I have dubbed 2007 "The Summer of Annoying Songs". It seems that, more often than not, I will be listening to the radio and suddenly exclaim, "Argh! I hate this song ...".

"Umbrella" by Rihanna has great lyrics, which could be about a relationship or a friendship:

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella

One of my clients' schools actually used this song as the background music for an end of the year slideshow.

The first time I heard this song, I loved it. What made me hate it was, following that, I heard one particular part of it in my head over and over for the next three days:

(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

It seems like there is only one way to get Rihanna's repetatively chanting voice out of your brain ... which brings me to "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston.

This song has a very happy and catchy beat that makes you want to sing along. However, I'm not the only person who has commented on how unsettling the lyrics are:

You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over

It's okay, Sean. You can stand under Rihanna's umbrella!

Speaking of songs about beautiful girls, "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes is, in my mind, the ultimate bad song of summer 2007. I heard it for the first time in a Payless Shoes store, and immediately commented to a total stranger, "Just when you thought this song couldn't get any worse, it did".

Not only does "Cupid's Chokehold" sport the least romantic descriptions of love since 50 Cent said he loved someone "like a fat kid loves cake":

I mean she even cooks me pancakes
And Alka Seltzer when my tummy aches
If that ain't love then I don't know what love is

but it samples an old song which I also hated, "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp:

Take a look at my girlfriend
She's the only one I got
Not much of a girlfriend
I never seem to get a lot

which is also totally non-sensical, considering the rest of the song is about how great his girlfriend is.

Not to mention ... get a lot of what?

If it's what I think it is, maybe if you could write better lyrics, you'd get some.

Ba ba da da!