I know you have that one song (or multiple) that you hate to love. The one you claim to despise, skip right away when it comes on in the car with friends, and maybe even roll your eyes when you hear it out in public. But when no one’s around your belting out every lyric word for word. You want to want to hate it cause everybody else, but you just can’t love. Maybe you have  a secret playlist full of them or maybe you have no shame in the game but you have your guilty pleasure song(s). 

So what makes it a guilty pleasure? Maybe people see it as cheesy, overplayed, ridiculous, an annoying one hit wonder, or one of those songs put out by an influencer to add to their 15 minutes of fame, whatever it may be, people hate it and you love it. Maybe the nostalgia factor kicks in. Think of pretty much anything Nickelback, or maybe one of Addison Raes singles, music snobs love to mock it but hey I’m not opposed, if it has a catchy beat and tune I’m all ears. Many guilty pleasure songs are tied to a specific moment in your life—maybe a high school dance, a family road trip, or a wild night out with friends. Songs like Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” or The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” transport you back to simpler times.

2 summers ago when Nickelback had their tour my friends and I went. For starters we definitely were the youngest in our section, we put the word out to all of our friends but they were all like “you guys really listen to that stuff” duh! We jammed our hearts out and had the best night. We owned our favourite guilty pleasures and didn’t let any of the judgement stop us from having fun. 

Music is meant to be fun and at the same time super subjective. You like what you like, guilty pleasure or not.  The idea of feeling guilty about enjoying a song is kinda ridiculous when you think about it. If a song makes you happy, why fight it? Instead of hiding your love for ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” or Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” own it. Play it loud. Sing along. Enjoy the music for what it is—a mood booster, a time capsule, and sometimes, the perfect soundtrack to a spontaneous solo dance party. So, that brings me to my million dollar question: what’s your favourite “guilty pleasure” song?