed mess and described the album as a sad, pathetic note to end the Van Halen story on. Based on this tweet, Van Halen III seems like a definite lock for this list, although it only took three episodes for him to cover another Trainwreckord he hated that badly.
  • Mission Earth by Edgar Winter and L. Ron Hubbard: While Todd enjoyed "Joy City" and thought Winter did a better job than you'd expect given the source material, he concluded that the record was still bad overall. He criticized how it sounded like a cheesy corporate rock album despite its out-there concept, felt that only a few songs were passable, and pointed out how it did a poor job at adapting the source material because it focused too much on random minor aspects of it.

Other Lists

    Top 10 Dumbest Dance Moves/Crazes or Music-related Memes 
  • The Dougie
  • The Macarena
  • The Gangnam Style dance
  • The Electric Slide
  • The Harlem Shake
  • The Soulja Boy dance
  • The Single Ladies dance
  • The Stanky Legg
  • The Cotton-Eye Joe
  • Twerking
  • The Dab
  • The Whip and the Nae-Nae
  • Break Your Legs
  • The Duff
  • The Bop
  • The Chicken Dance
  • The Sprinkler
  • The Juju on That Beat Dance
  • The Mannequin Challenge
  • The Milly Rock
  • The Toosie Slide: He compared it to the Cha-Cha Slide with a bad hangover.
  • Rickrolling

