Most Hated Songs #17: "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler

Under the category of Overplayed to Death is my #17 Most Hated Song, "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler. It's the go-to song for anyone who wants to dedicate good feelings to someone who's done something meaningful for them, and as a result, it's been played a million times on radio, television shows, and the wretched movie it comes from, "Beaches."

Midler is a powerful singer, of that there is no debate. This song, however, is maudlin and treacly, trading in both lyrical and musical cliches manipulatively designed to elicit maximum emotion. The only emotion it elicits from me is disgust and an overwhelming desire to change the station.

I'd rather...be stuck watching "American Idol" bad audition outtakes as the only entertainment option available to me than to listen to this song one more time.

Dante's Inferno Level One: Those responsible for the song should be stuck on an endless blind date with "Beaches" star Barbara Hershey's character from "Hoosiers."

Listen instead to: The definitive Bette Midler ballad, "The Rose."