is it a crap beat?
bad lyrics?
lack of talent in general?

what do you think?

I don't think it's lack of talent, Britney Spears shows that... I think a bad song is one that doesn't interest me, it isn't catchy enough. Maybe the beat...

-doesnt go well together
-does more bad for your ears then good
-unoriginal, sounds like every other song, or its trying to be another song
-stupid lyrics
-beats dont match up or sound retarded
-melody just aint that good
-doesnt flow well
-not catchy
-trying too hard or pretentious

poor production
inappropriate lyrics (in a sense)
poor mastering
and agreeing with mallory: trying too hard
doing the same ol' thing one too many times AKA The GooGoo Dolls/Nickelback disease
but MOST OF ALL: lack of conviction of what the song is about... e.g.: Vanilla Ice can't rap about being ghetto, cuz he's a rich kid, etc.

oh, and yeah, lack of talent :-D

Formula for a bad song..

(in my opinion.)

A singer who sounds like they have a paper bag lodged in their throat.
Crappy lyrics that have no apparent meaning.
Strumming the same chord or playing the same part over and over.
Annoying choruses.
A carbon copy of every other song.

Blend thoroughly in a large bowl , season with lots of money and drugs in store for the un-willing participants of the song, and bake. XD

"Bad" songs usually have poor dynamics. There are no peaks, highs or lows, it's not clear when you've transitioned from verse to chorus. I like music that takes me through an emotional change rather than one thats just even throughout.

A band should also be feeling what they're singing about when they're playing a song. Put some feeling in it while at the same time not taking themselves too seriously.

that's actually really interesting....i guess you have to specify the genre first and then tailor the song to that area....for new songs i guess.