    Top 10 Worst Music Tropes, Clichés, Trends, etc. 
  • AstroTurf: Likely near the top if he considers this a music trend or trope.
  • Auto-Tune: Specifically when its use takes away the performer's personality.
  • Bad breakup songs: Primarily those that come off as immature, bitter, and/or are simply poorly written.
  • "Bling and bitches" rap: In the "Worst of 2013" while discussing Drake's "Started from the Bottom", Todd states that for rappers, the journey is more interesting than the destination.
  • Bro-country
  • Broken Record choruses and hooks: In particular, repeating the title of the song several times as a hook.
  • Celebrity Is Overrated: Todd seems to think it's hard to make the concept of "complaining about how hard it is to be rich and famous" sympathetic. It doesn't help that, as "American Life" shows, attempts to criticize the celebrity lifestyle may end up being shallow and toothless because the celebrity is reluctant to be too critical of themselves, their actions and their life.
  • Charity Motivation Song: Todd dislikes most of them, and thinks that even the good ones are pompous.
  • Christian music
  • Club songs: Todd got pretty tired of these when they were popular.
  • Crunk: Lil' Jon, the Trope Codifier, is a guilty pleasure for Todd; imitators, not so much.
  • Dance crazes: Todd has been pretty harsh on quite a few of these, but he seems to have softened on them.
  • Darker and Edgier: While Todd doesn't like edgeless music, he also thinks many attempts to go Darker and Edgier failed (with reputation being the most notable example). They may be once-innocent artists who just can't make it come across, cases of "I'm edgy because I say I'm edgy", or just people trying too hard to shock.
  • Diss Tracks: Todd feels that the constant diss tracks of the gangsta rap era have aged badly, and has also been pretty hard on some more modern diss tracks.
  • Executive Meddling
  • Female Empowerment Song: Particularly those that overlap with the Self-Empowerment Anthem.
  • Gratutious swearing: Using a curse word at the right time and in the right context can add emphasis to lyrics, but Obligatory Swearing is often a sign of lazy/bad songwriting and immaturity.
  • Hashtag Rap
  • Hotter and Sexier: Often coinciding with Darker and Edgier, many former Disney and Nickelodeon child stars tend to go the route of hypersexualition once their tenure with said networks end to shed their child star image. While this is a predominately female phenomenon, there are a few male examples.
  • "I'm Back, Bitch" singles: They lack substance, and some of them put so much effort into sounding big that they forget to sound good.
  • The Lame '70s
  • The Lame/Stupid '50s and early '60s, as discussed in the "Monster Mash" OHW.
  • Lighter and Softer: As mentioned earlier, Todd typically dislikes songs that lack any edge.
  • Lyrical Shoehorn: Todd tends to criticize forced, cheesy lyrics.
  • Meme/viral songs: Todd tends to dislike songs whose initial chart success was due to a social media trend. He may give a pass to older songs that were actual hits when they were originally released but later resurface as a meme, such as Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up".
  • The Millennial Whoop: Todd calls out songwriters that use the technique to make "boring and thin-sounding" songs seem bigger than they actually are, citing Alessia Cara's "Scars to Your Beautiful" as an example of its misuse.
  • Misogyny Song: Todd may give them a pass if they can be treated as not entirely real, but the sincere-sounding ones disgust him.
  • Mumble rap: Also called SoundCloud rap, due to most mumble rappers getting their start on that platform.
  • Nepotism: Todd tends to dislike artists whose prominence is due to familial or inside connections rather than genuine talent.
  • Novelty songs: Todd finds a lot of them stupid and annoying.
  • Pop Song Chords: While Todd understands why this chord progression is so popular, he dislikes songs that use it without doing anything interesting with it.
  • Repurposed Pop Song: Particularly when a good song is ruined by a bad/nonsensical commercial.
  • Ringtone rap: Popular in the mid-2000s, these songs typically had a repeated catchy hook, and most artists who emphasized making these kind of singles and were not already established tend to be one hit wonders who faded into obscurity almost as quickly as they had risen to fame.
  • Romanticized Abuse: Todd just finds it creepy.
  • Sampling misuse/abuse: Todd tends to dislike songs which fail to add anything to the sample, particularly using the sample only for nostalgia's sake, or use the sample in the wrong context.
  • Self-Empowerment Anthem: Todd tends to dislike these, often for being milquetoast.
  • Sell-Out: Likely near the top if he considers this a music trend or trope.
  • Showbiz satire: Described as "the last refuge of the creatively spent" in the Funstyle Trainwreckords.
  • Teenage Death Song: This is typically considered a poorly-aged fad.
  • Vine/TikTok songs: The Spiritual Successor to ringtone rap, these are songs written with a catchy chorus to soundtrack short form videos, often stupid dance videos which go viral. Regardless of platform, such songs are usually likely candidates to make Todd's worst lists.
  • White Guy With Acoustic Guitar and White Chick With Piano: It's not so much with the literal setup of either, although Todd does call it the bare minimum effort. It's the insincerity behind most WGWAG songs and the dreary melodrama of many WCWP songs as well as the lack of talent and pretentiousness for both genres that is likely to end up high on the list, possibly at #1.
  • Writer Revolt: In the Funstyle episode, Todd says that he find showbiz satire tedious and uncreative. He reaffirms his hate for this kind of song in the St. Anger episode, where he complains that a song about "industry bullshit" that makes the band come off as spoiled babies.
  • Yarling: Often employed by rock artists since the 1990s, Todd compares this style of singing to "singing directly out of [one's] colon" when citing why Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger sucks.
  • Yelping at the end of a line (like in "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons)

