NationStates Jolt Archive

I saw the "Worst film adaptation" thread and decided to start this one, similar thing, but about copies of songs that were really messed up.
For me, American Pie by Madonna was atrocious.

"Whiskey in the Jar" by Metallica.

The Bangles version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter"

EDIT: Oh yeah, I don't know who did it, but someone, in 1979, did a "disco version" of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" - I almost lost my lunch when I heard it.

Van Halen's 'Panama' as performed by Pat Boone.

riders on the storm as covered by snoop dog.

The Bangles version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter"

EDIT: Oh yeah, I don't know who did it, but someone, in 1979, did a "disco version" of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" - I almost lost my lunch when I heard it.

Oh, well if we're counting disco or "rave" remixes of songs, there are a thousand that I could think of. I figured we were only counting songs that were remade seriously.

Tiny Tim's, Eve of Destruction.

(Although to be fair, I've only heard 30sec of it on the Radio)

Oh yeah, Jessica Simpson or whatever her name is, "Take my Breath Away". Now there is a cover to make you lose your lunch. The Berlin version was many, many times better.

"whiskey in the jar" by thin lizzy to begin with was bad enough even before metallica covered it.. there are traditional songs that can be 'rocked out' and there are those that shouldn't

First off the term is 'cover'. When an artist records someone else's song it's their cover of it.

The worst is Dolly Parton's cover of Stairway to Heaven.

First off the term is 'cover'. When an artist records someone else's song it's their cover of it.

The worst is Dolly Parton's cover of Stairway to Heaven.

OMFG - She did that? I've never heard it, but the very idea makes me want to toss my cookies!

I can't remember which boyband it was but a boyband singing Seasons in the sun is just intolerable. Do they have a slightest idea what they are singing about?

I can't remember which boyband it was but a boyband singing Seasons in the sun is just intolerable. Do they have a slightest idea what they are singing about?
Westlife I think, I didn't know that it was a cover, but it was indeed awful.

Stuck in the middle with you - covered by Louise Redknapp....it was almost ironic in its crapness considering the lyrics...almost ironic....still utter pap

Westlife I think, I didn't know that it was a cover, but it was indeed awful.
It was a hit in the 70's and Terry Jacks (?) wrote it to his wife when he knew he was going to die in few weeks.

Stuck in the middle with you - covered by Louise Redknapp....it was almost ironic in its crapness considering the lyrics...almost ironic....still utter pap

Oh yeah, that one was absolutely abysmal. It sounded like second rate "modern" country music (you know, the type with electric guitars and stuff) except it was ripping off one of the best songs ever.

Also, the dance version of the Flash Gordon theme tune is pretty bad. I didn't like the original, so the monotonous hard house version of it defies description.

All Saints' cover of the Chilli Peppers' Under The Bridge. A melancholy tune about heroin addiction reinterpreted as yet another piece of happy-clappy teeny-bopper crap.

If I hadn't already been an atheist that would have tipped me over the edge.

Edit: it also made me realise I was getting old.

B-side to Limp Bizkit's MI:2 theme song was...

...George Michael's Faith.

Actually started off as a very interesting interpretation, until he got to the chorus and started screeching. I had a mouthful of tea the first time I heard it. Helluva mess. Fucking hilarious.

I like Marilyn Manson, but I have to say the cover of "Tainted Love" was pretty bad, although I admit I only heard it once or twice.

(Someone already said Limp Bizkit's cover of "Faith")

How about Limp Bizkit's cover of "Behind Blue Eyes"?
That definitely qualifies as musical rape of the first degree.

How about Limp Bizkit's cover of "Behind Blue Eyes"?
That definitely qualifies as musical rape of the first degree.I like that!!


I nearly cried when Mark and Sam from Pop Idol (or some other prgramme like that) did that awful version of the Beatles' classic I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends (or whatever it's called) it's one of my favouritest songs ever and they destroyed it!

korns version or "word up" hahahahahahahahahaha

I think some covers can be quite good though, like:
Joey Ramone's version of 'What a wonderful world',
or Nirvana's 'The man who stole the world',
and a cover i love is the manic street preachers 'Take the skinheads bowling'

New version of the Band Aid single "Do they know it's christmas" can't be far off.

