Being remembered as the worst song ever still means being remembered.
Black Lace’s “Agadoo” became one of 1984’s biggest novelty hits, reaching No. 2 in the United Kingdom and remaining in the Top 75 for 30 weeks. Nearly two decades later, however, a panel of music writers gave the party favorite a far less flattering honor.
The story of “Agadoo” began long before Black Lace recorded it. The song was adapted from the French track “Agadou,” recorded by Michel Delancray and Mya Symille in 1970, before Black Lace turned it into an English-language hit.
Released in 1984, the song paired a bright party sound with simple dance instructions involving pineapples, trees and coffee. Its easy-to-follow moves helped make it a natural fit for weddings, school discos and vacation resorts, even as BBC Radio 1 declined to include it on its playlist because it was considered “not credible.”
The lack of radio support hardly stopped its success. “Agadoo” climbed to No. 2 on the UK chart, held back from the top spot by George Michael’s “Careless Whisper.” It also became the country’s eighth-best-selling single of 1984 and eventually sold more than one million copies worldwide.
On Nov. 24, 2003, that commercial triumph received an unexpected footnote when a panel assembled for Q magazine named “Agadoo” the worst song of all time. The writers described it as “magnificently dreadful” and compared it to “the school disco you were forced to attend,” according to This Day in Music.
The criticism only added to the song’s unusual legacy. Black Lace re-recorded and rereleased “Agadoo” multiple times, while its original chorus and accompanying dance continued turning up at parties long after its first chart run.
For a track condemned by critics, “Agadoo” has proven remarkably difficult to leave behind. Its place in music history may not be especially prestigious, but after more than four decades, people are still talking about it.
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