    Top 10 Worst Years for Pop Music 
  • 1959: This was the first full year of the dark time Todd described in the "Monster Mash" OHW.
  • 1960: Arguably the peak of the post-rock & roll, pre-Beatles dark era of music. Todd has singled out "Alley Oop" and "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" as particularly bad songs, but 1960 is also plagued by the poorly aged teen tragedy fad. While 1961 to 1962 are not fondly remembered either, those at least saw the beginnings of Motown as a driving force of popular music.
  • 1961: Although Motown was more established this year than it was in 1960, it's possible the dumb novelty songs and output by mediocre teen idols are overall worse to Todd this year than that year.
  • 1962: See 1961.
  • 1974: Very strongly hinted in the Paper Lace OHW, where Todd says its reputation as the worst year for music is well-earned.
  • 1980: Implied in the Carl Douglas OHW. Todd has referred to this era as "the false start of the decade", due to disco being dead, MTV-fueled new wave still not being fully established, and the majority of big hits being dull, forgettable easy listening ballads and featureless blandness. However, in the Dexys Midnight Runners OHW, he pointed out that 1980 was a much better year for music in the UK, where synthpop and new wave were already full-fledged crazes, disco had not truly died, and the 2 Tone movement was at its height.
  • 1981: It's more or less a direct continuation of the dark age of American pop music that started in late 1979 and lasted until the rise of new wave. While MTV debuted in August of this year, Todd noted in the Toni Basil OHW episode that its influence wouldn't be truly felt until the following year.
  • 1986: Hinted in a couple of tweets.
  • 1987: Todd summarized this year's music as being mostly crap when he did his worst of countdown for it, as it was plagued by dull easy listening and badly aged synthpop.
  • 1990: Implied in the Carl Douglas and Deee-Lite OHW episodes. Todd dislikes this year due to its charts being dominated by the awful backwash of '80s hair metal and schmaltzy easy listening ballads, and that the '90s had not truly started yet.
  • 2000: Todd tweeted that this was a terrible year for pop music, in contrast to 1999 being so good. In the S Club 7 OHW, he had hinted that the period was plagued by an overabundance of easy listening ballads, but 2000 was also a negative turning point for Post-Grunge, which saw Creed's "Higher" and "With Arms Wide Open" become two of the biggest songs of the year. He also considers most of 2000's huge smashes overrated.
  • 2001: Implied in the Carl Douglas OHW. Todd hates this year due to the dominance off early 2000s butt-rock, the oversaturation of easy listening ballads, and teen pop hitting a low point, especially with *NSYNC's "Pop".
  • 2014: While 2013 has grown on Todd in hindsight, he still reaffirms his hatred of this year, in which not only was the bad stuff horrible, the good stuff was less good than in previous years. The year as a whole was dominated by Iggy Azalea, dumb butt-themed songs, soulless EDM, and general sleaziness. This tweet pretty much confirmed it.
  • 2017: Although Todd felt 2016 and 2018 both improved towards the end, he felt this year "suuuuucked," due to the lack of hits by real, established pop titans and the dominance of indistinguishable EDM and Migos-wannabe SoundCloud rap.

    Top 10 Best Years for Pop Music 
  • 1965: Implied in the Worst of 1976 countdown. Not only was The Beatles' influence on popular music fully evident this year, it also saw the dynamic beginnings of counterculture rock, with songs like "Like a Rolling Stone", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", and "Mr. Tambourine Man" all being huge hits that year.
  • 1966: Similar to 1965 in that Motown, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and The Beach Boys were all pumping out classic music, while the bad stuff wasn't nearly as prominent as it was in other years.
  • 1967: Psychedelic rock was really coming into its own this year.
  • 1969: Todd has described this as a year when pop culture was especially big. It was the height of the counterculture era of music, which the Year-End list reflects wholly.
  • 1976: Implied in the Worst of countdown, where Todd praised this year's good music as being not just plentiful, but also some of the best ever.
  • 1977: Todd described this as one of the biggest years for pop culture ever in a tweet. In particular, it was defined by disco entering its peak with the release of Saturday Night Fever, the breakthrough of punk rock (which wasn't represented on Billboard's Year-End list but was clearly one of the most important trends in rock), and landmark albums such as Rumours, The Stranger, and Hotel California (which was technically from December 1976, but particularly dominated the charts throughout 1977).
  • 1983: Implied in the Worst of 1976 countdown. This year was ruled by Michael Jackson's Thriller, as well as the full blossoming of new wave.
  • 1984: Todd described this as one of the biggest years for pop culture ever in a tweet and on the Song vs. Song podcast, and this tweet suggests a very positive impression of the year.
  • 1988: Hinted in a tweet.
  • 1992: Although Todd has said he hates the early '90s in pop music, he called this a major inflection point for music in his Best of 2019 video. 1992 was most famously the watershed year for grunge, but it also saw the final stretch of new jack swing, the continued success of Mariah Carey, the release of The Chronic, the success of U2's Achtung Baby, and fresh new bands such as En Vogue, TLC, Jodeci, and Rage Against the Machine overtaking aging relics of the '80s such as Richard Marx. Even hair metal had a few high moments on its deathbed, including Mr. Big's "To Be with You" (which Todd said he liked in his One Hit Wonderland retrospective), Van Halen's "Right Now", and Guns N' Roses' "November Rain".
  • 1999: Todd had called this one of the biggest years for pop music ever, and he's much more forgiving of artists like Will Smith and the Backstreet Boys than other music critics. When talking about "Hot Girl Summer" in the Best of 2019 list, he also hinted that even the year's most maligned single, "Summer Girls" by LFO, is "always a classic" - even though he probably meant that ironically, it's evident that even the cheesiest songs from 1999 were guilty pleasures to him. This tweet suggests further that 1999 would very likely make this list.
  • 2011: This was one of Todd's favorite years for pop music in the 2010s, thanks to dance-pop becoming a bit more diverse and indie music influencing the charts more than it did the previous year.
  • 2019: Todd called it one of the best years he's reviewed in music, thanks to its onslaught of fresh new talents and unpredictable defining hits.
  • 2020: In stark contrast to the year itself, Todd adored the pop music of 2020 and considered it more important in his life than ever. He very nearly did a Top 20 Best Hit Songs video instead of Top 10 because of how many tough cuts he was forced to make.

