Posted in: Musicouching by Josh Yaxley on June 16, 2008 | 12 Comments
These stars butchered the originals.
Everyone appreciates a good cover song, sometimes it makes you forget the original in the first place, as the cover takes over (Some of the best cover songs can be found in my article: “The 10 Best Cover Songs”). Did you know that Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower” is actually Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower”? And that Jimi’s “Hey Joe” was actually originally written by Billy Roberts? But what happens when someone attempts to cover a song, and just completely mucks it up? The original gets put down, people associate it with the cover, and immediately think of faces.
In this article, I’ll be giving MY opinion on the 10 worst ever cover songs, give a few reasons and give links to where you can listen to the original and the cover. I hope you enjoy this, maybe you’ll even learn something at the same time.
Original Artist: Bon Jovi – YouTube – 3,504,784
Song Murderer: Atreyu – YouTube – 70,748
Cover Popularity (based on views): 2%
However good the guitar is in the cover, do you really think screamo vocals suit this song? Since when do Heavy Metalists do love songs? It’s just wrong. And I have to say this, because I actually like heavy metal so, Atreyu, you give metal a bad name.
Original Artist: The Police – YouTube – 2,049,553
Song Murderer: Machine Head – YouTube – 86,576
Cover Popularity (based on views): 4%
Come on Machine Head! Did you really think you would be able to sing and get away with it? You’re a GRUNTER! You grunt, it’s great in the right context. You should know better than to sing. Seriously, don’t do this again. Ever. You turned “Message in a Bottle” into “Message in a Butthole”. Save our souls.
Original Artist: Elvis Presley – YouTube – 1,583,042
Song Murderer: David Hasselhoff – Imeem – 154
Cover Popularity (based on views): 0%
David’s pathetic attempt at mimicking The King’s famous drawl is mostly why this song is a complete murder of the original. It’s so unpopular that I couldn’t even find a video of it on YouTube, and EVERYTHING is usually on YouTube. Just goes to show how much people hate this cover, and why it’s in my top 10 worst cover songs.
Original Artist: Pink Floyd – YouTube – 6,086,446
Song Murderer: Scissor Sisters – YouTube -85,837
Cover Popularity (based on views): 1%
Do I even need to tell you why this cover sucks? How dare they take a legendary song and make it this bad! I didn’t even listen to it all the way through. I don’t get it, WHY!? It’s just so annoying that they’ve done this and put it out there, it’s preying on unsuspecting people even when they’re in their homes on the internet. Not cool.
Original Artist: Don McLean – YouTube – 1,571,088
Song Murderer: Madonna – YouTube – 245,192
Cover Popularity (based on views): 16%
This is actually really sad that Madonna has done this. It’s insulting really, Don McLean wrote that song based on a very personal and emotional experience that made a difference to him for his entire life, and then Madonna came along and made a mockery of it.
Original Artist: The Arrows – YouTube – 326,286
Song Murderer: Britney Spears – YouTube – 1,244,224
Cover Popularity (based on views): 381%
This is a classic example where the cover takes over from the original. Now, before you say “but joan jett wrote I love rock n roll!!!!1!!! dooooouche”… No she didn’t. The Arrows wrote it originally, then Joan Jett did a cover of it which is what made it famous, and then Britney did a cover of it which is what made is despicable. However, Joan Jett’s cover has twice as many views as Britney’s cover so all is not lost.
Original Artist: AC/DC – YouTube – 3,063,785
Song Murderer: Shakira – YouTube – 34,446
Cover Popularity (based on views): 1%
Just… just no. No. Never. Have you listened to Shakira’s version? If not, I seriously advise you not to. What the hell is going on at the start where you have the famous chord progression, but what the hell have they done to it? Luckily, the electric guitars kick in later on in the song with some AC/DC kick-ass-ness, but why the hell is Shakira still there? Her voice does not suit the song at all, and it just kills it completely.
Original Artist: Aerosmith/Run DMC – YouTube – 1,700,430
Song Murderer: Girls Aloud/Sugababes – YouTube – 66,309
Cover Popularity (based on views): 4%
NOTE: When I talk about the original version of this song I’m talking about the original duet (Aerosmith/Run DMC) and not the originally written version by Aerosmith alone.
