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10 Movie Musical Numbers That Made Us Cringe (And We Kinda Loved It?)
Ah, the movie musical number. When done right, it can elevate a film to legendary status, leaving audiences spellbound, humming tunes for days. But when it goes wrong? Oh boy, when it goes spectacularly wrong, it enters a whole different pantheon: the hallowed halls of Cringe. These are the moments that make you squirm in your seat, peek through your fingers, and maybe even let out an involuntary snort-laugh. They’re awkward, sometimes baffling, often unintentionally hilarious, and yet… there’s a twisted sort of magic to them, isn’t there? They stick with us, burrow into our brains, and become legendary for all the “wrong” reasons.
What makes a musical number cringey? It could be anything from questionable vocal performances by actors not exactly known for their singing, to truly bizarre lyrical choices, anachronistic genre-bending that just doesn’t land, or choreography that looks like it was designed by someone who only read about dancing. Thems the moments we live for in a weird way. So, grab your popcorn (and maybe a pillow to hide behind), as we explore 10 of the cringiest, most unforgettable musical moments in movie history.
1. Pierce Brosnan Belts it Out – “SOS” (Mamma Mia!, 2008)
Look, we love Pierce Brosnan. He’s James Bond! He’s charming! He’s… well, he’s not primarily a singer. And that’s okay! But when he was cast in the feel-good ABBA jukebox musical Mamma Mia!, the world got to hear his earnest, if somewhat strained, vocal stylings. His rendition of “SOS”, a heartfelt plea to Meryl Streep’s Donna, is particularly memorable.
The passion is there, absolutely. The dramatic windswept Greek island setting? Perfect. But the vocals? Let’s just say they wander a bit off the beaten path of pitch. It’s like watching your distinguished uncle get really into karaoke after a few too many ouzos. Is it technically “good” singing? Critics were, uh, colorful in their descriptions. But is it endearing and a core memory for a generation of Mamma Mia! fans? Absolutely. The cringe here is affectionate; it adds to the film’s slightly chaotic, “let’s put on a show!” charm. It don’t get much more earnest than this.
2. The Rap Battle We Never Asked For – “Top That” (Teen Witch, 1989)
Oh, Teen Witch. A cult classic for so many reasons, and near the top of that list is the infamous rap scene, “Top That.” Picture this: our newly empowered teen witch, Louise, wants to impress the coolest guy in school. How does she do it? By magically instigating an impromptu rap battle, of course! What follows is a masterclass in late-80s white-people-rapping-awkwardly.
The lyrics (“I’m hot, and you’re not / But if you wanna hang with me, I’ll give it one shot!”), the stilted delivery, the deeply uncool choreography that consists mostly of pointing and shoulder shrugging it’s a perfect storm of cringe. Louise’s friend Polly, who chimes in with “What’s up, fat lip?”, adds another layer of “wait, what?!” It’s so earnest in its attempt to be cool, it loops all the way around to being hilariously, endearingly awful. It’s a cinematic train wreck you simply can’t look away from, and frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
3. A Rodent Romance – “Ben” (Ben, 1972)
This one is a classic of “wait, what is this song actually about?” cringe. The movie Ben is a horror flick about a lonely boy who befriends a colony of telepathic, murderous rats, with Ben being their leader. The theme song, also titled “Ben,” is a tender, beautifully sung ballad performed by a young Michael Jackson. Yes, that Michael Jackson.
The song itself is gorgeous. MJ’s vocals are angelic. The melody is sweet and melancholic. But then you remember the context: it’s a love song to a killer rat. Lines like “Ben, you’re always running here and there / You feel you’re not wanted anywhere” take on a whole new, deeply unsettling meaning. The sheer disconnect between the song’s gentle beauty and the film’s subject matter is where the magnificent cringe lies. It won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar! Can you imagine the presenters trying to explain that one?
4. Wizard Rock Woes – “Do the Hippogriff” (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005)
The Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was meant to be a magical night of teenage angst and wizarding revelry. The entertainment? The “renowned” wizarding band, The Weird Sisters. In the movie, they perform “Do the Hippogriff,” and well… it’s an experience.
Comprised of actual rock stars (including Jarvis Cocker of Pulp and members of Radiohead), you’d expect something undeniably cool. Instead, we get a performance that feels a tad like a slightly off-key, goth-lite dad band at the local community center. The lyrics are a bit on-the-nose (“Shake your vingt-et-un / And your tail, if you got one”), and the students’ “dancing” doesn’t exactly set the screen on fire. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely an awkward moment that doesn’t quite live up to the magical hype. Perhaps it’s the wizarding world’s equivalent of that band your cousin insists on hiring for every family wedding.
5. The Birth of “Bully Maguire” – Peter Parker’s Jazz Club Dance (Spider-Man 3, 2007)
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 is a film that evokes… strong reactions. And perhaps no sequence is more infamous, more meme-ified, more gloriously cringeworthy than when a symbiote-influenced Peter Parker decides he’s a cool, edgy bad boy. This culminates in his strut down the street and, even more iconically, his performance at the jazz club.
Finger snaps, pelvic thrusts, flipping his emo fringe, playing the piano with an unearned swagger, and that dance. Oh, that dance. It’s Tobey Maguire giving it his absolute all, and the result is a spectacle of such profound awkwardness it becomes performance art. It’s meant to show Peter’s dark side, but it mostly shows what a nerd thinks being cool and edgy looks like. The cringe is so potent, it’s become beloved. This scene were destined for internet immortality.
