Worst Pop Radio Callout Scores (1999-2019)

 

For those unfamiliar with how radio works, callouts (surveys of current radio hits likability by a sampling listeners) are the main measure radio programmers use to gauge what they should play/drop. This is a compilation of songs that reached the lowest scores in Pop radio callouts at one point -- negative net positive's.

 

 It is very hard to improve largely negative scores, and even harder to become a radio hit following.

 

Net Positive = the total % likability. Measured by adding % of people who view song positively, and subtracting % of people who view song negatively.

Example: Song has 63% positive reception, 13% negative reception, for a total of +50% net positive. 

 

RANK	ARTIST	SINGLE	NET POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	POP RADIO PK.
1.	Eminem	My Name Is	-53.3%	73.3%	#29
2.	Major Lazer	Bubble Butt	-37.2%	63.6%	#40
3.	Kreayshawn	Gucci Gucci	-23.7%	56.6%	#43
4.	The Chainsmokers	#Selfie	-21.0%	55.5%	#14
5.	No Authority	Can I Get Your #	-19.3%	42.9%	#33
6.	No Doubt	Simple Kind of Life	-17.1%	48.6%	#32
7.	Cher	Song for the Lonely	-16.7%	46.7%	#38
8.	ATC	Around the World	-14.7%	44.6%	#12
9.	U2	Beautiful Day	-13.7%	44.6%	#19
10.	SoulDecision	Ooh It’s Kinda Crazy	-13.5%	43.2%	#26
11.	Kendrick Lamar	Swimming Pools	-12.5%	50.0%	#42
12.	Kid Rock	Cowboy	-11.4%	48.6%	#34
13.	Kanye West	Clique	-10.6%	50.0%	#44
14.	Lil Mama	Lip Gloss	-9.7%	48.4%	#40
15.	Enrique Iglesias	Sad Eyes	-9.7%	38.8%	#34
16.	Emilia	Big Big World	-9.2%	45.0%	#26
17.	Britney Spears	Pretty Girls	-9.0%	43.4%	#18
18.	Willow Smith	Whip My Hair	-7.7%	49.0%	#28
19.	Backstreet Boys	The Call	-7.7%	41.0%	#19
20.	The Darkness	I Believe in a Thing...	-7.3%	45.4%	#35
21.	Eminem	The Real Slim Shady	-6.8%	48.6%	#13
22.	Maroon 5	Feelings	-6.7%	41.9%	#29
23.	Madonna	Nothing Really Matters	-6.7%	36.7%	#25
24.	Mike Posner	Looks Like Sex	-6.5%	45.4%
25.	Silento	Watch Me	-6.4%	44.0%	#18
26.	LMFAO	Sorry for Party Rocking	-6.2%	43.8%	#19
27.	Christina Aguilera	Car Wash	-6.0%	44.0%	#23
28.	Jay-Z	Show Me What You Got	-5.9%	43.4%	#37
29.	Daft Punk	One More Time	-5.9%	32.4%	#33
30.	Las Ketchup	The Ketchup Song	-5.2%	44.9%
31.	Red Hot Chili Peppers	Californication	-5.1%	39.7%
32.	Will Smith	Freakin’ It	-4.1%	40.8%	#40
33.	Kanye West	Mercy	-3.4%	46.4%	#40
34.	Pharrell Williams	Happy*	-3.2%	49.9%	#1
35.	Big Sean	I Don’t F*ck With You	-3.2%	47.0%	#27
36.	Vengaboys	We Like to Party	-3.0%	45.1%	#23
37.	Robin Thicke	Blurred Lines*	-2.9%	49.6%	#1
38.	Jay-Z	Girls, Girls, Girls	-2.7%	45.6%
39.	Avril Lavigne	Wish You Were Here	-2.7%	41.9%	#30
40.	Simple Plan	Shut Up	-2.6%	41.1%
41.	Alice Dejay	Better Off Alone	-2.1%	39.3%	#20
42.	Mariah Carey	I Still Believe	-2.1%	37.5%	#21
43.	Sean Kingston	Back 2 Life	-1.9%	41.7%	#39
44.	Carly Rae Jepsen	I Really Like You	-1.7%	41.4%	#30
45.	Madonna	Give Me All Your Luvin’	-1.6%	41.8%	#24
46.	blink-182	What’s My Age Again?	-1.5%	40.2%	#28
47.	Jesse McCartney	She’s No You	-1.5%	37.7%	#24
48.	Chris Brown	Look At Me Now	-1.0%	45.5%	#32
49.	Drake	Started from the Bottom	-0.8%	42.4%	#38
50.	Britney Spears	Ooh La La	-0.5%	41.0%	#21
51.	Ariana Grande	Focus	-0.5%	40.8%	#13
52.	Jennifer Lopez	Papi	-0.3%	40.8%	#33
53.	Fannypack	Camel Toe	-0.3%	40.8%
54.	Fatboy Slim	Rockafeller Skank	-0.2%	39.5%	#21