    Todd's Top 10 Worst # 1 Hits of the 2010's 
The most likely candidates for such a list are #1 hits that made the Worst lists of their respective years. However, some songs that were "just" dishonorable mentions or didn't make the list at all may find their way here — after all, a lot of the songs Todd put on his Worst lists never made it to #1.note 
  • "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX (2014): It avoided the Worst of 2014 list because Todd didn't have room for multiple Iggy Azalea songs.
  • "Harlem Shake" by Baauer (dishonorable mention in 2013): A song that became a hit thanks to a meme.
  • "Imma Be" by The Black Eyed Peas (2010): The Peas' only #1 hit in the 2010's. It's also one of their worst songs according to Todd. While he didn't consider it one of the top 5 worst hits of 2010, none of those were #1 hits. It doesn't help that Todd has soured on the Peas since he made the review.
  • "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi (#4 Worst Hit of 2019): A lock for the list, although in his Pop Song Review, Todd said he was unsure if this is actually worse than "Girls Like You". Still, it's practically guaranteed to make the top 2.
  • "Like a G6" by Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & Dev (2010): Like "OMG", it avoided Todd's honest top 5 Worst list, but could still make this one because he made it clear that he doesn't like it.
  • "Whistle" by Flo Rida (#4 Worst Hit of 2012note )
  • "7 Rings" by Ariana Grande (2019): Todd has given this song a negative review, stating its mean, materialistic tone represented why pop music had to be destroyed in the mid-2010s. It missed the 2019 Worst list though, so it probably wouldn't get anything more than a dishonorable mention.
  • "All of Me" by John Legend (dishonourable mention in 2014)
  • "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO (#3 Worst Hit of 2011): It didn't top the Hot 100 until 2012, but it still qualifies. "As of this writing, it is now officially the #1 song in the country. I'm depressed and I know it."
  • "Rude" by MAGIC! (2014): It only avoided the 2014 list because it was happy.
  • Maroon 5
    • "Girls Like You" ft. Cardi B (#1 Worst Hit of 2018): A guaranteed choice. Based on Todd's Pop Song Review for "Someone You Loved", its only rival for the #1 spot, it's very, very likely to end up in the top 2.
    • "Moves Like Jagger" ft. Christina Aguilera (2011): It avoided the Worst list of 2011, but Todd might make it a dishonorable mention simply because he has singled it out as the moment Maroon 5's musical quality started to decline, eventually making them as bad as Chicago in his eyes.
    • "One More Night" (#3 Worst Hit of 2012note )
  • "Señorita" by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello (2019): This tweet hints that Todd doesn't like it. It may avoid the list due to its innocuous content and lush production, but he may also consider it an absence-of-good song.
  • Katy Perry
    • "Dark Horse" ft. Juicy J (dishonorable mention in 2014): "Holy shit, I didn't have room on the list for 'Dark Horse'?! Christ, this year."
    • "E.T." ft. Kanye West (2011): Even though it missed the Worst list, Todd's Pop Song Review was clearly negative. "Roar" and "Dark Horse" are probably more likely to make the list, but this could still be a dishonorable mention.
    • "Roar" (#1 Worst Hit of 2013): Like the two rivals for the #1 spot, "Girls Like You" and "Someone You Loved", this is a song Todd considers pointless. It's probably destined for a pretty high position.
  • "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer (2011): Todd disliked it, but said it "isn't that bad". It's unlikely to get anything worse than a dishonorable mention.
  • "Psycho" by Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign (#10 Worst Hit of 2018)
  • Ed Sheeran
    • "Perfect Duet" with Beyoncé (#8 Worst Hit of 2017)
    • "Shape of You" (#4 Worst Hit of 2017): Also the #1 song of the year. Todd seems to have hinted to dislike it even more than he did at the end of that year due to its continued success in 2018 and even 2019.
  • Taylor Swift
    • "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar (#4 Worst Hit of 2015): "Look What You Made Me Do" will almost certainly be ranked above this, but this still has a chance of making the list.
    • "Look What You Made Me Do" (#2 Worst Hit of 2017): The song that introduced New Taylor, a Darker and Edgier image Todd hated. He also couldn't stand the song itself. In the "Someone You Loved" Pop Song Review, Todd hinted that it would be #3 on this list, only beaten by "Someone You Loved" and "Girls Like You".
    • "Shake It Off" (#9 Worst Hit of 2014)
  • "OMG" by Usher ft. will.i.am (2010): It avoided Todd's honest top 5 Worst list, but could still make this one because he made it clear that he doesn't like it.
  • "PILLOWTALK" by ZAYN (#3 Worst Hit of 2016)

