Johnny Rivers. Covering anything.
Fucking amateurs. For a really bad cover, you need a song that was originally nightmarishly bad, covered by someone nightmarishly bad. I heard the following on the radio once back in the 90s:
Oddly, I listened to the 45 of the Judy Collins version just last night- I think it rocks!
My choice is Britney Spears covering Satisfaction, just for sheer chutzpah- some songs you just don’t cover, you know?
This and 19 others can be found on the Cracked list, which is pretty solid and features the videos for each.
Nikki French’s fast, dance-beat version of Total Eclipse of the Heart. Totally loses the poignancy and power of Bonnie Tyler’s original.
In that case, stay away from Frank Sinatra’s cover of “Mrs. Robinson.”
Not a cover, but Bette doing Wind Beneath My Wings on American Idol last year. I’m hoping she was just having a really off day, because otherwise…my how the mighty have fallen.
Unless you’re Devo!
Not that I like that Carpenters version, but (IMHO) there’s no point to a cover unless you’re going to bring something new to the table. Or, I should say, there’s no point in recording and releasing a cover unless you reinterpret it in some way. I hate covers that sound like the original.
There’s always Mrs. Miller Video can be found here. Since she put out a record and had a near-top-40 hit, she’s not just an amateur.
You know…when it comes to this topic…nobody really wins.
Yeah, you could rename the thread to “post youtube links that’ll piss people off.” I get angry listening to Britney Spears and Celine Dion cover great rock songs, I’m sure people could respond to this in the “emotions you don’t get” thread though.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Ultimate Song Destroyer - William Shatner :mad:
And in a related story, I remember in the fun days of Napster, I discovered some real gems of which I was completely unaware. It was from an album called “Celebrities Butchering Songs” although now it seems that Rhino Records has released it as “Golden Throats 1”. (there are 3 more albums in that genre :eek: )
Here’s a Wikipedia link:
Anyway, I remember hearing Sebastian Cabot recite “It Ain’t Me Babe” and possibly the strangest rendition of any cover song - “White Room” by … Joel Grey ?!?!?!
That song must be heard to be believed. (Don’t expect that wild Clapton distortion driven wah wah pedal in the Joel Grey version, but then again, did I even have to state that?)
My god…I need those CDs.
From what I understand, that was recorded as a joke and released to fans as a promo. The band hated the song and intentionally butchered it. I don’t think they were thrilled when DJs latched on to it and gave it airplay.
I know I’m probably in the minority here, but I detest Hall and Oates’s version of You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling. Gah, that patented syncopated beat . . . I hate it.
But can we give her honorable mention for the butchering of Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (Then again, I’ve only heard that on a recent live Collins album, so I’d have the same opinion if that was my only exposure to Both Sides Now.)
On the other hand, The Bobs do a cover of that song, distortion and all, and they’re an a cappella group. The recorded version is good, but it really kicked ass live!
I think they still perform that song, but it hasn’t been the same since Janie Bob left the group. Her lead vocal on this one could blow the roof off a joint.