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The 20 Worst Cover Songs in Pop Music History

By CRACKED Staff, Kevin Hill March 13, 2007 457,794 views
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Covering other people's material is a mainstay in pop music. Why bother taking the time to write an original song when you can just recycle somebody else's hit, redo it with an acoustic guitar (or, if it's an acoustic song, with an electric guitar) and generate the same result? But it doesn't always work out as planned, especially if you don't bother to figure out what made the original song popular in the first place (or in the case of our #1 choice, even bother to learn the damn lyrics first). Below, 20 great songs that received sound butcherings by artists who should've known better. A lot better.

20
"You Shook Me All Night Long" - Celine Dion and Anastasia
This is the perfect song to play if you've just ingested poison and urgently need to induce vomiting. But even if it's a life or death situation, you might want to think twice before clicking play. While it may save your life, you will be haunted by the image of Celine Dion playing air guitar for the rest of your days.
19
"Downtown Train" - Rod Stewart
Did Rod Stewart just wake up one day in 1977 and decide to become a pathetic, grotesque parody of himself? Or did he ease into it over time, like a pair of his stretched-beyond-relief leather pants? "Lead singer of The Faces"-era Rod was known to drop some kick-ass covers. But then came the "shoulder pads and blow-dried '80s"-era Rod and this nauseating version of Tom Waits' "Downtown Train." All you need to know about post-Faces Rod can be encapsulated in the seizure he has at the 15-second point of this video. It's like he remembers that there is such a thing as rocking out, has a vague sense that people used to enjoy it when he rocked out, but can't muster up enough enthusiasm to do anything other than awkwardly twitch his head back.
18
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - Guns N Roses
To be honest, G'N'R could have taken three places all on their own. In addition to the 10-minute "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", Axl Rose also drilled out overlong, tepid versions of "Live and Let Die" and "Sympathy for the Devil," managing to hit an unlikely trifecta of brutalizing The Stones, McCartney and Bob Dylan in a single badly chosen career.
17
"Demolition Man" - Manfred Mann


030707/17ManfredMann_DemolitionMan.mp3

"I'm a walking nightmare, an arsenal of doom / I kill conversation as I walk into the room." This sums up Manfred Mann's music quite nicely, actually. They struck gold with their cover of Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light," but one hit does not excuse the litany of brutal covers with which they've ear-raped us with before and since, from The Jam's "Going Underground" to Dylan's "It's All Over Now (Baby Blue)". But the absolute nadir is probably this, their slaughter of The Police's "Demolition Man," which somehow manages to beat out Sylvester Stallone for the title of worst Demolition Man ever.

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117 Comments

I actually think the Manfred Mann's Earthband version of Demolition man is pretty good.

6/1/2009 9:32:18 PM
Earthbound_X

"Just because you dont like that kind of music"

You mean "bad" music? I don't think the author implied he doesn't like the Floyd song, just that there was no reason for Korn to redo it. I tend to agree. I wouldn't listen to Korn if you paid me although I will admit that if I was 15 yrs younger I probably would have thought they were kool (see how I did that with the letters and all? I even turned the second "o" around backwards).

4/23/2009 1:20:36 PM
rrpostal

Miley Cyrus' cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Wtf?

3/8/2009 12:32:17 PM
Nami713

Can't believe you failed to include Amy Winehouse's simply appalling version of The Zutons' "Valerie". It is DIRE. Can't agree with you on No Doubt though.

3/8/2009 4:53:42 AM
grahamt

Hear hear Nana. (On Madonna, not you)

3/7/2009 3:15:52 PM
dizzypdx

I will kill myself if Madonna will go first

3/3/2009 11:47:42 AM
nana

Avril lavigne's Fuel, should be on the list too

2/28/2009 3:42:43 PM
Tallulah

The worst cover I have heard by far is Tatu's cover of How Soon Is Now....then again I've never been able to bring myself to listen to Celine Dion's shitfest up there so that could change.

2/27/2009 5:53:45 PM
Madchester

No link to 911 Is a Joke? I have to hear this song!

2/22/2009 8:34:16 AM
DrFreakazoid

My personal number 1 was the sugar babes and girls aloud completely violating "walk this way". i know it was for charity but they could have thought of a more humane way of getting money off us. there was no need to drag an innocent song into it

2/13/2009 3:46:16 AM
offramp181

I have to diagree with the Korn song, it is very well done cover of Floyd, its on the top of many cover song lists. Just because you dont like that kind of music does not makeit ok for you to say that it is bad.

2/10/2009 12:50:20 PM
bonafiedhero

For me the worst cover is "under the bridge" by "All Saints", so you forgot it!

2/8/2009 4:42:51 PM
ritchie66

Funny. Except I think theres a bit of an ordering problem. Celine should have been #1

2/3/2009 8:08:38 PM
geoffd

Knockin' on Heaven's Door bad? You sniffing glue?

1/29/2009 10:11:33 PM
thehatta

I do have to say I'm kind of dissapointed Britney Spear's cover of I love Rock and Roll wasn't on the list

1/21/2009 6:28:32 PM
NinjaPotato93

Katie5000- Jessica Simpson did a terrible cover of "Boots are made for Walkin'" for The Dukes of Hazzard movie, that might be what you were thinking of. And yes, it was as terrible as her "acting".

1/10/2009 2:36:42 AM
Koukla12905

A really terrible cover is Everclear's cover of Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl. Not only is it awful, but in the video they make it that the guy is in love with his sister. Yeah.

1/5/2009 1:03:16 PM
orchid17

I think Patty Smythe's cover of 'Downtown Train' is the best of all. The worst I have come across are - my apologies here - but Led Zeppelin should never have remade Willie Dixon's 'You Shook Me' and 'I Can't Quit You, Baby' alone. Seriously.

1/4/2009 6:52:57 AM
uzielis

I don't know, but #10 wasn't that bad. I'm a believer. :).

1/4/2009 6:50:00 AM
uzielis

@ scorpio: i don't know your taste in music, but in my opinion bass guitar absolutely DOES suit some women. 2 of my favorite bands (talking heads, the pixies) have female bass players.
just because some women suck at bass doesn't mean they all do. there are plenty of gawd-awful male bass players.

1/3/2009 10:50:38 AM
naastril

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