Found myself wondering about the songs that have been vetoed in the past so I went scrolling through the various confirmation threads of recent years. Figured it could be an interesting thought experiment for the lot of us to wonder about which songs coulda/woulda/shoulda been hits, which songs were undeserving (in our humble non-expert opinions) of the veto sticker, and maybe even which songs maybe should have been vetoed in hindsight.

Alternatively, I just figured this could be an interesting thread to see which songs have been vetoed previously. For each year I'll add some commentary, including notable vetoes, delulu picks (aka. what were they thinking), winner picks (aka. songs I think would have steamrolled the competition), and personal flops (aka. songs I tried but failed to enter)

2025

• ADÉLA - "DeathByDevotion" (BJSC 176, 15 pts)

• Alessi Rose - "First original Thought" (BJSC 179, 25 pts)

• Annalisa - "Sinceramente (Bob Sinclar Remix)" (BJSC 172, 27.75 pts)

• Barry Can't Swim & O'Flynn - "Kimpton" (BJSC 175, 35 pts)

• Chloe Qisha - "So Sad So Hot" (BJSC 180, 30 pts)

• Claudia Valentina - "Candy" (BJSC 176, 32 pts)

• Dagny - "Strawberry Dream" (BJSC 173, 36 pts)

• Dove Cameron - "Too Much" (BJSC 173, 36 pts)

• Eden xo - "Cinematic Goodbye" (BJSC 171, 15 pts)

• Eurythmics - "I've Got A Life" (BJSC 175, 25 pts)

• James K - "Doom Bikini" (BJSC 178, 15 pts)

• Julia Michaels & Maren Morris - "Scissors" (BJSC 171, 35 pts)

• Let's Eat Grandma - "Falling Into Me" (BJSC 174, 27 pts)

• LEXXE - "Rhiannon" (BJSC 172, 32 pts)

• Madison Beer - "Yes Baby" (BJSC 180, 34 pts)

• Nova Twins - "Monsters" (BJSC 173, 12 pts)

• Perrie - "If He Wanted To He Would" (BJSC 177, 50 pts) [Highest]

• Reneé Rapp - "Lucky" (BJSC 180, 12 pts)

• Sarah Kinsley - "Fleeting" (BJSC 179, 12 pts)

• Self Esteem - "69" (BJSC 174, 10 pts) [Lowest]

• Sudan Archives - "DEAD" (BJSC 176, 24 pts)

• Tone Damli - "Last Song" (BJSC 173, 15 pts)

Most Vetoed Artist:

Each of last year's 22 vetoes featured a unique artist, so I guess it's a 22-way tie lmao.

Most Vetoed Song:

No songs were vetoed more than once. In fact, there were 50% fewer vetoes this year compared to the year before.

Highest Score:

If He Wanted To He Would (Perrie) with 50 points takes the cake.

Lowest Score:

69 (Self Esteem) is the single lowest scoring song with 10 points.

My DELULU Picks:

Idk who thought a Little Mix member would avoid the guillotine but I admire the optimism. Also Dagny getting her annual veto for the nth year in a row is hilarious.

My Winner Picks:

I think Yes Baby (Madison Beer), Too Much (Dove Cameron) and Fleeting (Sarah Kinsley) all would have been easy top fives but I would never have been so brave as to try to submit the first two.

My Personal Flops:

I don't think any of these were mine, so fairly certain I managed to avoid getting vetoed at all this year.

2024

• Aaron Smith ft. LuvLi - "Dancin' (KRONO Remix)" (BJSC 170, 25 pts)

• Alesha Dixon - "Ransom" (BJSC 169, 39 pts) [Highest]

• Allie X - "Off With Her Tits" (BJSC 168, 22 pts)

• Annie - "The Sky Is Blue" (BJSC 168, 10 pts)

• BENNETT - "Vois Sur Ton Chemin (Techno Mix)" (BJSC 163, 22 pts)

• Billy Joel - "Piano Man" (BJSC 161, 15 pts)

• Blusher - "Accelerator" (BJSC 164, 22 pts)