The original version of this song was legendary, it combined Rock with Rap and shows people that just because you like different music doesn’t mean that you don’t have to get on. How can Girls Aloud and Sugababes mimic this if neither of them rock? It doesn’t fit, and it shouldn’t of been made. I think the only reason this is as popular as it is is because it was done for Red Nose Day, which gave it a lot of popularity benefit (charity usually does).
Original Artist: Oasis – YouTube – 10,936,754
Song Murderer: The Mike Flowers Pops – YouTube – 160,972
Cover Popularity (based on views): 1%
In my personal opinion, this song didn’t deserve even the one percent that it got. Even without hearing it you know that with a name like “The Mike Flowers Pops” you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life. It actually almost brings a tear to my eye, but I’m a man, we’re not allowed to cry, not even over something as upsetting and depressing as this.
And finally, last AND least:
Original Artist: AC/DC – YouTube – 2,506,783
Song Murderer: Celine Dion – YouTube – 487
Cover Popularity (based on views): 0%
Yet another AC/DC song to be dragged into my top ten worst cover songs due to a girl trying and failing to be cool. Quoting a commenter on the Celine Dion video: “coool? are you kidding me? this is about as cool as a fart in a spacesuit. Her covering this song is like AC/DC doing a cover of celine dion. it makes no sense”. He/she is exactly right.
Let’s see, after doing the math this gives the covers a total popularity of 41%. Without the Britney Spears cover it’s 3.1%, and people only watch that one “cause she”s hot. It’s true. There’s no other logical reason for it.
Anyway, I hope that by some act of God one of these people finds this article, and realise all the wrong that they have caused. They should just stay away from all of our favourite, legendary rock songs and maybe do some of their own? And maybe, just maybe they could do them well, although that’s probably asking a bit too much. One baby step at a time.
Thanks for reading this (If you did), if you liked it then Digg it and comment it or whatever, anything to keep up the awareness of this article will be much appreciated. Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed it.
Kate June 16th, 2008 at 11:26 am
The original version of Walk This Way did NOT combine Rap and Rock. It was done by Aerosmith alone. The remake including Run DMC was decried by many rockers at the time as a sell out to commercial interests.
Josh June 16th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Thanks for pointing that out, you’re right of course, Walk This Way was originally done by Aerosmith in the 1970s and was re-made in 1986. I didn’t actually know that, I probably didn’t bother to research it because the lyrics just sound so much like they’re from a rap song.
Pete June 16th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
You kind of forgot Limp Bizkit and their cover of ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ that was pretty bad.
coda June 16th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Alanis Morissette’s cover of Seal’s “Crazy” … although she redeemed herself with her cover of “My Humps”.
Oh and Cher’s cover of Marc Cohn’s “Walking In Memphis”! Yeesh.
WaveyDavey June 17th, 2008 at 3:30 am
The Shakira cover of Back in Black is desperately horrible, but I actually *liked* the jazzing of the intro chord sequence. I’d better get my coat, I think I’m probably going to be asked to leave by the taste police!
Anne Lyken-Garner June 17th, 2008 at 4:53 am
A fine collection of the worst songs, I agree with you on most of them.
Luke McKay June 24th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
AC/DC should sue…
Sircell June 24th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Avril Lavigne’s cover of Chop Suey is unforgivable. It honestly makes alot of these seem like minor imperfections compared to that song. She doesn’t even get the lyrics right, honestly. Just search it on on Youtube.
Me Myself and I September 19th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
And let us not forget “Behind Blue Eyes”
original artist: The Who
song MURDERER: Limp Bizkit
mattz February 16th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I wanna cry after reading what songs have been killed.
Mike March 20th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Completely disagree on the Scissor Sisters cover: while the song may be in a completely different style, that doesn’t make it bad. In fact it was the song that got the Scissor Sisters in the spotlight: it was a popular club song which led to people finding out about the band. Also, obscurity (as based on the percentages you presented) proves nothing as far as quality. There are factions on both sides that say that if they’ve never heard of it it must not be good, or conversely if everyone has heard it then it isn’t good. “Hurt” cover by Johnny Cash, 9 million hits on YouTube. Britney Spears “Baby One More Time?” 26 million. Which song do you think is better?
Sara November 1st, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Don’t forget Hilary Duff’s cover of the Who’s “My Generation.” She sings “I hope I *don’t* die before I get old.” Guuuuhhhh I hope I die before I hear that cover again. D: