15 Overused Phrases You Hate That Came From Songs You Love
We're baffled by how much we can love certain songs but hate the phrases people take from them to use in their every day lives. You'll dance to these songs like nobody's watching because you adore them, but from "YOLO" to "Cray" to "Bae", they're responsible for releasing some of the most annoying sayings ever into the human race. Are you sick of being told to "Turn up"? Offended by the idea of "Big pimpin'"? Cringing every time someone calls themselves a "Baller"? Here are 15 annoyingly overused phrases that come from songs you love, and are probably listening to as you read this.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "YOLO"
We love Drake's "The Motto." We hate "YOLO." Perhaps because Drake is great, but the sort of people that willingly yell "YOLO" are the same people doing too many Jager shots at the bar and throwing up on your shoes. There's always an obnoxious minority that have to ruin it for everyone, mostly because they're always the loudest (and the vomit-iest).
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Cray"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "N****s in Paris" - Jay Z & Kanye West
"N****s in Paris" was the catchiest song off Jay Z and Kanye's collaborative Watch the Throne album, and we're still likely to put our backs out pulling moves when it plays on the dance floor. But note those moves will not be "Cray." Contrary to what the song would have you believe, "Cray" is actually an incredibly annoying way to describe things. However, "Crazy" is still a perfectly fine adjective.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Bling"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Bling Bling" - B.G. ft. Big Tymers & Hot Boyz
Fun rap songs with videos featuring guys decked out in gold chains and driving in expensive cars are allowed to say "bling.". Everyone else just sounds like an asshole when they use it. Especially if they don't have "bling." But also when they do. PSA: stop trying to make bling happen.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Turn down"/"Turn up"/"Turnt"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Turn Down For What" - Lil Jon
Probably the most epically amazing video of 2014, Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What" is responsible for a phrase exceeded in annoying-ness only by "YOLO." We motion for any kind of partying referred to with the prefix "turn" (i.e. "turn up", "turn down, "turnout") to be officially banned from the English language, because it makes absolutely no sense, and makes the user sound like a total jerk (Lil Jon excluded).
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Bae"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Come Get It Bae" - Pharrell Williams ft. Miley Cyrus
This author's personal most hated, "Bae" is currently the ultimate song-induced scourge on humanity. It's just a crying shame Pharrell's song is so stupidly infectious, as all Pharrell songs predictably are.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Dust your shoulder off"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" - Jay Z
Jay Z is arguably the greatest, or at least the most culturally powerful, rapper ever. The Black Album is impeccable. "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" is a timeless jam. But why is it that in every day life people only do the dusting shoulder action when they're being braggy and annoying?
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "I woke up like this"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Flawless" - Beyoncé
For the first five minutes "I woke up like this" was a war-cry for a generation of women. Then it just became an excuse for girls on Instagram to brag about how cute they "naturally" look when they wake up in the morning. "Flawless" is still a flawless song though. It's in the title!
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Baller"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "I Wish" - Skee-Lo
This could be the greatest song of all time. No really, it could be— it's that good. But "Baller" is a descriptor that has no business being used by anyone, ever.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Whoomp there it is"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Whoomp There It Is" - Tag Team
If you're having a party, "Whoomp There It Is"is on the playlist. Think about it. Have you ever been to a wedding where it wasn't played? Tag Team are up there with Montell Jordan, and you know it. But using the phrase "Whoomp there it is" is like making a really terrible dad joke that everyone groans at.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Who let the dogs out?"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Who Let The Dogs Out" - Baha Men
When "Who Let The Dogs Out" comes on, it's like your body becomes possessed. You have to move. It's a shame the titular dogs are not actual canines but women. So obviously only the biggest douche-lord ever would use this phrase in a personal situation.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Bootylicious"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Bootylicious" - Destiny's Child
As with "I woke up like this", "Bootylicious" was briefly cute. Now it's just over-used to the point that it's lost its initial sassy novelty.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Big pimpin'"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Big Pimpin" - Jay Z
Another Jay Z classic that makes people sound utterly ridiculous when they use the phrase to describe themselves/their lives/other people. The idea that "pimping" means you're rich and live in excess is incredibly offensive and sexist, considering the actual meaning of the word means that you're a man who sells women's bodies for profit.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Spread love, it's the Brooklyn way'"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Juicy" - Notorious B.I.G.
Is "Juciy" the best rap song ever? Maybe. We'd go there. But there's nothing great about graffiti all over Brooklyn saying "Spread love, it's the Brooklyn way." Especially because doing graffiti is spreading crime, not love. It's also one of those phrases that isn't really practiced by those who preach it. Think about anyone you've ever had say crap like this to you, and chances are they're a giant poser.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Go shawty, it's your birthday'"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "In Da Club" - 50 Cent
Not since 2003 has a single person had a birthday on which it was not declared by at least one asshole, "Go shawty, it's your birthday!" Nor has a single person had a birthday since then that didn't involve dancing to "In Da Club" at some point, so Fitty's lyrical contribution to pop culture is both a blessing and a curse.
THE PHRASE YOU HATE: "Swag"/ "Swagger"
THE SONG YOU LOVE: "Public Service Announcement"/ "December 4" - Jay Z
It's official. Jay Z is responsible for all the best songs, and all the worst phrases. "Swag"/ "Swagger" was only vaguely annoying until Justin Bieber started saying it. Now it's so insufferable we want to pour concrete into our ears so we never have to hear it again.