Top 100 Bad Cover Versions

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Well we've had the best (?) cover versions, how about the Top 100 dodgy covers.

I'd like to start with....

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:21 (twenty-three years ago)

1. David Bowie - God Only Knows

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:21 (twenty-three years ago)

2. "Anarchy in the U.K." - Motley Crue and/or Megadeth

― J (Jay), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:24 (twenty-three years ago)

3. Phil Collins - You can't hurry love

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:27 (twenty-three years ago)

was the Megadeth cover of 'Anarchy' the one where they changed "council tenancy" to "c***-like tendency". If so, yes deffo that one.

― zebedee, Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:29 (twenty-three years ago)

4. Psychic TV - Good Vibrations

(actually, considering the very idea is sacrilige, they almost pulled it off. Still, in it goes)

― Jeff W (Jeff W), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:33 (twenty-three years ago)

5. Lenny Kravitz - American Woman

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:35 (twenty-three years ago)

6. Massive Attack - Light My Fire

― Curt (cgould), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:35 (twenty-three years ago)

7.Bathory - Ace Of Spades

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:37 (twenty-three years ago)

8. Orgy - Blue Monday

― Curt (cgould), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:38 (twenty-three years ago)

9. Superpitcher - Baby's On Fire

― Curt (cgould), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:40 (twenty-three years ago)

10.Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:40 (twenty-three years ago)

11. Madonna - American Pie

and I couldn't stand the original either.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:41 (twenty-three years ago)

12. Duran Duran - 911 is a joke.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:43 (twenty-three years ago)

13 Gareth Gates-Unchained Melody

― Paul R (paul R), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:43 (twenty-three years ago)

I quite liked his 'Unchained Melody' when he first did it on the show. For a song with so many bad karaoke versions out there, I thought he did alright.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:45 (twenty-three years ago)

13. Tori Amos "I'm Not In Love"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:47 (twenty-three years ago)

That shoulda been 14.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:47 (twenty-three years ago)

15. Olive "I'm Not In Love"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:47 (twenty-three years ago)

16. Vanessa Carlton "Paint It Black"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Phil collins - Tomorrow never knows

― james (james), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:49 (twenty-three years ago)

I suppose his version wasn't as bad as Robson & Jerome's,put that in instead.

― Paul R (paul R), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:50 (twenty-three years ago)

17 'im still waiting ' - sonia.
18 'shaddapa y' face' - emf
19 'losing my religion' - abigail
20 'who wants to be a millionaire' - thompson twins
21 'the man with the child in his eyes' - hue and cry
22 'theme from mash' - manic street preachers
23 'voodoo chile' - jesus jones

― piscesboy, Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:52 (twenty-three years ago)

24) The Vines - Miss Jackson
25) Will Young - Evergreen (simply by dint of someone thinking covering Westlife=good idea)

― Mr Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:53 (twenty-three years ago)

24.Gareth & Will-The Long & Winding Road(I'm not over keen on the song anyway)

― Paul R (paul R), Thursday, 21 November 2002 14:54 (twenty-three years ago)

27. Travis "Baby One More Time"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:02 (twenty-three years ago)

28. "Smooth Criminal" Alien Ant Farm

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:02 (twenty-three years ago)

29. "Faith" Limp Bizkit

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:03 (twenty-three years ago)

30. "I Will Always Love You"-Whitney Houston
31. "Because The Night"-10,000 Maniacs

― Arthur (Arthur), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:10 (twenty-three years ago)

32 - "Because The Night" - Jan Wayne

― Mr Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Phil Collins' take on 'TNK' was GREBT!

33. Billy Connolly - D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

― Jeff W, Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:29 (twenty-three years ago)

34. William Shatner - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:33 (twenty-three years ago)

35. Stereophonics - Handbags and Gladrags

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:40 (twenty-three years ago)

36. paul young - love will tear us apart

― zebedee, Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:45 (twenty-three years ago)

37. Toad the Wet Sprocket, "Rock and Roll All Night"

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:45 (twenty-three years ago)

38. Frente, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:47 (twenty-three years ago)

39. The Dickies - 'Banana Splits'

― Jeff W (Jeff W), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:59 (twenty-three years ago)

can't believe everybody forgot paul young !
shatner's 'lucy...' is fabulous (no irony).

