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The 20 Worst Cover Songs in Pop Music History

By CRACKED Staff, Kevin Hill March 13, 2007 505,659 views
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16
"American Pie" - Madonna
Poor Madge. She started off with a groundbreaking spark, pushing both boundaries and buttons. But for the last decade, she seems more like that Molly Shannon character on SNL who can still high-kick in a leotard even though she's 60. Why a woman with an exclusively gay fan base would cover an allegory about classic rock history is beyond us; it's not like you can make a retro-dance remix that radio DJs will play in exchange for bribes from the record company that bought your soul.
15
"My Generation" - Hilary Duff


030707/15HilaryDuff_MyGeneration.mp3

People try to put your generation down, do they, Hilary? Maybe it's because your generation has a habit of mistaking glorified Mouseketeers for musicians. Or maybe it's because your generation gave rise to a version of the music industry that asparagus-pisses in the face of everything rock stands for. Either way, it looks like Hilary's in the process of following her own advice and just f-f-f-fading away.
14
"It's My Life" - No Doubt
No Doubt's note-for-note recreation of this song by Talk Talk isn't excruciating, in the same way that having to make small talk with Gwen Stefani for ten minutes would be, but you have to ask: why do it in the first place? So that you can act in an incoherent video that has nothing to do with the song? Because you've already done that at least five times by now. If you're still practicing, stop: you've got the chops.
13
"Video Killed The Radio Star" - The Presidents of the United States of America
With so many brilliant tunes out there to cover, why would you pick The Buggles' goofy hit from 1980? Were the Presidents seduced by the questionably hot chicks in the headbands and legwarmers? Was it the timely nature of the lyrics, which had become completely irrelevant by 1998? Or, most likely, did the POTUS just assume you could drench anything in wink-nudge irony and the kids'd lap it up like bong resin? Regardless, adapting this '80s classic to fit the late '90s is like adapting the patent for the first automobile into a screenplay for a romantic comedy: the only way it'd sound like a good idea is if you were high or stupid. So what I'm saying is it makes sense they'd give it a shot.

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121 Comments

William Shatner did a great cover of "Rocket Man."

8/18/2009 12:59:06 PM
Kitty_Genovese

Leonary Nimoy sang "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"

8/18/2009 12:54:27 PM
Kitty_Genovese

This list cannot be complete without David Lee Roth's cover of "Just a Gigolo." Also, curiously, there are no mentions of William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy.

8/18/2009 12:51:06 PM
Kitty_Genovese

How about Rod Stewart doing Bob Dylan's "Forever Young"?

8/7/2009 11:55:37 AM
mordredlefay

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

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