How about Amy Grant or any of the others who seem to feel the need to cover 'Big Yellow Taxi' by Joni Mitchell every three years or so.

I think some covers can be quite good though, like:
Joey Ramone's version of 'What a wonderful world',
or Nirvana's 'The man who stole the world',
and a cover i love is the manic street preachers 'Take the skinheads bowling'
Or Scissor Sisters' "Comfortably Numb". Also very good.

A Perfect Circle doing John Lennon's "Imagine" was pretty bad.

A Perfect Circle doing John Lennon's "Imagine" was pretty bad.
Someone DARED cover Imagine? Are they crazy?

Dare You To Move....pissed me off......

Oh yeah, Jessica Simpson or whatever her name is, "Take my Breath Away". Now there is a cover to make you lose your lunch. The Berlin version was many, many times better.

I think we have a winner there

riders on the storm as covered by snoop dog.

?! Snoop covered Riders? Agh.

Jim is rolling in his grave. Or pissed off in his villa in France, whichever.

?! Snoop covered Riders? Agh.

Jim is rolling in his grave. Or pissed off in his villa in France, whichever.
I believe this was included on EA's latest "shiny, but empty" Need For Speed: Underground 2. 'Trendy' cover tune abuses aren't what a game like that needs. It needs a soundtrack about 10x larger, and quality gameplay.

Limp Bizkit doing The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes"
Marylin Manson doing Johnny Mandell's "Suicide is Painless"
Guns N Roses doing Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"

Hell ... there've been hundreds of ugly covers ... but I'd say those three top the vomit chart.

Limp Bizkit doing The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes"
Guns N Roses doing Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"

i thought both of those are brilliant!

'Light My Fire' by Will Young. He really deserves to be kicked to death for what he did to that song, then he had the cheek to record a cover of 'The Long And Winding Road' - hold me back, hold me back!

Oh yeah, Jessica Simpson or whatever her name is, "Take my Breath Away". Now there is a cover to make you lose your lunch. The Berlin version was many, many times better.

I'd second that. That was pretty horrible, even for her. I think she should go into porn. Along with her sister.

i thought both of those are brilliant!

Ugh ... welll you would.

Fuck the police by rage against the machine

Korn's cover of Another Brick in the Wall.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds - William Shatner.

Guns N Roses doing Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"


Ah, you just don't appreciate it like I do. You see, I've seen it performed as it should be. By the Chinese cover band "Fly" in a Old Henry's Bar in Xi'an

A cover
Of a cover
With a Chinese black metal fan on the bongos

They're fixtures in Old Henry's if anyone's in those parts.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds - William Shatner.

There is nothing on this plane of existence not enriched and made all the better through even the mentioning of The Bill.

All hail The Bill! All hail His great works! Hallelujahgobble! Hallelujahgobble! Hallelujahgobble!

Lucy in the sky with diamonds - William Shatner.


Gotta disagree with you on that. But then again, I worship the ground Shatner walks on, so maybe I'm not the best source.

Everyone knows Creed sucks, right? Well, looking up the atrocity of Snoop's cover of 'Riders on the Storm', I found that Creed did a cover as well. That angers me as much as the ridiculously self-obsessed "tribute" Snoop did. How dare Snoop address Jim as The Lizard King?

Gotta disagree with you on that. But then again, I worship the ground Shatner walks on, so maybe I'm not the best source.


The Bill has yet to disappoint. Praise be to all things Shatner!

Lucy in the sky with diamonds - William Shatner.

No, I actually think that Leonard Nimoy's cover of Proud Mary was worse. I don't know how, but it was. *shudder*

I like Marilyn Manson, but I have to say the cover of "Tainted Love" was pretty bad, although I admit I only heard it once or twice.

(Someone already said Limp Bizkit's cover of "Faith")
Although you could say Marilyn Manson covered the cover of "Tainted Love"

No, I actually think that Leonard Nimoy's cover of Proud Mary was worse. I don't know how, but it was. *shudder*

Haha, as much as I love Nimoy (the real one, not me), his cover of Proud Mary did suck. It was about half the original tempo, and terribly off-key.

Have you heard his song entitled 'The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins'? That and 'Highly Illogical' are pretty boss songs.