6. A Matrimonial Misery – “Marry the Mole” (Thumbelina, 1994)
Don Bluth’s animated films often have a touch of darkness, but “Marry the Mole” from Thumbelina takes it to a special, cringey level. Sung by the flamboyant Mrs. Toad (voiced by the equally flamboyant Charo, ¡cuchi-cuchi!), the song is an attempt to convince Thumbelina to marry the rich, old, blind, and generally repulsive Mr. Mole.
The lyrics are a masterclass in grim resignation: “Marry the mole / And you’ll never be cold / It’s cozy and clammy / When you’re elderly!” Charo belts it out with gusto, but the underlying message is so bleak basically, “give up on your dreams and settle for financial security with this gross dude” – that it’s both funny and deeply uncomfortable. The upbeat tune contrasting with the depressing lyrics makes for prime, high-quality animated cringe. You laugh, but a small part of your soul weeps for Thumbelina.
7. Intentionally Awful Art – “Please Mr. Kennedy” (Inside Llewyn Davis, 2013)
Sometimes, cringe is the whole point! The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis features a recording session for the novelty song “Please Mr. Kennedy.” Llewyn (Oscar Isaac), in desperate need of cash, joins Jim Berkey (Justin Timberlake) and Al Cody (Adam Driver) to record this truly terrible, yet hilariously catchy, tune about not wanting to be drafted into the space race as an astronaut.
“Please Mr. Kennedy / I don’t wanna go / Outer! / Space!” coupled with Driver’s enthusiastic but bizarre interjections (“UH-OH!”), makes for a scene that is designed to be cringey. It’s a perfect parody of early ’60s novelty songs, and the actors play it with such deadpan commitment that it’s comedic gold. It’s a reminder that “bad” can be brilliant when it’s crafted with skill and intent. It’s so bad, it’s good, and that’s a very special kind of cringe.
8. Sacriliciously Silly – “Rock Me Sexy Jesus” (Hamlet 2, 2008)
If “Please Mr. Kennedy” is intentionally cringey, “Rock Me Sexy Jesus” from Hamlet 2 cranks that dial up to eleven and then breaks it off. In this wonderfully absurd comedy, a desperate high school drama teacher (Steve Coogan) stages a musical sequel to Hamlet, featuring time travel and, yes, a very provocative musical number involving Jesus Christ.
The song itself, with its catchy pop-rock beat and lyrics like “Rock me, rock me, rock me sexy Jesus / He died for our sins, you gotta believe us,” is designed to be as over-the-top and potentially offensive as possible within the film’s satirical context. The sight of students in vaguely biblical costumes performing enthusiastic choreography to this tune is pure, unadulterated, “I can’t believe they’re doing this” cringe. It’s a masterpiece of bad taste, and the movie know it.
9. An Ethereal Oddity – “He Needs Me” (Popeye, 1980)
Robert Altman’s live-action Popeye is a strange film, and Shelley Duvall’s Olive Oyl is a strange, yet strangely perfect, character. Her performance of Harry Nilsson’s song “He Needs Me” is a standout moment of beautiful peculiarity.
Duvall’s vocal delivery is thin, breathy, and slightly off-kilter, yet it possesses an undeniable, almost haunting sincerity. As she wanders through Sweethaven, lamenting Popeye’s absence, the song feels less like a traditional musical number and more like a dreamlike, melancholic reverie. For some, her unique singing style and the song’s gentle oddness register as cringey. For others (including director Paul Thomas Anderson, who famously reused it in Punch-Drunk Love), it’s a moment of fragile beauty. It definitely walks a fine line, and that’s what makes it so fascinatingly cringeworthy for many.
10. The Dystopian Disco Disaster – “BIM” (The Apple, 1980)
No list of cringey movie musical moments would be complete without a visit to the cinematic train wreck/cult classic that is The Apple. This futuristic, biblical allegory set in the “far-off” year of 1994 is wall-to-wall with some of the most jaw-droppingly awful musical numbers ever committed to film. Picking just one is a challenge, but the anthem of the film’s villainous record company, Boogalow International Music, simply titled “BIM,” is a strong contender.
Picture this: over-enthusiastic performers in shiny, often bizarre, costumes, gyrating to a generic disco beat while chanting about the wonders of BIM and its “devilish” leader, Mr. Boogalow. The lyrics are vapid, the choreography is energetic but nonsensical, and the whole thing has an air of forced, corporate fun that feels deeply unsettling. Reportedly, at the film’s premiere, audiences threw their complimentary soundtracks at the screen. That should tells you everything. “BIM” is a glorious testament to misguided ambition and a perfect capper to our cringe-fest.
So there you have it ten musical moments from movies that, for one reason or another, made us all recoil just a little (or a lot). Whether it’s due to questionable talent, bizarre concepts, or just the beautiful alchemy of things going wonderfully wrong, these cringey numbers have earned their place in cinema history. They remind us that perfection is boring, and sometimes, it’s the gloriously flawed moments that we remember, and even cherish, the most.
What are your favorite cringey movie musical numbers? Did we miss any unforgivable atrocities or beloved train wrecks? Share your thoughts if you dare!
