You know a cheesy song when you hear it. Whether it’s the lyrics, the beat, or even the voice, there’s something distinct about such a tune and can even cause a physical reaction – anything from an eye roll, to a sneering laugh to even a feeling of nausea.
But here’s the thing: Whether you like to admit it or not, cheesy songs are also the very songs we love singing along to when they’re played on the radio. And while some songs are inherently tacky from the get-go, others take time to build up that quality. That’s why so many of the songs that used to be our favorites back in the day, cause us to feel simultaneously nostalgic and sick to our stomach today.
And while cheesy songs tend to lean toward love as a subject matter, that’s not always the case. Some just aim to make you feel good! And that’s the other thing about cheesy songs: Yes, we love to make fun of them and talk about how they make us feel like throwing up, but still some of them are beautiful; just in a really, really sloppy way.
You’ll see what we mean once you’ve checked out the 17 cheesiest songs above. We got some of these suggestions from StarMaker Studios, a cool company that lets you record your own great versions of your favorite songs – cheesy or otherwise – and feel like a star.