# Coversongs you just can't stand **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861 "2002-04-26T22:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/1 "2002-04-26T22:28:21Z")
I like **Cheryl Crow** , but I cannot stand her cover of _Sweet Child of Mine_. This one isn’t exactly a cover, but some lame rapper re-made **Gordon Lightfoots** _Sundown_ into some shit-song last year. I hate that too. There. I feel better now. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/2 "2002-04-27T00:16:12Z")
One of those mid-90s tortured alterna-chicks made a remake of New Order’s Blue Monday that was just awful and lacked any of the charm of the original. Can’t remember her name. Hated it. I’m also sort of irrationally irritated by Alien Ant Farm’s Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal cover. Man, maladjusted kids 15 years ago had to struggle and suffer to be different-- a nose ring was shocking at the time-- and now “punk” bands are covering the pop songs that we spent so long despising. And it doesn’t even rock as hard as the original, either. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/3 "2002-04-27T00:30:41Z")
The Smashing Pumpkins did a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”. It’s really bad. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/4 "2002-04-27T00:56:49Z")
Whitney Houston singing “I Will Always Love You”. I am not a WH fan anyway, but every time I hear that song I have to grit my teeth and think about the royalties Dolly Parton is raking in. Otherwise I would have to break something. Oh, and I AM a Dolly Parton fan. It is a beautiful song, and she sings it with her heart. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/5 "2002-04-27T01:10:27Z")
“American Pie” from Madonna. worst ever, IMO. A dirge cannot be upbeat. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/6 "2002-04-27T02:14:35Z")
Run-DMC’s cover of “Walk This Way.” I know Aerosmith duetted it with them, I know it was a big hit and a key part of rap-rock fusion, I know many people remember it fondly . . . . . . and I still hate it. The original is just so good on its own that a remake by ANYONE wouldn’t be as good. And I hate Sheryl Crow’s cover of “Sweet Child of Mine” too. On the other hand, her cover of “Dy’ er Maker” is, I think, better than the original. ---
**Author:** ![Swinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Swinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swinger)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/7 "2002-04-27T02:20:58Z")
I will give a third vote to Sheryl Crow’s cover of Sweet Child O’ Mine. She sucked the soul right out of that song, removing everything about the song that made it so great. Its a shame, because I actually like some of her music. As soon as I saw the thread title, that’s the one song that popped into my head and lo and behold, it was named in the first post! ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/8 "2002-04-27T02:23:49Z")
> [@](#): > > “American Pie” from Madonna. worst ever, IMO. A dirge cannot be upbeat. Also, the pointless Madonna cover took the song out of its context. “American Pie” was a comment on the social and cultural turmoil that had taken place in America between the “day the music died” (i.e., when Buddy Holly was killed in a plane crash in 1959) and 1971. By doing a remake nearly 30 years later, the song becomes a confused and meaningless assortment of metaphors and images. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/9 "2002-04-27T02:49:33Z")
The band Luna did a cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and I quite like it. It’s kind of slow and dreamy. ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/10 "2002-04-27T03:05:01Z")
“Lady Marmelade” by Christina “Dee Snyder” Aguilera and pals. And what’s with that rap in the middle? Eesh. No one can match Patti LaBelle. Sorry. - s.e. ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/11 "2002-04-27T03:34:38Z")
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, covered by Elton John with accompaniment by John Lennon. As much as I like Mr. Dwight’s work in general, there really was no point to putting this on record. This also gives us the great reverse cover of Pinball Wizard originally sung by Elton John and later brilliantly covered by its author Pete Townshend. I generally like a good cover, but I want to see something different in the interpretation, or have it done by a live performer as a tribute. I prefer my studio albums with original materials. ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/12 "2002-04-27T03:51:46Z")
Pinball Wizard originally sung by Elton? …and then brilliantly covered by its author Pete Townsend??? What? Ever heard of the Who? Did I misinterpret that last post? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/13 "2002-04-27T04:24:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ultrafilter \* > \*\*The Smashing Pumpkins did a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”. It’s really bad. \*\* Yes, but it’s only %5 worse than the orginal. Boy does the new Fleetwood Mac stuff suck. (Elfie secretly loves their stuff from the 70’s though) I find Eddy Vetter’s cover of the Beatles song " You’ve got to hide your love away" and Fred Durst’s reworking of Pinky Floyd’s " Wish you were here" to both be so bad that they’re offensive. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/14 "2002-04-27T05:15:35Z")
Didn’t Elton sing Pin-Ball Wizard in the movie? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/15 "2002-04-27T05:26:01Z")
Yeah, he did. But the album _Tommy_ came out years before the movie did–with Daltrey on vocals, of course. Maybe DPWhite is referring to a still-later version of Pinball Wizard that none of us have ever heard of?? ---
**Author:** ![the\_duke\_69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@the\_duke\_69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_duke_69)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/16 "2002-04-27T05:30:18Z")
Smash mouths remake of the monkey’s “when I saw her face” ---
**Author:** ![Swinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Swinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swinger)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/17 "2002-04-27T06:00:02Z")
I had forgotten about Fred Durst and John Rzeznik’s attempt at remaking Wish You Were Here. And I liked it that way! Now I remember it and my world is just a little bit worse. They eliminated every bit of feeling from that song, resulting in an abominable travesty of a cover. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/18 "2002-04-27T06:10:12Z")
I’m waiting. Come on. Don’t spare me, I’m already hearing it in my head. I’m already tortured, posting it isn’t going to make it any worse. No? Fine, I’ll fall on the grenade, then. Poison’s remake of “I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night.” I couldn’t stand KISS’ version to begin with. It sounded like they’d never even practiced the song. Then, let Poison redo it for the Less Then Zero soundtrack, and you’ve got sheer cringing hell. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/19 "2002-04-27T06:20:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Yeah, he did. But the album Tommy came out years before the movie did–with Daltrey on vocals, of course. For the record, Tommy was released in 1969 with Daltrey singing Pinball Wizard (Pete was the backing vocal). Elton John performed it on the movie, released in 1975. In between the two, in 1972, there was a symphonic Tommy album, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, that featured Rod Stewart and the Faces performing Pinball Wizard. There are also a plethora of other versions available on various Who, Pete Townshend, and Roger Daltrey live albums, but I won’t go into those. ---
**Author:** ![Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bedrosian_Bixby)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861/20 "2002-04-27T06:49:03Z")
Megadeath did a god-awful cover of “Anarchy in the UK”…not only do I hate that song, but I hate Megadeath. And I know some people like the Lenny Kravitz version of “American Woman”, but I can do without it…The Guess Who classic should not have been fucked with. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coversongs-you-just-cant-stand/105861.md?page=2)