# Worst covers by actual singers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380 "2003-12-11T16:49:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/1 "2003-12-11T16:49:42Z")
Okay, we’ve all heard William Shatner sing **Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds** (A Shat rating of 10.0), but right now, the oldies station I have on is playing Jose Feliciano’s **Light My Fire**. Horrible. And, Bing Crosby’s **Hey Jude** is a bad one. What other covers by ostensibly actual singers are as bad? ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/2 "2003-12-11T16:56:02Z")
I’ve only heard the commercials but from that alone I can tell that Rod Stewart’s album of jazz standards is a case study in painful vocal phrasing. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/3 "2003-12-11T17:33:01Z")
John Denver’s godawful bombastic version of **Mother Nature’s Son** Steve Lawrence’s faux-Sinatra version of **I’ve Got You Under My Skin**. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/4 "2003-12-11T18:03:25Z")
**Madonna** singing _American Pie_ ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/5 "2003-12-11T18:14:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xizor \* > \*\ ***Madonna** singing _American Pie_ \*\* Hey! The OP wants _Actual Singers!_ * * * BCS stands for (illegitimate child) + (crowing rooster) + (Tootsie Pops) ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/6 "2003-12-11T18:17:22Z")
Elvis Presley singing **Old MacDonald Had a Farm** ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/7 "2003-12-11T19:30:16Z")
I dunno, but I heard **Rod Stewart** singing “Someone to Watch Over Me” the other day on TV and it was the most horrid thing I’ve ever heard, thin and reedy and rheumatic and completely uninspired. Not being able to sing is one thing, but not even trying is another! ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/8 "2003-12-11T19:43:05Z")
Wayne Newton’s version of Collective Soul’s “December”. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/9 "2003-12-11T19:54:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by photopat \* > \*\*Okay, we’ve all heard William Shatner sing **Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds** (A Shat rating of 10.0), but right now, the oldies station I have on is playing Jose Feliciano’s **Light My Fire**. Horrible. > > \*\* Uh, you know that Robbie Krueger wrote that song _for_ Jose Feliciano, don’t you. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/10 "2003-12-11T20:02:34Z")
So…[cough]…you’re saying the Doors version _was_ a cover? ahem. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/11 "2003-12-11T20:07:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*Uh, you know that Robbie Krueger wrote that song _for_ Jose Feliciano, don’t you. \*\* Oh Ilsa, Ilsa, Ilsa - after the 60-minute banning, the inappropriate posting of a joke thread in the Pit, the various back-and-forths with a variety of folks over Doper etiquette, do I really need to say: cite? A quick scan of Google with “Krueger Feliciano Light Fire” and “Robbie Krueger write Light Fire Feliciano” turn up nothing. Obviously Krueger wrote it, but I thought he wrote if to for the Doors after Morrison made some crack about “write your own songs if you don’t like mine”, and the only line Morrison contributed was “wallow in the mire”… In terms of my contribution for worst cover it would have to be Faith Hill’s cover of Janis Joplin’s “Another Piece of My Heart” - from gut-wrenching pain-filled statement of strength and commitment to an underdeserving lover to a Hallmark card of yuckiness. Faith is truly beautiful and has a beautiful voice, but she couldn’t touch the original with a 1-mile pole. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/12 "2003-12-11T20:11:39Z")
[Here](http://archives.waiting-forthe-sun.net/Pages/Legacy/Albums/TheDoors/Songs/LightMyFire.html) is a history of the song’s origin with no mention of Krueger writing it for Feliciano… ---
**Author:** ![kimfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@kimfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimfair)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/13 "2003-12-11T20:38:03Z")
Not to continue to shit on Rod Stewart (well OK I will anyway) but his version of Downtown Train by Tom waits (one of my faves) is also pretty horrible. You should also check out the Golden Throats Cds from Rhino, as they have lots of bad covers, mostly by TV stars (Shatner’s Lucy in the Sky is one one volume). ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/14 "2003-12-11T22:28:20Z")
Apparently I am grossly misinformed. I saw Feliciano performing the song on a VH1 special, and the voiceover claimed that _he_ was the original performer. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/15 "2003-12-11T22:30:18Z")
> [@](#): > > the inappropriate posting of a joke thread in the Pit, Don’t start that shit here, man. It wasn’t a joke thread. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/16 "2003-12-11T23:17:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WordMan \* > \*\*cite? > > A quick scan of Google with “Krueger Feliciano Light Fire” and “Robbie Krueger write Light Fire Feliciano” turn up nothing. \*\* Well, it wouldn’t, would it? It helps if you actually Google for the name of the person you want to find - Robbie _Krieger_ - and if you use the past tense for “write” because it’s more likely to be used in an article talking about the past. You still won’t turn anything up, mind, but the principle remains. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/17 "2003-12-11T23:24:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*Don’t start that shit here, man. It wasn’t a joke thread. \*\* ouch. No worries - just bein’ feisty when I had you down for gross misinformation. All in fun. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/18 "2003-12-11T23:27:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\*Well, it wouldn’t, would it? It helps if you actually Google for the name of the person you want to find - Robbie _Krieger_ - and if you use the past tense for “write” because it’s more likely to be used in an article talking about the past. > > You still won’t turn anything up, mind, but the principle remains. \*\* Ah, **Mr. Death** - you are so write. Er, rote. Er, you get the idea. Anyway, you are correct - I did later searches for both Krieger and other combos to try to find a history, just to cover my ass after I realized I misspelled his name… _note to self_ Bad Googler! ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/19 "2003-12-11T23:30:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kimfair \* > **Not to continue to shit on Rod Stewart (well OK I will anyway) but his version of Downtown Train by Tom waits (one of my faves) is also pretty horrible.** I think I love you. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380/20 "2003-12-11T23:32:51Z")
Oh, and **Ilsa**? You remember what Hitchcock said about Ingrid Bergman (who of course played Ilsa in Casablanca): [So beautiful…so stupid.](http://www.examiner.com/ex_files/default.jsp?story=X0711FINALw) (that was really inappropriate and tacky of me, I know, but the quote is hilarious and I couldn’t resist - in all seriousness, no really offense intended. Just joshin’) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-covers-by-actual-singers/218380.md?page=2)