Music that’s widely disliked for various reasons is nothing new.

From iconic artists who despise their biggest hits to cover versions loathed by the original performers, there’s no shortage of tension between musicians and their own music. Even legendary rock bands have been known to blacklist certain songs from their live sets, refusing to ever play them on stage.

So, it’s easy to establish that natural musical distaste just comes with the territory. But digging deeper beneath the layers, what about those songs that might make us wrinkle our collective noses, yet still have a hold on some piece of our soul? Like it or not, these songs come with a complicated legacy of both admiration and resentment.

Lou Bega, Mambo No. 5 (1999)

Lou Bega might just be the ultimate grab bag of differing influences that came together to make a bit of unquenchable magic. Born in Germany as David Lubega Balemezi to a Ugandan father and Italian mother, it seems only “natural” that his lone hit would be the Cuban-inflected, English lyricism of 1999’s impossible-to-forget “Mambo No. 5.”

This tail-feather-shaking ode to cruising around in the car while daydreaming on a variety of ladies landed Bega an eternal spot in the Hall of Fame of sing-along One-Hit Wonders. And while it may come with a measure of dismay to hear it spun again around the block of radio airplay lists, those addictive trumpets are pretty groovy.

Baha Men, Who Let The Dogs Out (2000)

“Who Let The Dogs Out” is another song with unusual veins of story, as the original version of the track was called “Doggie,” and was released two years prior by Trinidadian artist Anslem Douglas. Douglas intended the track to be about men who catcall women, referring to them as “dogs” for engaging in the activity.

Much of that intention was lost when Bahamian band Baha Men dropped “Who Let The Dogs Out,” which became a largely silly anthem with success buoyed by the cartoon movie Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. While the song has made multiple “most annoying” lists in the decades since then, many people unquestionably still have this quirky bop committed to memory.

Ricky Martin, She Bangs (2000)

When it comes to the era of the late ’90s and early 2000s, Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin had a select run of hits that translated to strong success both internationally and in the United States. Martin’s knack for Latin-flaired dance club getdowns made no exception when it came to “She Bangs,” which is another pure straight energy earworm.

Part of what led to the annoyance around “She Bangs” potentially manifested with the pre-viral era, viral performance of the song by William Hung on 2004’s edition of singing competition American Idol. The infamously cringe moment from the tuneless Hung made “She Bangs” ratchet up the scale of grating, but in a way we can’t forget.

Hanson, MMMBop (1997)

“MMMBop” was yet another unusual bird to spread its wings and fly, this time from the late ’90s and courtesy of the three brothers in pop-rock group Hanson. There’s something oddly entrancing about listening to the trio of long blonde-haired siblings dart through a song that is both relentlessly twee yet still grounded in serious lyrical sidebars.

While it is easy to lump “MMMBop” into a box of summery, shimmery kid music from decades gone by, the passing years have shown that the Hanson brothers still hit with these hooks and choruses. Try to keep it out of your head as much as you like, the weirdly nonsensical sensical wisdom of “MMMBop” still finds a way in.

Barenaked Ladies, One Week (1998)

“One Week” emerged as the first single from the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies off their fourth LP (entitled Stunt). Stunt feels like an appropriate description for the often eccentric-reaching group, with “One Week” featuring a mixture of both singing and rapping traded off by band members Steven Page and Ed Robertson.

The singing and rapping aren’t narratively related to each other (with the rap being improvised), the song is rife with pop culture references of the time, and frankly, it’s amazing that “One Week” came together for one minute, let alone decades of hit radio play. It can be weird and easy to dislike, but you can’t say the lyrics aren’t memorable.

Los Del Rio, Macarena (1996)

Looking back so many years later, it is absolutely remarkable that the musical act Los Del Rio had a smash song (and dance) hit with 1996’s “Macarena.” The track began as a Spanish-language single in 1993, but didn’t find the true stride of its reach until an English remix was created for release three years later.

As a result, “Macarena” became a strange, culturally varied phenomenon, where hordes of listeners knew the song (and flamenco-laced groove moves) of two guys who looked like casino pit bosses turned real estate agents in the music video. “Macarena” is undoubtedly incessant, but it also recalls a well-meant, more unusually unified time of history.

Eiffel 65, Blue (Da Ba Dee) (1998)

Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” is understandably easy to determine why so many of us know it by heart, but almost because the track arrives that way as an infectious cost. Created as a novelty song by this Italian music group, Eiffel 65’s songwriters developed the idea of the narrator’s chosen lifestyle built atop a dance beat.

The color blue was chosen randomly, and most of “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” is intended to be basically nonsensical in scope. It’s almost hard to admit that the track is still catchy despite all of this, and that you might just “da ba dee” until you drop if you hear this song too much, too close together.

Spice Girls, Wannabe (1996)

British girl group the Spice Girls initially broke out in 1996 with a single called “Wannabe,” which accompanied their debut album Spice. Much like boy bands from in and around this time period, the Spice Girls took off like a pop-fueled rocket, especially with a song like “Wannabe,” which was built around female friendships/empowerment over romantic attachment.

While that mantra ultimately didn’t last for the Spice Girls and their career trajectory, the singing-rap hybrid of the dance-popped “Wannabe” still serves as a reminder of when these groups ruled the charts. Music purists may pretend to have a hard time looking back at the appeal, but “Wannabe” still knows how to party by heart.

Smash Mouth, All Star (1999)

The California-based rock band Smash Mouth will always have a complicated history. “All Star” was one of their few hit songs (coming out in 1999) and was almost immediately licensed for usage in popular media. That made the track a steady presence in several movies, sporting events, and even musical theater.

The overusage of “All Star” has made it a target of humor and distaste for many years, but it is a catchy tune beneath all the saturation that was written with intention as an anthem for the outcasts and the underdogs who loved the band. Even its commentary on climate change may not make it so bad to have memorized.

Creed, Higher (1999)

Rock group Creed seemed to receive a lot of hatred and mocking when they reached their window of success that was similar to their hard-riffing Canadian contemporaries in the band Nickelback. Was it because Creed and lead singer Scott Stapp leaned a bit more pop in their sound, or because purists of other bands felt like they were cheaper copies?

Whatever the reasons may be, songs like “Higher” from Creed’s 1999 album Human Clay certainly received their share of flak (in addition to the popularity that got them there). But even with that era now well into the rearview mirror, there’s something about the hard-charging edge of “Higher” that still holds a comforting candle of knowledge when you hear it.