• Blusher - "Rave Angel" (BJSC 162, 22 pts)

• Bombay Bicycle Club - "Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)" (BJSC 162, 21 pts)

• Céline Dion - "On Ne Change Pas" (BJSC 161, 12 pts)

• Dagny - "Hate Being Alone" (BJSC 166, 10 pts)

• Damiano David - "Born With A Broken Heart" (BJSC 170, 24 pts)

• Eden xo - "Bad Apple (1, 2, 3)" (BJSC 161, 37 pts)

• Faouzia - "Fur Elise" (BJSC 163, 15 pts)

• Gabry Ponte, Marnik & Roberto Molinaro - "Ameno (Techno Mix)" (BJSC 163, 39 pts) [Highest]

• girl in red - "Too Much" (BJSC 165, 17 pts)

• Griff - "Tears For Fun" (BJSC 167, 7 pts) [Lowest]

• Jacqline - "Effortless" (BJSC 163, 10 pts)

• Jacqline - "Effortless" (BJSC 164, 22 pts) [2x Veto]

• Julie Bergan - "Kiss Me Better" (BJSC 163, 20 pts)

• Käärijä & Erika Vikman - "Ruoska" (BJSC 162, 23 pts)

• Kaleo - "Way Down We Go" (BJSC 162, 7 pts) [Lowest]

• Kiesza - "The Mysterious Disappearance of Etta Place" (BJSC 169, 17 pts)

• Leony - "Simple Life" (BJSC 163, 17 pts)

• Little Simz - "Mood Swings" (BJSC 162, 35 pts)

• Magdalena Bay - "Death & Romance" (BJSC 166, 24 pts)

• Mahmood - "TUTA GOLD" (BJSC 162, 28 pts)

• Mk.gee - "ROCKMAN" (BJSC 170, 37 pts)

• Molly Sandén - "Hålla Mig" (BJSC 164, 25 pts)

• Poppy - "Knockoff" (BJSC 169, 15 pts)

• Remi Wolf - "Soup" (BJSC 167, 28 pts)

• Rico Nasty & Boys Noize - "Arintintin" (BJSC 163, 39 pts) [Highest]

• Romy - "She's On My Mind" (BJSC 162, 21 pts)

• RÜFÜS DU SOL - "Break My Love" (BJSC 169, 15 pts)

• Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen - "Like I Used To" (BJSC 170, 28 pts)

• Shaznay Lewis ft. Shola Ama & General Levy - "Good Mourning" (BJSC 165, 17 pts)

• Slayyyter - "Miss Belladonna" (BJSC 165, 15 pts)

• SOFI TUKKER - "Spiral" (BJSC 166, 15 pts)

• The Knocks & SOFI TUKKER - "One On One" (BJSC 162, 25 pts)

• TSHA & Rose Gray - "Girls" (BJSC 166, 20 pts)

• yunè pinku - "Fai Fighter" (BJSC 169, 10 pts)

• Zedd ft. Bea Miller - "Out Of Time" (BJSC 167, 30 pts)

• Zerb ft. Sofiya Nzau - "Mwaki" (BJSC 164, 29 pts)

Most Vetoed Artist:

Blusher, Jacqline, and SOFI TUKKER were all vetoed twice this year.

Most Vetoed Song:

Effortless (Jacqline) was vetoed two months in a row., but Bad Apple (Eden xo), Knockoff (Poppy) and Vois Sur Ton Chemin (BENNETT) were both vetoed in 2023 as well bringing their totals to 2.

Highest Score:

3-way tie between Ameno (Techno Mix) (Gabry Ponte et al), Arintintin (Rico Nasty & Boys Noize) and Ransom (Alesha Dixon) - 39 pts each

Lowest Score:

2-way tie between Tears For Fun (Griff) and Way Down We Go (Kaleo) - 7 pts each

My DELULU Picks:

Mandatory Dagny mention, Kaleo makes sense but I just have to ask who on URTH thought Celine Dion would pass the veto?! I'm living for this delusion lmfao!

My Winner Picks:

Girls (TSHA & Rose Gray), One on One (Knocks & SOFI TUKKER), Effortless (lol), and Kiesza all would have been easy winner picks for me, but I do think Off With Her Tits could have given Allie X a third win had it been allowed.

My Personal Flops:

The only one I'm certain I tried to enter is The Mysterious Disappearance of Etta Place (Kiesza), although I know Off With Her Tits was on my potentials list, but I don't think I actually tried to enter it.

(will add older vetoes over time, unsure how far back the veto process goes but already started on 2023 as well)

Ooh, interesting stuff!

I had one veto in... 2017 or 2018, I think?

Edit: found it, it was in 2016 (BJSC 89)

Edited January 15Jan 15 by FrankLuck

2023

• Agnes - "Fingers Crossed" (BJSC 156, 34 pts)

• Alan Walker & Daya - "Heart Over Mind" (BJSC 160, 28 pts)

• Alessandra - "Pretty Devil" (BJSC 157, 26 pts)

• Alison Goldfrapp - "In Electric Blue" (BJSC 156, 24 pts)

• BENNETT - "Vois Sur Ton Chemin" (BJSC 160, 25 pts)

• CMAT - "Stay For Something" (BJSC 159, 32 pts)

• Dagny - "Same Again (For Love)" (BJSC 158, 17 pts)

• Danity Kane - "Damaged" (BJSC 152, 6 pts)

• Dove Cameron - "Lethal Woman" (BJSC 160, 17 pts)

• Eden xo - "Bad Apple (1, 2, 3)" (BJSC 160, 37 pts) [Highest]

• Editors - "Papillon" (BJSC 158, 31 pts)

• Faouzia - "Don't Call Me" (BJSC 160, 15 pts)

• Gabrielle Aplin - "Never Be The Same" (BJSC 157, 29 pts)

• Jenny Silver - "Something In Your Eyes" (BJSC 156, 10 pts)

• Jonas Blue & Felix Jaehn - "Weekends" (BJSC 153, 20 pts)

• Kali Uchis - "Moonlight" (BJSC 153, 27 pts)

• Kelela - "Contact" (BJSC 152, 15 pts)

• LE SSERAFIM - "ANTIFRAGILE" (BJSC 151, 25 pts)

• Leah Kate - "My Bed" (BJSC 151, 10 pts)

• LOWES - "Bloodstream" (BJSC 155, 37 pts) [Highest]

• Maisie Peters - "Body Better" (BJSC 152, 22 pts)

• Marcus & Martinus - "Air" (BJSC 153, 13 pts)

• Master Peace ft. Georgia - "I Might Be Fake" (BJSC 160, 33 pts)

• Nessa Barrett - "American Jesus" (BJSC 155, 15 pts)

• NewJeans - "ETA" (BJSC 160, 22 pts)

• Oliver Heldens & Kate Ryan - "Désenchantée (Oli's EuroRave Mix)" (BJSC 155, 19 pts)

• Paul Russell - "Lil Boo Thang" (BJSC 158, 35 pts)

• Poppy - "Knockoff" (BJSC 157, 25 pts)

• Reve - "Contemporary Love" (BJSC 157, 25 pts)

• Reve - "Contemporary Love" (BJSC 158, 22 pts)

• Rose Gray - "Ecstasy" (BJSC 152, 22 pts)

• Saint Levant - "Very Few Friends" (BJSC 151, 5 pts) [Lowest]

• Sevdaliza & Grimes - "Nothing Lasts Forever" (BJSC 160, 30 pts)

• Stockholm Noir - "Loop" (BJSC 155, 15 pts)

• Stockholm Noir - "Under The Influence" (BJSC 157, 15 pts)

• Tensnake - "How Will I Know" (BJSC 151, 18 pts)

• twst - "Catch Me (Beautiful Fall)" (BJSC 158, 22 pts)

• Weyes Blood - "God Turn Me Into A Flower" (BJSC 153, 34 pts)

Most Vetoed Artist:

Not a whole lot of repeat artists on this list surprisingly, the only ones appearing more than once being Stockholm Noir (with two separate songs) and Reve (with the same song).