― piscesboy, Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:01 (twenty-three years ago)

40. simple Minds - Sign o the times.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:03 (twenty-three years ago)

41. Mundo Livre S/a - Garota de Ipanema

― Chupa-Cabras (vicc13), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Against All Authority - Ska Sucks

― Jonathan Williams (ex machina), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:29 (twenty-three years ago)

43. Pat Boone - Tutti Frutti

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:29 (twenty-three years ago)

44. Dennis Deyoung - Let me stand next to your "Fire"

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:30 (twenty-three years ago)

45. Tina Turner - Let's stay together

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)

46. Fugees - Killing Me Softly
47. Fugees - No Woman No Cry

― Jeff W (Jeff W), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:56 (twenty-three years ago)

48. Metallica's retarded take on that Irish number. Good lord.

― nickalicious, Thursday, 21 November 2002 17:00 (twenty-three years ago)

49. Tom Jones - Kiss

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 21 November 2002 17:01 (twenty-three years ago)

50. The Enoch Light Singers, "Born to Be Wild"

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Thursday, 21 November 2002 17:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh yeah...

51. *ahem* Titney Spears - "Satisfuckinfaction" *ahem*

― nickalicious, Thursday, 21 November 2002 17:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Ernest P: w-w-w-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?????? That's a classic!

52. Weslife & Mariah Carey - Against All Odds

― Jeff W (Jeff W), Thursday, 21 November 2002 17:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Skipping 29 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Ally is officially insane.

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Thursday, 21 November 2002 20:05 (twenty-three years ago)

86. "Come With Me" for which Puff Daddy should be shot and Jimmy Page should at least be flogged.

― nickalicious, Thursday, 21 November 2002 21:00 (twenty-three years ago)

87. White Lines - Duran Duran

― Ally (mlescaut), Thursday, 21 November 2002 21:09 (twenty-three years ago)

88. Steps - Better The Devil You Know

― alexfack, Thursday, 21 November 2002 21:33 (twenty-three years ago)

(Paul R - spot on with William Orbit suggestion!)

89. Laurie Lingo And The Dipsticks (aka DLT & Paul Burnett) - Convoy GB
90. Boy George - Everything I Own
91. Guns'n'Roses - Knack-knack-knackin' on heaven's doo-a-woooaaah

― Jeff W (Jeff W), Friday, 22 November 2002 10:39 (twenty-three years ago)

92. Mad'House "Like A Prayer"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 22 November 2002 10:42 (twenty-three years ago)

93. Devo - Head Like a Hole
94. Pantera - Planet Caravan
95. Motley Crue - Helter Skelter
96. Bullet Boys - Money (Thats What I Want)

― chaki (chaki), Friday, 22 November 2002 10:56 (twenty-three years ago)

the last of those Wet Wet Wets is disqualified by virtue of the "Enough Already Dan rule" (sorry), so, new 80:

80. Low - Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me

― zebedee (Jeff W), Friday, 22 November 2002 11:18 (twenty-three years ago)

97. Simple Minds - The Needle & The Damage Done
98. Oasis - I Am The Walrus
99. A1 - Take On Me

and, to finish where we started,

100. Bowie & Jagger - Dancing In The Street

― Jeff W (Jeff W), Friday, 22 November 2002 11:52 (twenty-three years ago)

85. Jose Feliciano - Light My Fire

― michael (michael), Friday, 22 November 2002 12:16 (twenty-three years ago)

