# Disc-Covering: The Worst Covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600 "2017-09-29T17:42:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/1 "2017-09-29T17:42:37Z")
I was reading [this list of the worst music covers of all time](http://www.complex.com/music/2012/01/the-50-worst-cover-songs-of-all-time/lady-marmalade)(in their opinion). So, what in your opinion are the worst covers you have ever heard or seen? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/2 "2017-09-29T17:51:14Z")
Willam Shatner and Rocket Man. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/3 "2017-09-29T17:59:58Z")
When a bunch of guys in a gay bar tell you to turn off Madonna’s American Pie, you known it’s a very bad cover. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/4 "2017-09-29T18:15:44Z")
Aren’t the various Golden Throats albums essentially collections of the Worst Covers? > **[Golden Throats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Throats)** > > Golden Throats is Rhino Records' series of humorous compilations of critically lambasted cover versions of songs, performed mostly either by celebrities known for something other than musical talent or musicians not known for the genre from which the song they are covering comes. > For example, William Shatner sings (or, more precisely, does a dramatic reading of the lyrics to) "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," Leonard Nimoy sings "If I Had a Hammer," and Muhammad Ali sings "Stand by Me." Other e... Actually, I have to disagree with some of the – I think Muhammed Ali (recording as Cassius Clay) actually did a great job with _Stand by Me_. And Jim Nabors, despite his inclusion, can actually _sing_But you really do have to wonder what possessed them to allow Sebastian Cabot to cover Bob Dylan (really – there’s a whole _album_ of this – [Sebastian Cabot – Sebastian Cabot, Actor; Bob Dylan, Poet: A Dramatic Reading With Music (1967, Vinyl) - Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/Sebastian-Cabot-Sebastian-Cabot-Actor-Bob-Dylan-Poet-A-Dramatic-Reading-With-Music/release/2769700) Mae West doing Twist and Shout Eddie Albert doing Blowin’ in the Wind Jack Webb – THAT Jack Webb – doing Try a Little Tenderness Andy Griffith doing House of the Rising Sun – with GREATLY changed lyrics And, of course, William Shatner’s performances are legendary in their weirdness. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/5 "2017-09-29T18:17:58Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Willam Shatner and Rocket Man. I can’t get behind that.\* 😃 \*semi-inside Shatner/Henry Rolins joke ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/6 "2017-09-29T18:18:26Z")
mike ness from social distortion doing johnny cash … ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/7 "2017-09-29T18:26:48Z")
Limp Bizkit’s “Behind Blue Eyes”. The Who’s original is one of the best rock songs ever, with awesome tension and dynamics. The cover? Takes every inch of life, meaning and punch out of the song. It’s atrocious. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/8 "2017-09-29T18:26:50Z")
Bryan Ferry doing the worst version ever of “I Put a Spell on You” while completely wasting Robin Trower on guitar. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l5_NjVaeGoI/hqdefault.jpg "Bryan Ferry & Robin Trower - I Put a Spell on You + Will You Love Me Tomorrow [1993]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5_NjVaeGoI) ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/9 "2017-09-29T18:35:53Z")
[quote=“Dropo, post:8, topic:797600”] Bryan Ferry doing the worst version ever of “I Put a Spell on You” while completely wasting Robin Trower on guitar. [/QUOTE] Redemption! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r1kDdGW-ZRI/maxresdefault.jpg "I Put a Spell on You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1kDdGW-ZRI) > [@](#): > > (“I Put a Spell on You” Jerry Granelli feat. Kenny Garrett, Julian Priester, Bill Frisell, Robben Ford & Anthony Cox) ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/10 "2017-09-29T18:49:10Z")
Elton John’s disco version of “Johnny B. Goode”… Judas Priest also did a bad cover of this song. I don’t think Chuck Berry is the kind of artist whose tunes usually benefit from radical re-imaginings. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/11 "2017-09-29T18:50:24Z")
First, my disagreements: #40 Power Station, [Bang a Gong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2vHbXI2p4k) - it’s such a perfect 80’s cover with the slappin’ base and preening rockers. I loved it when it came out and I still do. #31 Cowboy Junkies, [Sweet Jane](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4XVJj4jER4) - yes, it’s a completely different style from the amazing VU version, but it’s a great interpretation. And a couple additions to the list: Celine Dion, [You Shook Me All Night Long](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21iW_YMLvmU) - what makes this especially awful isn’t the music, but Celine playing air guitar at the beginning Evanescence, [Heart Shaped Box](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21iW_YMLvmU) - a big swing and a miss that removes all emotion from Kurt’s singing and replaces it with a lot of pitch issues ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/12 "2017-09-29T19:05:54Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Redemption! > [Https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r1kDdGW-ZRI](Https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r1kDdGW-ZRI) In light of the above cite, I would like to officially amend my previous post in this thread (#8) to read: Bryan Ferry doing the worst non-instrumental version I have ever heard of “I Put a Spell on You” while completely wasting Robin Trower on guitar. And while this version can be considered no higher than #2 on a list of worst-ever versions of this great song, if there are any non-instrumental versions worse than Mr. Ferry’s version, I would prefer not to hear or even know about them. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/13 "2017-09-29T19:25:24Z")