    Top 10 Worst Music Critisicms 
For things in his fellow reviews and or music critics Todd doesn't like or finds invalid.
  • Mocking "Ironic" for not having anything ironic in it: Todd mentioned in the Song vs. Song podcast that jokes about "Ironic"'s lack of irony in the lyrica are by this point as worn-out as jokes about airline food.

"Top 10 Best Hit Songs" lists for the "retro" years Todd has covered so far (1987, 1976, 2004 & 1991)

     1987 
Todd stated that even in years of bad pop, there are a few classics.
  • "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" by Beastie Boys
  • Bon Jovi:
    • "Livin' on a Prayer"
    • "Wanted Dead or Alive"
  • "In Too Deep" and/or "Land of Confusion" by Genesis: Todd stated he liked every single from the Invisible Touch album (except for "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight"), including the former track, which he stated most were expecting to put on his Worst list for 1987 based on the rest of the list.
  • "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range
  • "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston
  • "Hip to be Square" by Huey Lewis and the News
  • "Let's Wait Awhile" by Janet Jackson
  • "Bad" by Michael Jackson
  • "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes: Despite Todd's hatred for the movie the song is from (Dirty Dancing), he mentioned the song was a solid tune.
  • "Sign o' the Times" by Prince: The credits gag states that this song owned 1987, implying that it would be Todd's top best song for the year. However, Todd may not be able to include it since Prince was a control freak and an Internet Luddite (and Prince's wishes would likely extend to his estate).
  • "Shakedown" by Bob Seger: Hinted in the 1987 Worst list, where he noted that unlike Gregory Abbott, Seger at least knew what he was talking about.
  • "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship: Todd admitted that it was one his favorite songs of the 1980s.
  • U2
    • "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
    • "With or Without You"
  • "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
  • "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Kim Wilde: Possibly unlikely because Todd compared the production of "Are You Red..Y" from Cut the Crap to this, saying there was "barely a difference" between the two, although he did say Cut the Crap sounded worse than typical MTV music.
  • "Big Love" and "Little Lies" by Fleetwood Mac: He stated that this period in their career was "Not the best era of Mac, but certainly worthwhile" in the American Dream trainwreckord.

     1976 
Todd stated early in the review that he could make a Top 30 Best Hit Songs list for 1976 and would still have to make some painful cuts.
  • "Dream On" by Aerosmith
  • "Got to Get You into My Life" by The Beatles: The song was issued as a single in 1976, so it could qualify.
  • "You Should Be Dancing" by Bee Gees
  • "Evil Woman" by Electric Light Orchestra
  • "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac (the piano intro song in the Worst of 1976 list)
  • "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate
  • "That's the Way (I Like It)" by KC and the Sunshine Band
  • "Rock and Roll All Nite" by KISS
  • "Love Rollercoaster" by Ohio Players
  • "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" by Parliament
  • "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
  • "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon
  • "Take the Money and Run" by Steve Miller Band
  • "Fox on the Run" by Sweet
  • "The Boys Are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy
  • "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry: If Todd does this list and includes this song, he already thoroughly discussed the song and band during their One Hit Wonderland retrospect, so Todd likely won't say much else about it.

     2004 
  • "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson: Todd mentioned that he liked Kelly Clarkson early on during the "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" review.
  • "My Band" by D12: Hinted in this tweet.
  • "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" by Jay-Z
  • "Happy People" and/or "Step in the Name of Love" by R. Kelly: Todd said in his Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2013 list that he likes R. Kelly's voice, but finds him to be repulsive as a human being. However, even though "Step in the Name of Love" is the more likely of the two to make the list as he said it was his favorite R. Kelly song on Twitter, his reputation declining over the years due to more allegations (and later convictions) of sexual abuse might cause Todd to leave him off the list.
  • "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You" and/or "Diary" (ft. Tony! Toni! Toné!) by Alicia Keys: He stated that he really loved her second album during the "Girl on Fire" review.
  • "Get Low" by Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins
  • "Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park: Todd said on Twitter that it was his favorite Linkin Park song.
  • OutKast
    • "Hey Ya!": It's technically a 2003 hit and is often seen as one of the greatest pop songs from that year, but it peaked so late that it was only able to appear on the year-end chart for 2004. However, Todd had "Baby Boy," another carryover from '03, on his '04 worst list, so it's still likely.
    • "Roses"
    • "The Way You Move" ft. Sleepy Brown
  • "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell Williams
  • Usher
    • "Burn": Todd mentioned that he liked all of Usher's four #1 singles off of the Confessions album in his "OMG" review (even though according to this, "My Boo" has heavily soured on him).
    • "Confessions, Pt. II": Hinted in the "Whatcha Say" review, where Todd heavily contrasted that song to this, showing that unlike Jason Derulo, at least Usher is genuinely sorry about his wrongdoings.
    • "Yeah!" ft. Lil' Jon & Ludacris: This would probably be #1, as Todd called it the song of the decade alongside Rihanna's "Umbrella". He also praised both this and "Burn" for how it impacted their subsequent album cycle in the Paula Trainwreckords, contrasting it to "Get Her Back" and its failure to do so.
  • "All Falls Down" ft. Syleena Johnson, "Jesus Walks" and/or "Through the Wire" by Kanye West: Todd mentioned in his "Ni**as in Paris" review that he liked Kanye's first five albums, so it is likely that at least one of these will make it on the list.
  • Had "Float On" by Modest Mouse made the Billboard 2004 Year End Hot 100, it would have easily been Todd's top pick. He may let it on anyway.

     1991 
  • "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" by C+C Music Factory
  • "Someday", "Emotions", and/or "Love Takes Time" by Mariah Carey
  • "High Enough" by Damn Yankees
  • "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite: He had a lot of praise for the song in his OHW retrospective on the band.
  • "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls: Like "Groove is in the Heart", he had a lot of praise for the song in his OHW retrospective on the band.
  • "More than Words" by Extreme
  • "Disappear" by INXS
  • "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz
  • "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch ft. Loleatta Holloway: He mentioned in a tweet that this was one of his favorite songs, making it a likely candidate for #1.
  • "O.P.P" by Naughty by Nature
  • "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.
  • "Wind of Change" by Scorpions
  • "Crazy" by Seal
  • "Tom's Diner (DNA Remix)" by Suzanne Vega

Alternative Title(s): Todd In The Shadows Other Top10s

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