Worst cover of a classic song

[Taverner]

Poll question: Worst cover of a classic song

[dhinojosa]

1. Natalie Cole: Unforgettable

[CO Liberal]

43. That Was The First Song....

...The Princess and I ever danced to, in October of 1991 - the night we met.

[dhinojosa]

72. The original? eom

[CO Liberal]

76. No - The Nat & Natalie Version

It was climbing the charts in October of 1991, and the DJ at the dance played it.

[Richardo]

47. Someone renamed it "Unforgiveable"

...which I agree with. My parents were huge Nat King Cole fans.

[Hobarticus]

2. Bon Jovi's 'Boys Are Back in Town'

I was willing to indulge their transgressions up to that point.

[chicagojoe]

3. Floyd by Simpson?!? Got to be bad, and I've never heard it.

[Taverner]

6. I caught it while surfing past MTV

She was actually singing it, on one of those TRL type shows proving her "punk" cred.

Like watching a horrible train wreck, I had to see....

[Radical Activist]

10. I didn't know she did that.

Unless someone else did it recently too I didn't think it was all that bad. Not nearly as good as the original but it didn't offend me.

[Taverner]

15. Korn did a version that was OK

Not great, but OK...and they managed to bring parts I, II and III together.

But Ashlee just sang the chorus, over and over and over, dressed all punk.

[Radical Activist]

17. That's it! It was the Korn version I heard

It was ok. I haven't heard the Simpson's version then.

[chicagojoe]

18. The Korn version is cool

but I just don't see the point of covering it at all.

[shance]

4. Michael Bolton's, When a Man Loves a Woman

FRIGHTENING..........

[Hobarticus]

11. The cruelest twist of all...

Michael Bolton actually said he pulled it off with greater 'soul' than the original.

Urgh.

[shance]

23. A legend in his own mind, hmm?

:)

[msanthrope]

25. Michael Bolton ia a Talentless Ass-Clown n/t

[Osamasux]

45. ...with hair.

[Frogtutor]

68. Geez, did he mean to say that out loud? n/t

[Sandpiper]

5. Madonna: American Pie

Wretched. :puke:

[Parrcrow]

9. agreed!

blech!
:puke:

[chicagojoe]

16. Are you kidding?

Madonna sucks as it is. She had to go and fuck up American Pie?
Back in 7th grade, when I started playing bass, that song was a hit,
and I learned it note for note. Wore out the 45.
What happened to Don McLean, anyway?

[ironflange]

75. I saw him on the teevee recently

An "in concert" show, it was really good. Must have been on PBS or something. It was kind of strange seeing this tubby old guy up there singing with Don McLean's voice. The same thing happened a short time ago with that John Fogerty special. Both guys still sound great.

[KitchenWitch]

30. I voted for the Ashlee Simpson one

But I was thinking Madonna's American Pie - Shit, only Don McLean can do that one!

[smbolisnch]

51. OMG Yes!!!! That was painful....

I couldn't even stand to hear that one on rotation somewhere. Just awful! :puke:

[scarlett1]

64. Madonna - American Pie was the first song I thought of when I saw this

thread

[Radical Activist]

7. Who did that acoustic version of Simple Man by Skynyrd?

They kept playing it around here. It was so bad it had to be someone already popular or else it never would have been played. It's one of the worst things I have ever heard on the radio. Like a really bad Tuesday nite bar act.

[chicagojoe]

12. That was some kind of one-hit-wonder attempt.

[SmileyBoy]

29. That was Shinedown, and yes, that was bad.

It's a shame, because they've made some really good songs.

[chicagojoe]

8. On the other hand...

... I just heard a great cover of Surrender(Cheap Trick)
done by Velvet Revolver

[merwin]

13. A Perfect Circle: Imagine (Lennon cover)

God that was the most horrid cover I've ever heard. I like Perfect Circle and everything, but that was horrid.

[chicagojoe]

20. You are correct.

Perfect Circle Good. Their cover of Imagine Bad.

[LSdemocrat]

27. That was truly terrible

[Bombtrack]

34. absoluetly 100 percent agreed

[RevolutionaryActs]

14. Avril Lavigne, Knockin' on Heavens Door.

And Ashlee Simpson, Another Brick in the Wall, Britney's Satisfaction AND I Love Rock and Roll. :wtf: are they thinking?

[MnFats]

19. for the rest of the oldsters up late: Two Springsteen songs covered..

...
By "Manfred Mann's Earth Band"

"Spirit in the Night"

and

Jesus, the title of the other one slips my mind late at night....suffice it to say both were atrocities...

[Taverner]

21. Pearl Jam did a Springsteen cover that was Craptackular

Which is funny, because the tune is a lesser known, bad Springsteen tune. Not one of his good ones.

And Pearl Jam is usually a good band. One of those "bad songs happen to good bands" moments

[tcfrogs]

24. Perhaps "Blinded by the Light"?

Some of the weirdest lyrics ever...

[WCGreen]

31. Come on, both of those were done before

they got any airplay for Bruce....

They were cool, I thought, because they changed the way the song sounded without destroying the basic integrity.....

If you are going to do a remake, make it your own,....

Peace Train by 10,000 Maniacs. love it or hate it, at least she interpreted it differently.....

[patcox2]

56. Blinded by the Light

Wrapped up like a douche . . . (duece, in the original).

[bobbobbins]

63. cut loose like a duece

[last_texas_dem]

69. I like both of those

I like Manfred Mann's Earth Bands's (don't know if that's gramatically correct or not!) covers of "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night" better than the Springsteen originals. Interesting (well, to me, at least) aside; Springsteen's vocal style on the originals does bear an uncanny resemblance to the lead singer of the Counting Crows' though; perhaps the Counting Crows guy adopted his style from early Springsteen or something...

[Lautremont]

22. G 'n' R's "Knockin on Heaven's Daw-uh-waw"

Stink, stank, stunk.

[Atlas Mugged]

39. "Hey hey - hey hey hey"

Was it some kind of cult tribute to 'What's Happenin'?

The sounds of a revolver being loaded made it even more laughable - as opposed to sinister, which I imagine is what they had in mind.

[Mabus]

26. Toss up: Leonard Nimoy and Pat Boone

1. Leonard Nimoy's cover of "Proud Mary" for a listen http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000032C1/ref=pd_art_ftr_2/002-3458774-7978424?v=glance&s=music

2. Pat Boone's cover of "Smoke on the Water" (from his metal album - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005KOE/ref=pd_art_ftr_4/002-3458774-7978424?v=glance&s=music)

[SmileyBoy]

28. Korn recently butchered Pink Floyd's "Brick In The Wall".

Although Avril Lavigne butchering "Chop Suey" by SOAD was horrible too.

[WCGreen]

32. Korn Butchered it because they tried too hard to sound just like

Pink Flyod with better production technique......

Make a song your own if you are going to remake it...

Twist and Shout was a classic Beatles Song as well as a great Isley Brothers tune.....

[Tafiti]

62. No she didn't!

Tell me you're kidding about her covering SOAD! Oh, the horror.

[Guaranteed]

33. You had mine up there- I'm surprised! Behind Blue Eyes...

The first was SO unbelievably heartfelt...SO good...and the remake was equally as BAD. Just horrible.

[Squeech]

35. There's a version of "Gimme Some Loving"

Incredibly generic remixed-sounding backup band and Steve Vai-wannabe guitar licks. But I don't know who it is-- I only heard it yesterday on my boss's internet radio. Dumbest thing I've heard all year.

Of course, the year is young.

[last_texas_dem]

36. "I Saw Him Standing There"...

...is actually by Tiffany, not Debbie Gibson. (Should I be ashamed for knowing that? haha)

But my vote for worst cover has to go to Madonna's "American Pie." She hacked the song to bits and totally changed its sound, and not for the better.

[Dzimbowicz]

37. I have a 1965 version of the Rolling Stones

covering "Under the Boardwalk" on the LP 12x5.

:puke:

[obreaslan]

38. Rod Stewart and Dolly Parton, "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Absotlute and total rubbish!!!! :puke:

[kodi]

40. ever hear "rain drops keep falling on my head" by a moog synthesizer?

it gives muskrat love a run for its money as the worst song ever done.

[livinginphotographs]

41. 3-11: The Cure's Lovesong.

Makes me want to kill those fucking kids everytime I hear it.

[smbolisnch]

52. I heard that on the radio. I didn't know it was 3-11

And I agree, it was an awful cover. ;)

[Beware the Beast Man]

42. Will to Power "Baby I love Your Way/Freebird"

Horrible, horrible, horrible....

[Moloch]

44. I vote for 'American Pie' by Madonna

and I'm a Madonna fan, but it was :puke:

[CO Liberal]

46. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" by William Shatner

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Mabus]

77. well said.

Didn't one of the Star Trek crew (Nimoy or Shatner) take on a remake of MacArthur Park?

[Mr. Blonde]

48. I guess I'm the only one who doesn't like

Metallica's cover of Turn the Page? They failed at making it harder than the original in my opinion. And it was just awful in my opinion.

[fishwax]

50. I agree, it sucked

and while I used to like the original, I've never really liked it since Metallica covered it.

[last_texas_dem]

57. I agree

I think their take on "Turn the Page" is overdone. The music video for it is a downer to, if still an interesting concept. Their cover of "Whiskey in the Jar" is about on the same level as the Thin Lizzy original, though.

[Bridget Burke]

49. "Love Hurts" by Nazareth.....

The other recordings in the poll are (thankfully) unfamiliar to me. This song written by Boudleaux Bryant was originally recorded by Roy Orbison or maybe the Everly Brothers. Perhaps Roy was first, but both versions are classic.

Of course, I was most familiar with the Gram & Emmylou version. SO when I heard Nazareth's attempt, it just sounded wrong.

And I definitely heard Nazareth's attempt.

[last_texas_dem]

55. Interesting

Nazareth's "Love Hurts" is one of those rare covers that I actually like more than the original. I like a lot of Roy Orbison's stuff but always thought his version sounded much less passionate than the bulk of his stuff. Maybe that was just because I heard Nazareth's first. Perhaps theirs is a bit overwrought, but to me it just comes across as very emotional.

[patcox2]

58. Didn't Cher do that too?

nt

[fishwax]

53. Rod Stewart's "Downtown Train"

Which is a great Tom Waits song. And while we're at it, Rod Stewart's "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (which is a not-so-great Van Morrison song) and "Broken Arrow" (which is a great Robbie Robertson song).

[fishwax]

54. And speaking of horrible Van Morrison covers

I should also mention John Mellencamp's version of "Wild Night" :puke:

[Zero Gravitas]

59. Are there any deer in theater tonight?

there's one in the headlights...

[ZoCrowes]

60. Besides my cover of Lets Get It On?

Pat Boone covering anything ranks right up there.

[dolo amber]

61. Man, if you're gonna have a Britney option

it should be "My Perogative"...she murdered that. x(

In all fairness, "Satisfaction" is pretty indestructable.

[Frogtutor]

65. ANY country cover of a rock song...

I HATE when they do that! I don't listen to country, but at times that I've been forced to hear it, I've noticed they do this A LOT.

Geez, can't they write their own shit?

It should be against the law...

[mockmonkey]

66. Eddie Veder

"Last Kiss", it's too slow and sounds like a dog howling. What's next Eddie, "Leader of the Pack"?

[Frogtutor]

67. OMG, Ashlee Simpson doing Pink Floyd?!

You know, there are some things I just don't want to know...

She should be drawn and quartered!

[HEyHEY]

70. Sheryl Crow sweet child of mine

[Magrittes Pipe]

71. Al Hedges, "Ain't no Sunshine"

:puke:

[ironflange]

73. Stairway to Heaven

As done by Tiny Tim.

OTOH, Rolf Harris' take on it is great.

[ThorsHammer]

74. Macy Gray's cover of "Walk this Way" for some commercial

[Mad_Dem_X]

80. EWWW, yes! That is horrid!!!!

As is Madonna's "American Pie," Limp Bizkit's "Behind Blue Eyes," and ANY cover done by Britney!

[dean_dem]

78. Celine Dion covering "You Shook Me All Night Long."

I think I'm going to need therapy after hearing that POS.

[Mad_Dem_X]

79. That was Tiffany who did "I Saw Her (Him) Standing There"

not Debbie Gibson. Sucked nonetheless.