Dear Gentleman’s Quarterly,
You recently published a story, An Oral History of “We Built This City,” the Worst Song of All Time.
The article prompted me to listen to “We Built This City” for the first time in as long as I can remember.
After careful consideration, I do not accept that “We Built This City” is the worst song of all time. It’s not even the worst Starship song. That distinction clearly belongs to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”
“We Built This City” is corny but perfectly harmless. The synth part is kind of great. It’s not any sillier than half the songs on the radio back then.
Also, Starship is better than Jefferson Starship, who are much better than Jefferson Airplane. I guess “Somebody To Love” is okay, but Jefferson Airplane is mostly dreadful. At least Starship has a groove and a sense of humor.
Sincerely,
Ethan Hein
Oh, but Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now is a gem!
Thank you sir. I am coming around to the idea that any assertion of anything as the “worst X ever” needs to be challenged.
It is objectively bad, though, right? Mesmerizingly bad. The lyrics, the complete lack of funk, soul, or rock, yet it is about rock… Oh god, it really sucks.
I can’t front though, I love “Sara.” It reminds me of every girlfriend I had in the 80s.
Oh you better stay away from my Mannequin Soundtrack Ethan! Take it back!