Most Vetoed Song:

Only Contemporary Love (Reve) shows up twice, rightfully so as it is a banger. As previously mentioned some of these of course appeared again in 2024. Curiously each of these repeat veto songs had fewer points upon their second veto except Bad Apple (Eden xo) which had the same amount of veto points both times. Biggest difference was Knockoff (Poppy) which went from 25 pts in 157 to 15 pts in 169. (On the flip side Jacqline's "Effortless" more than doubled its veto points from its first veto in 163 to its second veto in 164)

Highest Score:

Bloodstream (LOWES) and Bad Apple (Eden xo) tie for the highest score this year with 37 points each.

Lowest Score:

Very Few Friends (Saint Levant) with a shocking 5 points is the lowest one covered in this thread so far. I'm not familiar with the song personally but it does not seem like it ever became the big hit it was expected to be (at least on paper since it did not chart anywhere), so I'm curious what led to it being vetoed with such a low score. Just 1 point less than my very next note...

My DELULU Picks:

This year had a bunch of obvious vetoes in songs with very obvious elements from other famous songs attached to them (My Bed samples Kylie's CGYOOMH, Tensnake's How Will I Know is essentially a Whitney Houston cover, Désenchantée was not only a big hit in the late 2000s but is itself a cover of an early 90s hit), the mandatory Rose Gray and Dagny vetoes, and some poor soul thinking Agnes was gonna slip through the cracks, but my favorite bit here is someone legit trying to enter Danity Kane's one and only hit into this contest. I stan the attitude but surely this was done to mess with the mods, right?!

My Winner Picks:

Plenty of good picks here, but I think Contemporary Love would have given Reve a deserving medal position in the very least. Not sure I agree that it should have been vetoed personally, but then again I'm sure the veto committee had their reasons.. both times lmao.

My Personal Flops:

Pretty sure none of these are mine. Didn't participate much in 2023, but '22 will probably feature a lot more of my flops lmao.

So close to a clean sheet but I was vetoed once, back in 2017!

It was for Kelela - 'LMK' which was thrown out due to blog coverage.

Someone else ended up sending this to a spin-off a couple of years later and it just missed the top 10 there! Which I was surprised by in a smaller field.

I am also a member of the one veto ever club which was Virtual Self - Particle Arts.

7 minutes ago, Dobbo said:

I am also a member of the one veto ever club which was Virtual Self - Particle Arts.

Wow, this is amazing ❤️

Désenchantée was me! I was totally clueless on its success in Europe, particularly because it hadn't crossed over here but I'd enjoyed Kate's music when Clubland picked up her earlier hits in the UK. What a banger that Oliver Heldens mix is though.

If I recall rightly with Saint Levant, it was like #190 on Global Spotify and we weren’t sure if it was about to take off. We didn’t give this pre-warning that it might not and we apologised if it didn’t. Clearly it didn’t and we did say to Tim (I could have got this all wrong but this is memory’s recollection) that if he wanted to send it to the contest after, we’d allow it but I think a different Saint Levant song was selected.

Wohooo, I finally get my third win!🥳

Yeah, I know all my Japanese/Korean entries make me seem all inspired and original and stuff, but when the curtains close, I live out my cheapest of sluts fantasy.

Who said I can't be both? I'll have my cake and eat it too😝

I was guilty of two of those vetoes from 2023 and 2024, but thankfully I steered clear of any veto in 2025 which I am sure Bré is proud of me for doing.

33 minutes ago, Freeze said:

Wohooo, I finally get my third win!🥳

Yeah, I know all my Japanese/Korean entries make me seem all inspired and original and stuff, but when the curtains close, I live out my cheapest of sluts fantasy.

Who said I can't be both? I'll have my cake and eat it too😝

Which one was you?! Allie X?

15 minutes ago, diva thin muffin said:

Which one was you?! Allie X?