1. David Bowie - God Only Knows
2. Motley Crüe - Anarchy in the U.K.
3. Phil Collins - You can't hurry love
4. Psychic TV - Good Vibrations
5. Lenny Kravitz - American Woman
6. Massive Attack - Light My Fire
7. Bathory - Ace Of Spades
8. Orgy - Blue Monday
9. Superpitcher - Baby's On Fire
10. Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff
11. Madonna - American Pie
12. Duran Duran - 911 is a joke
13. Robson & Jerome - Unchained Melody
14. Tori Amos - I'm Not In Love
15. Olive - I'm Not In Love
16. Vanessa Carlton - Paint It Black
17. Sonia - I'm still waiting
18. EMF - 'shaddapa you face'
19. Abigail - 'losing my religion'
20. Thompson Twins -'who wants to be a millionaire?'
21. Hue and Cry - 'the man with the child in his eyes'
22. Manic Street Preachers - Theme from MASH
23. Jesus Jones - Voodoo Chile
24. The Vines - Miss Jackson
25. Will Young - Evergreen
26. Gareth Gates & Will Young - The Long & Winding Road
27. Travis - "...Baby, One More Time"
28. Alien Ant Farm - "Smooth Criminal"
29. Limp Bizkit - Faith
30. Whitney Houston - "I Will Always Love You"
31. 10,000 Maniacs - Because The Night
32. Jan Wayne - Because The Night
33. Billy Connolly - D.I.V.O.R.C.E.
34. William Shatner - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
35. Stereophonics - Handbags and Gladrags
36. paul young - love will tear us apart
37. Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Rock and Roll All Night"
38. Frente - "Bizarre Love Triangle"
39. The Dickies - 'Banana Splits'
40. Simple Minds - Sign o the times
41. Mundo Livre S/a - Garota de Ipanema
42. Against All Authority - Ska Sucks
43. Pat Boone - Tutti Frutti
44. Dennis Deyoung - "(Let me stand next to your) Fire"
45. Tina Turner - Let's stay together
46. Fugees - Killing Me Softly
47. Fugees - No Woman No Cry
48. Metallica - Whiskey In The Jar
49. Tom Jones - Kiss
50. The Enoch Light Singers - Born to Be Wild
51. Britney Spears - Satisfaction
52. Westlife & Mariah Carey - Against All Odds
53. Tom Jones- Black Betty
54. Atomic Kitten - The Tide is High (Get The Feeling)
55. robbie williams - Freedom
56. Destiny's Child - Emotions
57. Ol Dirty Bastard - Sussudio
58. The Farm - Dont You Want Me
59. Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows
60. Marilyn Manson - Tainted Love
61. Robbie Williams - Mack the Knife
62. Stereophonics - Nothing Compares 2 U
63. Kylie Minogue - The Locomotion
64. William Orbit - Adagio for Strings
65. David McAlmont - Diamonds are Forever
66. Ace Of Base - 'Don't Turn Around'
67. Manic Street Preachers - The Drowners
67. Oasis - My Generation
69. Kelly Osbourne - 'Papa Don't Preach'
70. Boyzone - Love me for a reason
71. Madonna - Santa Baby
72. marc almond - like a prayer
73. Betty Buckley - Send in the Clowns
74. Blink 182 - Dancing With Myself
75. Suggs - I'm Only Sleeping
76. Suggs - Cecilia
77. Wet Wet Wet - With A Little Help From My Friends
78. Wet Wet Wet - I Feel Fine
79. Wet Wet Wet - Yesterday
80. Low - Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
81. Boyzone - Words
82. Seal - Fly Like An Eagle
83. Ash - Does Your Mother Know?
84. Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
85. Jose Feliciano - Light My Fire
86. Puff Daddy - Come With Me
87. Duran Duran - White Lines (Don't Do It)
88. Steps - Better The Devil You Know
89. Laurie Lingo And The Dipsticks - Convoy GB
90. Boy George - Everything I Own
91. Guns'n'Roses - Knocking on heaven's door
92. Mad'House - Like A Prayer
93. Devo - Head Like a Hole
94. Pantera - Planet Caravan
95. Motley Crue - Helter Skelter
96. Bullet Boys - Money (Thats What I Want)
97. Simple Minds - The Needle & The Damage Done
98. Oasis - I Am The Walrus
99. A1 - Take On Me
100. Bowie & Jagger - Dancing In The Street

(a truly horrible 100 indeed, well done everyone!)

― zebedee (Jeff W), Friday, 22 November 2002 12:47 (twenty-three years ago)

(actually, some of these picks are mentalist, but what the hey)

― zebedee (Jeff W), Friday, 22 November 2002 12:49 (twenty-three years ago)

three months pass...

The Braids' "Bohemian Rhapsody"

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 3 March 2003 03:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Fugees - No Woman No Cry

There are times when I like this better than the original *ducks*

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 3 March 2003 03:33 (twenty-three years ago)

three weeks pass...

It Has got to be the Corrs murdering Jimi Hendrix's
"Little Wing"!

― Ba, Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:12 (twenty-three years ago)

i like the covers at:

100
98
94
91
87
84
75
65
64
51
34 (just too hilarious to be truly bad)
22
3

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Just have to put in a vote for the worst cover version of all time here. That is, The Braids' totally terrible version of "Bohemian Rhapsody"

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Nothing wrong with the Manics' Theme From MASH at all, also the Suggs covers are pretty good, especially I'm Only Sleeping (which is a very hard song to cover in the first place).

There's a recent cover of Sound Of Silence by a woman who can't sing. Don't know her name, but it should be in the list as it's one of the very worst.

Also:
-How Soon Is Now? by Tatu
-Across The Universe by David Bowie (and John Lennon(!!!)), one of the very few tracks of his (if not the only) I tend to skip.
-Can't Help Falling In Love With You by the A-Teens

― Tijn, Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Simply Red's recent desecration of Positively 4th Street has gotta be a Top Ten New Entry here.

― Roger Fascist (Roger Fascist), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Flying Pickets - Only You

― russ t, Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:52 (twenty-three years ago)

i agree with Geir about The Braids!

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:53 (twenty-three years ago)

How Soon Is Now? by Tatu

this is actually alright, and nowhere near as crap as the theme from Charmed

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I wasn't able to listen to much more of Tatu's cover than "I am the son... and the.......... ehrr..."
Sounded as if she wasn't sure if she was about to sing the right word.

Anyway, just thought of something else: the Simple Minds released an album full of covers last year, or was it two years ago. I've only heard one; Echo & the Bunnymen's Bring On The Dancing Horses. Tragic.

