Rehabilitating A Hit Single

Hit singles have a history. Just like they chart in Billboard, you can chart their history. The first time you hear them, they're pleasant, notable. The next few times, they're great. The whole mid-range of experiencing them is one of comfort, solidity, identification. After they've hung around for a while, you've heard all there is to hear. Then they're fading and you'd like to kick them out the door.

After a couple years have passed, the hit single is distinctly an oldie, recalling that time two years ago, and making you feel nauseous. Or good, depending. Good, all except for the fact that it's moldy.

I feel that way definitely for sure about the song "Bad Day," by Daniel Powter. I don't believe we've heard from him since. I recently got the song on a compilation CD (Grammy nominees from that year), and have it on my Ipod. Shuffling today it came on, and I felt that nausea and yet also the desire to hear it through. It sounded like itself, of course, but it wasn't a very pleasant experience.

The poor song was everywhere, American Idol, the radio, grocery stores. Making him a lot of money. But now it's like hearing cries from a leper colony. You'd just as soon not be within earshot of it.

How to rehabilitate it, I don't know. Other songs lose their hit single qualities with the passing of time, somewhat. Like Beatles songs or The Rolling Stones. Probably because you generally have the albums as well, you've heard their singles in some context, not just that one song.

I think maybe "Bad Day," along with another big hit single, "Unwritten," may be relegated to the Do Not Play Under Any Circumstances pile. Great at the time, but nasty beyond belief now.