Brilliantly Crummy Pop Songs

Ishtar, the notorious 1987 flop starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as bumbling songwriters, had one undeniably redeeming feature. The tunes sprinkled throughout the picture—"Portable Picnic," "Wardrobe of Love," "That a Lawnmower Can Do All That"—are a daffy delight.

Consummate pop craftsman Paul Williams wrote most of them, and he made sure they sounded competent for the first couple of bars. Then they hit a brick wall. For instance:

"Telling the truth can be dangerous business. / Honest and popular don't go hand in hand.
 If you admit you can play the accordion / No one will hire you in a rock-and-roll band."

A soundtrack album was promised in the closing credits, but release was canceled after the movie did a face-plant. "If I live to be 100, maybe the world will embrace it," Williams says.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/08/ff_lost_basementtapes/2/