There are a lot of good ones in there, but the biggest offense is these young whippersnappers with no sense of history. For example, this gem from The Blues Brothers Soul Man: But this was their biggest hit—on actual album rock stations that wouldn’t play black artists at the time, no less… Does this guy have any idea when the BB existed? Segregated music was a thing of the past in the late 70s. Has the guy heard of Hendrix? Sly Stone? Isaac Hayes? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/14 "2017-09-29T19:25:56Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > #31 Cowboy Junkies, [Sweet Jane](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4XVJj4jER4) - yes, it’s a completely different style from the amazing VU version, but it’s a great interpretation. When you need to start your criticism with “The guy who wrote and performed this song says it’s the best version of it but nuh uh!”, you should probably just hush up 😛 But I assume most of these types of lists intentionally have some terrible opinions in them just so the lists will get rage-circulated on social media. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/15 "2017-09-29T19:28:03Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > mike ness from social distortion doing johnny cash … They want examples of bad covers 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/16 "2017-09-29T21:03:03Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > There are a lot of good ones in there, but the biggest offense is these young whippersnappers with no sense of history. For example, this gem from The Blues Brothers Soul Man: > > But this was their biggest hit—on actual album rock stations that wouldn’t play black artists at the time, no less… > > Does this guy have any idea when the BB existed? Segregated music was a thing of the past in the late 70s. Has the guy heard of Hendrix? Sly Stone? Isaac Hayes? You can criticize The Blues Brothers as performers, but the vibe they gave off, and things I’ve heard and read about Belushi and Aykroyd, is that they understood, loved, and respected the music. It’s kind of like how _The Princess Bride_ is making fun of fairy tales, by people who clearly love fairy tales. That earns them some props in my book, enough to take them off that list. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/17 "2017-09-29T21:25:43Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > You can criticize The Blues Brothers as performers, but the vibe they gave off, and things I’ve heard and read about Belushi and Aykroyd, is that they understood, loved, and respected the music. It’s kind of like how _The Princess Bride_ is making fun of fairy tales, by people who clearly love fairy tales. That earns them some props in my book, enough to take them off that list. Really, though Sam and Dave could sing rings around them (and of course they knew that), their approach was authentic and respectful, as well as their backing band (heck, half of the Mg’s, Cropper and Dunn) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/18 "2017-09-29T21:25:59Z")
Surely Lt Kevin Riley’s cover of “I’ll Take You Home, Again, Kathleen” must count as a horrible cover! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/19 "2017-09-29T21:37:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I was reading [this list of the worst music covers of all time](http://www.complex.com/music/2012/01/the-50-worst-cover-songs-of-all-time/lady-marmalade)(in their opinion). So, what in your opinion are the worst covers you have ever heard or seen? They need to take The Blues Brothers off that list and add [Crispin Glover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKoP_hM_nUc). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600/20 "2017-09-29T22:08:00Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > You can criticize The Blues Brothers as performers, but the vibe they gave off, and things I’ve heard and read about Belushi and Aykroyd, is that they understood, loved, and respected the music. It’s kind of like how _The Princess Bride_ is making fun of fairy tales, by people who clearly love fairy tales. That earns them some props in my book, enough to take them off that list. I hope you were just using me as a starting point, because I love the BBers. I had the album when it was new. I wouldn’t criticize them at all. But lots of black artists got played on AOR stations in the 70s, unlike what the yayhoo said in the linked piece. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disc-covering-the-worst-covers/797600.md?page=2)