St. Vincent and John Mayer are two of the generation's most celebrated guitarists, but fans probably shouldn't expect any duelling guitar solos from the pair anytime soon — certainly not after St. Vincent has labelled Mayer's 2003 hit "Daughters" as the "worst song ever written."
Speaking with Kerrang!, St. Vincent was asked what song she considers the worst song ever, and she picked "Daughters." She explained, "It's just so hideously sexist but it pretends to be a love song, but it's really, really retrograde and really sexist. And I hate it… It's so deeply misogynistic, which would be fine if you owned that, but it pretends like it's sweet."
St. Vincent didn't elaborate on her hatred of the song, but it's easy to see what she might not like about it. In the first verse, Mayer describes a woman he's dating, complaining that she's fickle and confusing ("She's just like a maze / Where all of the walls all continually change") before deciding that he's a great guy who definitely isn't to blame for any of their relationship issues ("I've done all I can / To stand on the steps with my heart in my hand / Now I'm starting to see / Maybe it's got nothing to do with me"). He then sings, "Fathers, be good to your daughters," because this will make them easier for him to date.
Things really go awry in the bridge, where Mayer says that boys don't need to be treated well, because, "Boys will be strong / And boys soldier on." He then quite literally describes men as "the God" of women. Okay, then!
"Daughters" appeared on Mayer's 2003 album Heavier Things and was a hit, topping the US Adult Pop Airplay chart in the US, and reaching No. 2 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. In 2005, it won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.