Now I want to hear an Arlo Guthrie cover of “Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung.”
Thanks, I must admit that I’m not very versed in the intricacies of different metal genres and couldn’t tell the difference between death and black metal. I assumed both were about the fascination with death, doom and gloom and general morbidity.
The song itself sounds more like Tombstone Blues.
How about a compilation album of artists that W.A. has parodied doing covers of his originals.
Not sure why but I feel a soundtrack album like that is something a bit different to a straightforward cover.
nevermind
Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Not a single song, but a whole band that is hard to cover and maybe shouldn’t be covered is AC/DC. To get that sound and that tightness and letting it sound so easy is hard to do. I have rarely encountered bar and cover bands that did AC/DC, and the times I did, it was awful. And where do you get a singer who sounds like Bon Scott or Brian Johnson?
Weird Al strikes again.
Ok, with the exception of Weird Al. He can do everything. 
Queen-Somebody to Love.
Awhile back I was thinking about having a thread on ‘What’s the most quintessential Queen song’, not your favorite, or the most successful, but one that’s just theirs, and that’s my choice.
Covers can be weird, man.
OK, that last isn’t a cover, but still.
I dunno. I really like this cover.
Are you referring to either of these horrid examples?
©John Mayer sings American Pie (HD) - YouTube
Cream - No original Cream song should never be played by anyone but Cream. After decades of searching and listening to “kinda Cream”, including 2/3rds combos like Jack and Ginger, Jack and Eric. I’ve come to realize that it was only those short 2 1/2 years (actually more like two years, only after they started jamming live), that were the truly magic moments that defined their legacy.
Even their reunion, with the possible exception of Spoonful lacked the “We’re playing for ourselves!” attitude that made them so great.
I’ll give a couple of okay’s to Hendrix playing Sunshine of Your Love, especially the way he makes his guitar “sing” the lyrics.
And Rory Gallagher playing lead on Politician despite not knowing the song, except for a Jack explaining it’s a blues tempo and humming a few bars backstage.
Argghhh…I can’t find the video!
Cake’s cover of War Pigs is GREAT
You can’t say Ella didn’t try:
If there’s a “Worst of Ella” album, that belongs on it.
My criteria is not just the singer, but the musical interplay of the musicians. It’s been said that Cream was two bands, studio Cream and live Cream. I spent decades listening to them individually and in pairs, play “their songs” and they have never replicated the magic of their live performances.
Someone said sometimes it was “war” onstage as they played with and against each other, alternately taking the lead. This the type of “war” I can fully support!