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.
Late to the game, I know. But is Faith hill covering "Piece of My Heart" not on this list because she's a country 'artist'? That cover practically defines ear rape.
Counting Crows version of "Big Yellow Taxi" is much better. I have no problem with Joni Mitchell, but her version doesn't sound half as good as Duritz and Carlton's. Both are much better than the Amy Grant version though
I kind of like the GnR covers of live and let die and knockin'
on heaven's door, but that's just me. Number 20 is not only a disgrace to ac/dc, but a disgrace to the entire human race.
There's a specific circle in Dante's hell for people who cover-screw great songs...Sheryl Crow destroying GnR, that made me sick. I'd still probably shove my thumb in her butt, however.
What about any cover of a male-sung song done by a woman? Leona Lewis' cover of Hallelujah? It made me shudder, it really did... After Jeff Buckley, nobody should have touched it, in my opinion.
GnR's version of Knockin on Heavens door is by far the best version out there. And live and let die was badass too. Go to a GnR concert and tell me those didnt get your heart racing
Oh man I remember when I was 10 and obsessed with Britney Spears. I used to love Satisfaction and didn't understand why my mom looked uncomfortable every time I played it (she's a huge Stones fan). I'm so ashamed that I used to think that song was acceptable.
Also Madonna's American Pie made me want to throw my laptop out of the window.
I never heard Duran Duran's cover of "911 Is A joke", but that sounds like the ONLY song that could beat Sheryl Crow's piece of trash version of "sweet Child O' Mine". Although, I do like G n' R's version of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" & Motley Crue's version of "Anarchy In The U.K."
Nooooooo! NSync didn't do a cover of "Everything I Own"! Say it ain't so!
Replywhat about Nsync's version of Christopher Cross's "Sailing" and Bread's "Everything I Own" ?
ReplyMegadeth did a cover of Anarchy in the UK as well.
ReplyAdmittedly that was 100% awesome though.
Late to the game, I know. But is Faith hill covering "Piece of My Heart" not on this list because she's a country 'artist'? That cover practically defines ear rape.
ReplyKorn later covered "Creep" by Radiohead... I couldn't even finish watching it on YouTube before just going to the original version.
ReplyCounting Crows version of "Big Yellow Taxi" is much better. I have no problem with Joni Mitchell, but her version doesn't sound half as good as Duritz and Carlton's. Both are much better than the Amy Grant version though
Reply"Duran Duran is from Birmingham, England, not Birmingham, Alabama."
ReplyBrilliant.
I kind of like the GnR covers of live and let die and knockin'
Replyon heaven's door, but that's just me. Number 20 is not only a disgrace to ac/dc, but a disgrace to the entire human race.
I'm guessing anything Glee has ever covered just goes without saying?
ReplyI wish I could thumbs up this comment more than once.
There's a specific circle in Dante's hell for people who cover-screw great songs...Sheryl Crow destroying GnR, that made me sick. I'd still probably shove my thumb in her butt, however.
ReplyYou might get rabies
she only uses one square of toilet paper, you know.
What about any cover of a male-sung song done by a woman? Leona Lewis' cover of Hallelujah? It made me shudder, it really did... After Jeff Buckley, nobody should have touched it, in my opinion.
ReplyYou are free to disagree. :)
I disagree in so much as Leona Lewis didn't cover it.
Natalie Cole doing Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac".
Linda Eder's version of "I, Don Quixote".
It's all in the execution.
GnR's version of Knockin on Heavens door is by far the best version out there. And live and let die was badass too. Go to a GnR concert and tell me those didnt get your heart racing
ReplyThe Korn version of Another Brick on the Wall is great. It's just different.
ReplyAll three of those Guns N Roses covers that you trashed are actually good songs - especially "Sympathy for the Devil." That song kicks ass.
ReplyI also like Counting Crows' update of "Big Yellow Taxi." (Although Joni Mitchell is still a rock goddess.)
Oh man I remember when I was 10 and obsessed with Britney Spears. I used to love Satisfaction and didn't understand why my mom looked uncomfortable every time I played it (she's a huge Stones fan). I'm so ashamed that I used to think that song was acceptable.
ReplyAlso Madonna's American Pie made me want to throw my laptop out of the window.
Your mom is so different than mine. She'd have taken the tape out of the player and stepped on it. :)
Bob Dylan's cover of "Big Yellow Taxi" and Brady Bunch's cover of "American Pie" were by far worse than the versions mentioned on the list.
ReplyI never heard Duran Duran's cover of "911 Is A joke", but that sounds like the ONLY song that could beat Sheryl Crow's piece of trash version of "sweet Child O' Mine". Although, I do like G n' R's version of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" & Motley Crue's version of "Anarchy In The U.K."
ReplyCertainly Elton John's version of "Pinball Wizard" deserves a mention. But an all-time worst must be Nancy Sinatra's cover of "Day Tripper."
ReplyWhat about Panic at the Disco s****y version of Karma Police??
ReplyAny of their songs from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out are terrible
I've always liked Guns' version of SFTD better than the Stones', but that's just me...
Reply