Oh, actually, I'm the lowest AND highest score of 2025🥳

1 hour ago, RobBot said:

If I recall rightly with Saint Levant, it was like #190 on Global Spotify and we weren’t sure if it was about to take off. We didn’t give this pre-warning that it might not and we apologised if it didn’t. Clearly it didn’t and we did say to Tim (I could have got this all wrong but this is memory’s recollection) that if he wanted to send it to the contest after, we’d allow it but I think a different Saint Levant song was selected.

I didn't send this one, but I did send Nails in CLVI

I feel like there is one missing in 2025 unless I'm mistaken.

Also; thank you for putting this together! I’d been thinking about it for a while myself because, even though vetoes are vetoes for a reason, there’ll still be people who are discovering these songs for the first time so I’d considered a “Veto Hall Of Fame” but then also didn’t know if that drew too much attention to songs that weren’t in the actual contest.

This is a really useful way of compiling it though and very interesting to see all together.

4 hours ago, AllStarBySmashMouth said:

I feel like there is one missing in 2025 unless I'm mistaken.

I may have missed some, I tried to scour every confirmation thread thoroughly but I am only human so if you spot any that are missing let me know!

2022

• ABSOLUTE. - "Stick In Love" (BJSC 147, 22 pts)

• Aluna, Diplo & Durante - "Forget About Me (BJSC 142, 47 pts) [Highest]

• Arrow - "Hot Hot Hot" (BJSC 147, 12 pts)

• Camelphat & Jake Bugg - "Be Someone" (BJSC 143, 44 pts)

• Dagny - "Brightsider" (BJSC 146, 20 pts)

• Faouzia - "RIP, Love" (BJSC 144, 24 pts)

• Farruko - "Pepas" (BJSC 143, 25 pts)

• Fred Again.. - "Billie (Loving Arms)" (BJSC 145, 18 pts)

• Gryffin & Au/Ra - "Evergreen" (BJSC 150, 30 pts)

• Jax - "Victoria's Secret" (BJSC 148, 25+ pts)

• Kx5 ft. Hayla - "Escape" (BJSC 144, 21 pts)

• Mau P - "Drugs From Amsterdam" (BJSC 148, 3 pts) [Lowest]

• Metric - "Doomscroller" (BJSC 146, 23 pts)

• Moby - "When It's Cold I'd Like To Die" (BJSC 146, 27 pts)

• Moyka - "When (BJSC 149, 22 pts)

• NAYEON - "POP!" (BJSC 146, 25 pts)

• Nia Archives - "Baianá" (BJSC 150, 25 pts)

• Peggy Gou - "I Go" (BJSC 143, 17 pts)

• Purple Disco Machine ft. Eyelar - "Dopamine" (BJSC 147, 17 pts)

• Remi Wolf - "Cake" (BJSC 148, 13 pts)

• Sophie & The Giants - "We Own The Night" (BJSC 148, 31 pts)

• St. Lucia - "Gimme The Night" (BJSC 150, 15 pts)

• Tate McRae - "She's All I Wanna Be" (BJSC 148, 25+ pts)

• The Walker Brothers - "No Regrets" (BJSC 150, 25 pts)

• Tove Styrke - "Another Broken Heart" (BJSC 148, 15 pts)

• venbee & Dan Fable - "low down" (BJSC 146, 17 pts)

• White Lies - "As I Try Not To Fall Apart (TCTS Remix)" (BJSC 148, 24.5 pts)

Anomalies:

• The highest and lowest are both records when compared to 2023-2025.

• Jax and Tate McRae both would have gotten higher scores than 25, but the mods didn't bother to do full veto research so who knows if they would have bumped off ADD from the highest.

• My cheapness apparent as I have two entries here oops (Peggy Gou and Moyka)

• Token annual Dagny appearance

• My last (co-)hosting job had the one veto-free contest of the year yay

• Can't choose whether Faouzia, Sophie & The Giants or Fred Again are the cheapest here. Actually, jk it's def Tate.

Side note to the mods, the BJSC 146 confirmations thread is missing its relevant tag xo

Actually I think you'll find Tate McRae was entered under her alias Tate McGee. Can't believe the mods twigged that genius identity veil!

I know one of the Remi Wolf tracks with a food based title was me but I can’t remember which one!