# Wow, that's a BAD cover of that song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 27, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415 "2021-09-27T02:20:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/43 "2021-09-28T15:46:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > For me, the winner is Madanna’s “American Pie,” already mentioned. Honestly, I don’t care much for the original – just not my cup of tea, but I recognize it as the iconic song it is – but her remake just sucks all the soul out of it. She just sounds _bored_ singing it – no passion, no feeling. Nothing. And I generally like Madonna’s music. This comment reminds me of Faith Hill’s cover of “Piece Of My Heart.” Hill can be a fine vocalist, but here she manages to take one of the most soulful songs ever made and remove every ounce of emotion from it. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qPseJvXVVfo/hqdefault.jpg "Faith Hill - "Piece Of My Heart" (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPseJvXVVfo) By the way - though I do love it, Joplin’s version was not the original. Please check out Erma Franklin if you haven’t before. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i_6gptd01mY/hqdefault.jpg "Erma Franklin - Piece Of My Heart (1967)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_6gptd01mY) ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/44 "2021-09-28T17:29:04Z")
The funny thing is that most of the comments on the video gush about how beautiful it is. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/45 "2021-09-28T18:03:19Z")
I agree. She sure looks pretty whilst she butchers the song. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/46 "2021-09-28T18:04:33Z")
Neil Diamond, “Hanky Panky”. Apparently the song was beneath him. How’s that even possible? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lXjsNkoH4eA/maxresdefault.jpg "Hanky Panky") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXjsNkoH4eA) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/47 "2021-09-28T19:30:56Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > That’s the same reason I could never get into Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World.” (Though I suspect it was less laziness than forgetfulness in his case It’s a shame that he never recorded a proper version of it. IIRC, he was just goofing around in the studio after hours with the tape running. And, to make things worse, his mangled lyrics have become the standard. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/48 "2021-09-28T22:21:27Z")
Not really a cover, as such, but imagine an elevator-music version of “Born in the USA”. The same 6 notes. Over. and over. and over. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/49 "2021-09-29T00:27:41Z")
> [@K364](#): > > And, to make things worse, his mangled lyrics have become the standard. Oh, I doubt that. (Israel who?) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/50 "2021-09-29T01:32:47Z")
Instead of trying to pigeon hole it as “rap” or “spoken word” just listen to it and see if you like it. It’s not about what it’s trying to be or whatever, it’s just about whether you like the sound / experience of listening to it. Totally understandable if you _don’t_, it is a weird cover, but just because it doesn’t “work as rap” is no reason to dislike it (it didn’t occur to me to think of it as rap). I’m interested in what you lot think of this _Lovely Day_ cover by _Alt-J_. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tTfXvYFP9qI/maxresdefault.jpg "Alt-J - Lovely Day") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTfXvYFP9qI) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/51 "2021-09-29T14:55:19Z")
Any James Taylor cover of an R&B hit: “How Sweet It Is to be Loved by You”, “Handy Man”, “Up on the Roof”. He manages to suck every last drop of soul out of those songs and turns them into a mayonnaise-on-white-bread sandwich. ---
**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, 2021, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/52 "2021-09-29T15:15:40Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > > [@gkster](#): > > > > And speaking of The Band, what do people think of the Joan Baez cover of _The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down_ ? > > She changed some of the lyrics, and not for the better. I always got the feeling she did it out of laziness, not on purpose. It’s both. She hadn’t seen printed lyrics at the time so what she sings are mondegreens; [the song’s Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_They_Drove_Old_Dixie_Down#Joan_Baez_version) says her live performances feature the correct lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/53 "2021-09-29T17:43:58Z")
Is it just the lyric change or the tempo change too? My husband says she sings it too fast, like she’s just skimming over. On the other hand I find Kevin Helms original too slow. > [@Skywatcher](#): > > > [@jaycat](#): > > > > > [@gkster](#): > > > > > > And speaking of The Band, what do people think of the Joan Baez cover of _The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down_ ? > > > > She changed some of the lyrics, and not for the better. I always got the feeling she did it out of laziness, not on purpose. > > It’s both. She hadn’t seen printed lyrics at the time so what she sings are mondegreens; [the song’s Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_They_Drove_Old_Dixie_Down#Joan_Baez_version) says her live performances feature the correct lyrics. And speaking of too slow that’s one reason I don’t like Israel Ks cover of Over the Rainbow. It sounds to me like he’s falling asleep. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/54 "2021-09-29T18:58:10Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Steve Miller’s cover of Jet Airliner might be the version most people know, but IMO it’s a piss-poor imitation of Paul Pena’s original. I also did not know Jet Airliner was a cover, and was very impressed by [Pena’s original](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjr5U7g6aiA&list=RDCjr5U7g6aiA&start_radio=1) His [Wikipedia bio](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Pena) is fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/55 "2021-09-29T22:38:39Z")
> [@K364](#): > > And, to make things worse, his mangled lyrics have become the standard. > [@Hatchie](#): > > Oh, I doubt that. (Israel who?) Okay, didn’t mean to be snippy about it. Just because I never heard of the guy, and somehow missed ever hearing his famous hit cover, doesn’t mean he wasn’t important to a lot of people who loved his singing. So I looked him up, heard his recording of “Over the Rainbow”. He seemed like a nice man, and he surely poured his soul into his music. I don’t think over the long haul one version of a song with altered lyrics is going to eclipse the hundreds of others out there, but what he did was a perfectly fine, personal take on it that captured the spirit of the original. So apologies to anyone who thought I was putting it down. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/56 "2021-09-29T22:50:01Z")
Thanks for this. Pena sure had his share of adversity in his time on Earth, but he kept on moving forward. That was also my introduction to Tuvans and [throat singing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx8hrhBZJ98). Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![doverpro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@doverpro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doverpro)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/57 "2021-10-02T18:21:36Z")
This just might be the worst cover. Hilary Duff covering The Who’s “My Generation.” First of all, it’s just really bad, but then she changes the most iconic line of the song to “Hope I **don’t** die before I get old.” Heresy! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ue5kotMLjws/hqdefault.jpg "My Generation") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue5kotMLjws) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/58 "2021-10-02T22:31:35Z")
During season 12 of _Grey’s Anatomy_ the show seemed to have been holding an unofficial contest for the worst cover songs. Every episode had at least one cover and they were almost invariably awful. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/59 "2021-10-02T22:46:06Z")
And those covers were always slowed down, in an effort to make everything dripping of poignancy (especially during a final montage where any written dialogue would’ve been too schmaltzy). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/60 "2021-10-02T23:07:47Z")
As a generic answer, I’ll nominate nearly every jazz version of a rock tune. They nearly always come out sounding like lounge music. One that is revered (for reasons that escape me) is the botched live version of “Mack The Knife” by Ella Fitzgerald. One of the greatest singers of all time, but she forgets the words and tries to adlib it, with limited success. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7OkasoG1gtc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGE8gZShgMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBShbE0Gc5MJ-uowLu5hL8fz7kObg "Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife - Live") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OkasoG1gtc) ---
**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:** [October 2, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/61 "2021-10-02T23:37:08Z")
Still not as bad as what Limp Bizkit did to Behind Blue Eyes. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415/62 "2021-10-03T02:12:58Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > One that is revered (for reasons that escape me) is the botched live version of “Mack The Knife” by Ella Fitzgerald. One of the greatest singers of all time, but she forgets the words and tries to adlib it, with limited success. I think that “forgetting” is part of her act. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415.md?page=4)