* = this was far after a song's peak. It was played so much on radio that it ran into heavy dislike before going recurrent. The song had largely great scores while it was first a hit.

 

Thread idea by @whatyouwant_

51. Ariana Grande - Focus

 

???

this is a masterpiece tho 

#9 Beautiful Day  a literal classic!

 

#16 Big Big World is shocking because thats pure Pop with a universal message. 

 

#28 Show Me What You Got. Lmao  the lack of seasoning whoever gave this a negative score

 

#29 One More Time. WHAT THE ****?????? Literally one of the best songs ever. Obviously it was ahead of its time when it debuted. Thats the only explanation.

 

#31 Californication. Maybe they gave this classic a bad score because soccer moms didnt want to hear the word “fornication” on the radio.

 

The fact that most of this list is far superior to most #1 Pop songs 

 

Cher	Song for the Lonely

Madonna

Nothing Really Matters

 

d, they are all pretty terrible

6.

No Doubt

Simple Kind of Life

-17.1%

48.6%

#32

9.

U2

Beautiful Day

-13.7%

44.6%

#19

29.

Daft Punk

One More Time

-5.9%

32.4%

#33

31.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Californication

-5.1%

39.7%

46.

blink-182

What’s My Age Again?

-1.5%

40.2%

#28

 

what's this 

At least they became iconic as it should. 

No Katy.

 

Focus was done so wrong.

6 minutes ago, Blue Rose said:

#29 One More Time. WHAT THE ****??????

 

MTE 

and nice thread, thanks for the info btw.

If BTS songs got spun just enough more to pass the familiarity test (60% of survey sample knows) then they'd probably have a few entries too 

 

Also the fact Eminem's debut to the public did so bad, yet he'd become the top-selling artist since who would've known

Eminem

 

Surprisingly no surprises on the list. With a few exceptions, this is a ****ty list of songs.

 

Thanks for compiling this.

Justice for Around The World, Better Off Alone, and Californication.

Not cameltoe 

i think the most problem with "Californication" were the references such as *****graphy (hardcore soft ****) and plastic surgery (pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging)

 

Most of these pop punk/punk rock songs didn't do well on pop because of the lyrics contents i guess.

Did you consider songs labeled as "Recurrent" for this chart? I'm asumming no because most of the songs didn't go high enough to chart for a long time.

Just now, Ger-55 said:

Did you consider songs labeled as "Recurrent" for this chart? I'm asumming no because most of the songs didn't go high enough to chart for a long time.

No only ones in current run. Since ones in recurrent were very well received while a hit, then played til they ran their course.

Simple kind of life is literally a masterpiece. wtf.

Californication, One More Time, Swimming Pools, Simple Kind of Life, Papi (a massive bop wtf), Eminem in general deserved better. most of the rest is trash so not shocked

Simple kind of life ??? WHY IS THAT SONG ON THIS LIST 

Wow i'm surprised at Big Big World being there

not the iconic I still Believe cover by Mariah Carey

A lot of awful songs but Madonna's Nothing really maters and Daft Punk's One more time shouldn't belong there. 

“The Call” is one of my favorite Backstreet Boys songs. I didn’t even know it was a single. 

5 hours ago, iHype. said:

44.

Carly Rae Jepsen

I Really Like You

-1.7%

41.4%

 

Ugh, the lack of taste from the GP

 

Not Eminem with an iconic song being #1

Swimming Pools?