It's still played on classic hits/AC stations and seems like a staple of 80s music. I know there's popular songs that get disliked, but this one seems along the line of other 80s hits like Don't Stop Believing. Stuff like Disco Duck or something...yeah, but not this so much. Your thoughts?
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How was We Built This City considered "bad?"
- Thread starter tall_guy1
- Start date
We Built This S#!tty: An Oral History of the Worst Song of All Time Theres several articles like this.
Mostly because of its overly polished "corporate rock" sound, goofy lyrics ("knee deep in the hoopla"? "Marconi plays the mamba"?), and the fact that radio stations turned it into a commercial for themselves by adding their own DJs and slogans during its bridge. And it claims to celebrate rock 'n' roll while sounding nothing like the rock music that Starship themselves made during their previous incarnations (Jefferson Airplane, then Jefferson Starship).
I’ve heard a couple versions of the song where the spoken DJ chatter is replaced by a localized version for a particular radio station’s market.
Starship always faced criticism from those who compared it to its earlier Jefferson Airplane incarnation, and felt the band had mutated too much or had “sold out”. Fleetwood Mac got the same heat when compared to the pre-Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham version of itself.
Starship always faced criticism from those who compared it to its earlier Jefferson Airplane incarnation, and felt the band had mutated too much or had “sold out”. Fleetwood Mac got the same heat when compared to the pre-Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham version of itself.
Fleetwood Mac was a blues act when it started.
Back in the day, VH-1 would do these "list" shows. One of them was the 50 worst songs ever, based on an article in Blender
www.cbsnews.com
This song was one of the songs in that article and the TV special. But it was actually written by Bernie Taupin, who also wrote most of the Elton John hits. It's not a bad song, but it reflects that arena rock era of Journey and Starship that some rock fans detest. Mickey Thomas sang lead, and he has a great voice. He also sang the lead on Fooled Around & Fell in Love, another classic from that era. I think he's retired now.
I got an email that Starship is going back on tour this summer, and the only "original" member from that 80s era is David Freiberg. He's 86!!!
www.jeffersonstarship.com
10 Really, Really Bad Songs
Blender Magazine Cites 'Built This City,' 'Achy Breaky Heart,' Others
www.cbsnews.com
This song was one of the songs in that article and the TV special. But it was actually written by Bernie Taupin, who also wrote most of the Elton John hits. It's not a bad song, but it reflects that arena rock era of Journey and Starship that some rock fans detest. Mickey Thomas sang lead, and he has a great voice. He also sang the lead on Fooled Around & Fell in Love, another classic from that era. I think he's retired now.
I got an email that Starship is going back on tour this summer, and the only "original" member from that 80s era is David Freiberg. He's 86!!!
TOUR — Jefferson Starship
www.jeffersonstarship.com
You "sell out" the minute you sign a recording contract and let someone else sell your work for profit. That's never mattered to me. I like what I like, big label, small label, vanity pressing or just a random street musician playing with his guitar case open for donations.
And I love "We Built This City" along with "Runaway" and "Miracles' and "St. Charles," all songs from the band's "corporate" years. But I enjoyed much of their Sixties stuff, too. Musical taste is personal and, by its very nature, can't be defined or defended using anyone else's standards.
Many of those critics being a bit hypocritical themselves...most of those hippies who were burning their draft cards and/or bras in 1969 had gone pretty corporate themselves by 1985.
We Built This City was a CHR hit. Those stations weren't interested in playing tons of Starship songs. Most of them would only drive off the primary listeners.
Here's a feature on the story done for the Today Show. They interviewed the band members, the songwriter, and the producer:
www.today.com
Is this '80s No. 1 hit really the 'worst song ever'?
It hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart, was nominated for a Grammy and was certified gold. But is this inescapable rock anthem really the worst song ever?
www.today.com
Starship (And Jefferson Starship) had many songs on CHR Radio. Their pop stuff was no more repellent than anything else on a Top 40 playlist back then.
Album Rock stations played the song for awhile, especially ones in Northern California. It was more or less a novelty song. Those burn out quickly...
Set The Night To Music was a far worse 80’s Starship song:
Only seven of which reached the Billboard top 10, and four of those still get played today on classic hits radio. Not "tons" by any means, and it's hard to make a case for any station still playing 40-year-old music in 2025 going much deeper.
I’m guessing the 4 still played today are Jane, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, We Built This City and Sara (another snoozer). How close am I?
Or possibly Find Your Way Back, and/or Miracles (charts I mean)? I guess I like stuff from all of their eras, Airplane Hippie to Corporate Starship!