The Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 1991

Introduction
''Todd lets out an exasperated sigh. Screen shots of various tweets requesting...''

Todd (VO): ''[mocking] Todd, why don't you do another Top 10 list? Hey, you should do another Top 10 list. Do another Top 10 list.''

Todd: Fine! [Reaches down, picks up his pile of lists, and leafs through] You know these things are, like, a ton of work, right? I have to do, like, tons of research and editing and...you don't wanna hear it. [Finds a suitable list and puts the rest down] Anyway.

Todd plays "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz 

THE WORST HIT SONGS OF 1991 A year-end review

Todd: Y'all ready for this.


 * Brief clip of 2 Unlimited - "Get Ready for This"

Well, I'm not!


 * Video for C+C Music Factory - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
 * Martha Wash: Everybody dance now!

Todd (VO): 1991 is a strange, strange year for the pop charts. Not necessarily a bad year, but more like an...

Todd: ...aborted expirement.


 * Montage of clips from videos for Mariah Carey - "Emotions", Janet Jackson - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", LL Cool J - "Around the Way Girl", Color Me Badd - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Extreme - "More Than Words", REM - "Losing My Religion", Prince and the New Power Generation - "Cream", Seal - "Crazy", DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Summertime", Divinyls - "I Touch Myself", Chris Isaak - "Wicked Game", EMF - "Unbelievable", Poison - "Something to Believe In", Wilson Phillips - "Impulsive", Deee-Lite - "Groove Is in the Heart", Paula Abdul - "Rush Rush", Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway - "Good Vibrations", and Nelson - "After the Rain"

Todd (VO): Historians call the 20th century the "short century" because every important trend in it seemed to end abruptly with the end of the Cold War in this particular year, 1991. And that's the way this pop chart feels—it's a premature ending instead of a beginning. Except for a few future heavyweights like Boyz II Men and REM, the pop charts of 1991 are littered by artists with no future, be they novelties from short-lived genres, the remaining dregs of hair metal, the soon-to-be eradicated plague of adult contemporary, and a surprisingly large number of no-name Paula Abdul wannabes. 90 of this 1991 list will be has-beens by '92.

Todd: And so, let us examine this year in music that time forgot. We're counting down...


 * Clip of C+C Music Factory - "Here We Go", which serves as the interlude throughout the countdown.
 * C+C: Here we go
 * Here we go

Todd: The Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 1991!

#10
Todd (VO: #10.


 * Clip of Bell Biv Devoe - "Poison"
 * Ricky: [as Todd gets down] Girl, I must warn you
 * Never trust a big butt and smile
 * That girl is poison

Todd (VO): While pretty much every trend of the early '90s now seems horribly dated, the hip-hop-influenced R&B genre called new jack swing now seems...

Todd: ...wonderfully dated.


 * Clip of Boyz II Men - "Motownphilly"
 * Boyz: Motownphilly's back again

Todd (VO): This is retro in the best way, and I don't know why it hasn't made a comeback yet, but I'm sure it will. The tunes are slammin', the bass is jammin', not too hot, not too cold. Really, who doesn't like this stuff?

Todd: [as the song begins] So, let me say that I really, really struggled with putting a song with one of those classic early '90s grooves under it. I don't want something like that to be on this list, but there was this one song that...that I just couldn't get past for...for some reason, and...well, see if you can see the problem.


 * Video for...
 * ABC: Iesha, Iesha
 * So glad to meet ya
 * See you in the schoolyard
 * Strolling with your teacher
 * The little skirt you played

Todd: Why am I watching a group of dancing fetuses?

'#10. Another Bad Creation - "Iesha"

Transcript in progress