Romantic Guilty Pleasures: The Lyrics of Supposedly Bad Love Songs

Love songs are supposed to be romantic. But sometimes, when accompanied with music, we rarely notice how absurd, unrealistic—and bad—the lyrics of these songs are. Inflicted with some of the cheesiest lyrics ever, these songs continue to amuse and entertain people, for all the wrong reasons. Here are some of the acknowledged songs that have bad lyrics you can’t help but chuckle every time you hear it.

“Sometimes,” by Britney Spears

“Sometimes” is innocent enough for a love song. Note this particular part of the lyrics, where the persona of the song is musing of what she wants with her boyfriend and her relationship: “Sometimes I run / Sometimes I hide / Sometimes I'm scared of you / But all I really want is to hold you tight / Treat you right / Be with you day and night / Baby all I need is time.”

It seems sweet, typical of how young girls would think; but those keen enough to look at the lyrics closely would notice how this confusion is unusual. Here, the lyrics say she wants “hold you tight” but is also “scared of you.” So which one is it, Britney? Oddly enough, her dance hits like “Toxic” and “Womanizer” made more sense than this, and her ode to her self-destruction and renewal ‘Pieces of Me” was lauded by critics.

“As Long As You Love Me,” by Backstreet Boys

Another love song with lyrics that seem innocent and even sweet, “As Long As You Love Me” by the popular 90s boy band The Backstreet Boys is saying that they do not have any other requirements for their lovers. All they want is that these people love them. This can be noted in the chorus of the lyrics: “I don't care who you are /Where you're from / What you did / As long as you love me / Who you are / Where you're from / Don't care what you did / As long as you love me.” The lyrics also say that they “Don't care what is written in your history / As long as you're here with me.” This openness is more creepy than romantic.

“Holding Out For a Hero,” by Bonnie Tyler

If The Backstreet Boys barely had any requirements for love, Bonnie Tyler channeled the exact same sentiment with “Holding Out For a Hero.” The lyrics of this 80s cult favorite say “it's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet.” The chorus of the lyrics is even more demanding: “I need a hero / I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light / He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon/ And he's gotta be larger than life / Larger than life.”

Of course, later in the lyrics, the listeners would realize Tyler is channeling her fantasies rather than waxing poetics on actual romanticism. This may not seem like a straight out love song, but Tyler’s appeal for a hero is hilarious and somewhat sad at the same time.