― Tijn, Wednesday, 26 March 2003 14:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Flying Pickets - Only You

I thought that one was pretty cool, although they wore out the idea later on.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 18:23 (twenty-three years ago)

the tatu cover and the charmed covers are both better than the original

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 29 March 2003 19:12 (twenty-three years ago)

How anybody can hate Travis' cover of "Baby One More Time" is beyond me.

― Evan (Evan), Saturday, 29 March 2003 19:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, I hate Travis, but not their Britney cover!

― Tijn, Saturday, 29 March 2003 19:36 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

The Thrills - Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (even though it demolishes the rest of their catalogue)
Rachel Stevens - More More More (because of disappointment)

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Monday, 25 October 2004 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

Far Corporation: Stairway To Heaven

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 17 January 2008 13:58 (eighteen years ago)

Moby--Temptation

Remade as an interminably slow, plodding ballad. Great idea.

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 17 January 2008 14:21 (eighteen years ago)

How about that live cover at some bensefit concert.
(I forget which concert now) But there were many famous singers doing Across the Universe, with the new lyric "something's gonna change my world"

Ugh.

― our work is never over, Thursday, 17 January 2008 15:49 (eighteen years ago)

the irony is, "Bad Cover Version" by Pulp is actually a pretty great song...

― henry s, Thursday, 17 January 2008 16:04 (eighteen years ago)

I've detailed elsewhere my love for Peru's "We All Together" but they did a cover of "Alone Again (Naturally)" that sounds like a neutered Gilbert O'Sullivan ("neutered Gilbert O'Sullivan" being a phrase I would have considered a redundancy until I heard this version).

― Billy Pilgrim, Thursday, 17 January 2008 16:16 (eighteen years ago)

Midway Still - "You Made Me Realise"

― henry s, Thursday, 17 January 2008 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

80. Low - Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me

people shit on this a lot, but I actually really enjoy it, probably for the pure geek factor of Sparhawk channeling Moz.

― Simon H., Thursday, 17 January 2008 16:29 (eighteen years ago)

I love some of those songs in the list (Pet Shop Boys, Kylie). For a second I thought Olive's "I'm Not In Love" was "You're Not Alone" and thought WTF?!

― daavid, Thursday, 17 January 2008 23:04 (eighteen years ago)

any cover version of radiohead's "creep". partly because i hate the original, but also because every cover seems to feel the need to overstate the emotional content to the nth degree

― electricsound, Thursday, 17 January 2008 23:26 (eighteen years ago)

anything by ben harper! (strawberry fields forever, the drugs don't work, sexual healing, etc.)

― Michael_Pemulis, Friday, 18 January 2008 06:28 (eighteen years ago)

Oh god yeah, Low's cover of "Last Night I Dreamed..." is at least as good as the Smith's original. It might even surpass it in some ways.

― Lostandfound, Friday, 18 January 2008 07:44 (eighteen years ago)

it's really a travesty that Pantera's Planet Caravan made the list and the Wallflowers' "Heroes" didn't. ILM, you should be ashamed...

― Drugs A. Money, Saturday, 19 January 2008 07:23 (eighteen years ago)

Blood Brothers' cover of "Under Pressure" makes me want to kick kittens.

― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 19 January 2008 07:29 (eighteen years ago)

Bootsauce, "Every 1's A Winner" is g0dawful, obviously - how could a band called "Bootsauce" possibly hope to be any good at all? The singer sounded like some horrible fusion of George Thorogood and Pete Burns.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Saturday, 19 January 2008 08:28 (eighteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

RCPCH - 'love rollercoaster'.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Saturday, 9 February 2008 18:22 (eighteen years ago)

or RHCP, really.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Saturday, 9 February 2008 18:22 (eighteen years ago)

i can't believe someone nominated tatu's how soon is now. the beginning of the chorus is one of my favourite "sun bursting through a veil of clouds" moments. (do we have a thread dedicated to those?)

― aaron d.g., Saturday, 9 February 2008 18:44 (eighteen years ago)

Pet Shop Boys - "Where the Streets Have No Name/I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
Thurston Moore - "Here Today"
Squarepusher - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Fun Boy Three - "Our Lips Are Sealed"

― Mr. Snrub, Saturday, 9 February 2008 20:20 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.papermag.com/blogs/up-mark_ronson_lrg.jpg

HI DERE

― Noodle Vague, Saturday, 9 February 2008 20:27 (eighteen years ago)

Fun Boy Three - "Our Lips Are Sealed"
is this technically a cover?...didn't Terry Hall co-write it?

― henry s, Monday, 11 February 2008 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

Joan Baez "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"

― The guy who just votes in polls, Monday, 11 February 2008 16:29 (eighteen years ago)

henry: no and yes

― energy flash gordon, Tuesday, 12 February 2008 01:49 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.