"Whiskey in the Jar" by Metallica.
i thought that was excelllent

Hmmm i cant think of one ill find many though :D

Bowling for soup - Summer of 69

Limp Bizkit doing The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes"
Marylin Manson doing Johnny Mandell's "Suicide is Painless"
Guns N Roses doing Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"

Hell ... there've been hundreds of ugly covers ... but I'd say those three top the vomit chart.
I agree with Tink Excellent GNR track there
Limp Bizkit blows the only tallented one was Wes? and he left

I thought the worst GnR cover was "sympathy for the devil"

One I forgot:

The Dixie Chicks' "Landslide"

Although you could say Marilyn Manson covered the cover of "Tainted Love"
I take it Soft Cell didn't do the original?

Van Halen's 'Panama' as performed by Pat Boone.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Honorable Mention:

William Shatner's version of 'Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds'.

The Bill has yet to disappoint. Praise be to all things Shatner!

I have a paintball pod signed by William Shatner.

I played paintabll with him. I blew up his tank. :D

Colin Powell and the boys doing the Village People's YMCA at the ASEAN Regional Forum

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40341000/jpg/_40341597_ymca_story_ap.jpg


*Shudder*

Lucy in the sky with diamonds - William Shatner.

Eek! Nails on blackboard!

I take it Soft Cell didn't do the original?

Nope. It was originally recorded as an "Al Cobb" song during the sixties

"Angels," originally by Robbie Williams as covered by Jessica Simpson.

"Angels," originally by Robbie Williams as covered by Jessica Simpson.
Oh no she didn't? Tell me she didn't? Does she know no bounds? Take My Breath Away, Angels.... anything else?

?! Snoop covered Riders? Agh.

Jim is rolling in his grave. Or pissed off in his villa in France, whichever.


Yes very sad. How could snoop do that?

The worst is Dolly Parton's cover of Stairway to Heaven.
Rolf Harris did a cover of said song a few years back. I only heard it a couple of times, and to be honest, it nearly works. He uses his wobble board in place of the guitar solo. Bizarre. Got to hand it to him, though.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds - William Shatner.
Is there anyway I can get a copy? I want to find out if it's as bad I think.

I thought U2's version of that Bob Dylan masterpiece "All along the watchtower" was appalling. Every other version I've heard has been fantastic, and I'd come to the conclusion that it just wasn't possible to screw up that song. Bono's grate-ty voice and the Edge's insipid guitar work proved me wrong.

Why has no-one mentioned David Hasselhoff? Surely any cover he's done rates as one of the worse covers ever.

Rolf Harris


His version of Stairway to Heaven sucked!

Out of your Mouths cover of Music....no matter how much you try, that CANNOT be a good rock song, I'm sorry

Is there anyway I can get a copy? I want to find out if it's as bad I think.

Any basic filesharing program should have it. Shatner's music has a pretty strong cult following, and I drink the kool-aid with the rest of them.

Why has no-one mentioned David Hasselhoff? Surely any cover he's done rates as one of the worse covers ever.

Has he covered anything? I thought he mostly sang in German.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40341000/jpg/_40341597_ymca_story_ap.jpg



http://67.18.114.242/adventureimages/1335.gif

"I want Candy"-Aron Carter

Worst covers of all time. I can still think of a couple that were missed.

Limp Bizkit - Jump Around. (Bonus points for copying a rap song from a man that's now playing country/alternative.)

Korn - Lowrider.

Notorious B.I.G. - Player Hater. Not the same words, but the beat, patterning, and vocal rhythms were stolen wholeslae from "Hey Love", by the dramatics.

Britney Spears - My Prerogative. Bobby Brown's already in jail, can't you just let him die in peace?

That Counting Crows version of "Big Yellow Taxi" that came out recently. Especially the part where they changed "a big yellow taxi took away my old man" to "a big yellow taxi took my girl away" - why!?!?

That Counting Crows version of "Big Yellow Taxi" that came out recently. Especially the part where they changed "a big yellow taxi took away my old man" to "a big yellow taxi took my girl away" - why!?!?

Dude, I covered (ha ha, pun intended) that tune on like page three. That poor song gets re-released every three years or so for some painful reason.

Now if Shatner or Nimoy would do it, then maybe they could do it justice.