Cover versions no one asked for

A cover by a lip syncer. Talk about ultimate betrayal.

I still turn down the sound/avert my eyes when the Georgette (Georgia Engel) Baxter version plays on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”.

Lifted from the concurrent eighties music video thread.

Bland, vapid, empty.

Barbra's Woman in Love by British slag Liz McClarnon, who used to be in the girl band Atomic Kitten

Thread closed

Feeble

Apparently “Blue Moon” was a beautiful ballad before the Marcels made an aggressive doo wop out of it. Me Mum would close her eyes, tremble and mutter “terrible…”

Not one of Sweden's best exports.

This was.....unexpected.

Any cover of any song by the Beatles

No one asked for Sondra Prill but she improves on the OG

Why bother.

This.

"I Want to Know What Love Is," the Mariah Carey version.

r9, that is an EXCELLENT cover song.

Everything about this STINKS.

One of the unnecessary covers Jessica Simpson did.

Oh dear!

Russell Thompkins of the Stylistics was diplomatic about it, but he didn't like Prince's version. He liked Phyllis Hyman's version. IIRC, he said that he liked Dionne Warwick's version, as well.

Op, o agree that was fodder in an otherwise lovely album, it still was quite innocuous (though an undeserved video, considering the alternatives).

Lightening didn't strike twice for Sinead with this cover, or the countless others she did after Nothing Compares...

There's no video but Streisand's cover of Bowie's "Life On Mars" is embarrassing.

Madonna's odd rendition is an interesting choice. Much like when she covered American Pie. The best version of Madge's Fever is in my opinion Edit One which is the very mix used for the music video.

At least Sinead O'Connor could hold a tune, so there was always that.

Bruce has already forgotten this, if only we could.

Trite

Mick Jagger's & David Bowie's cover of "Dancing in the Street" was totally unnecessary.

R21, Filler music is what it is, and it was a last minute replacement for "Goodbye to Innocence," which was originally slated for Erotica, but Madonna wasn't really feeling it and it didn't go with the theme of the album. So Madonna sang "Fever" over the "Goodbye to Innocence" track, liked it, and recorded it. It was released as a b-side to "Bad Girl."

Fever should never have been released as a single. Bad enough she covered it at all.

Scissor Sisters’ cover of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb comes to mind.

[quote] Russell Thompkins of the Stylistics was diplomatic about it, but he didn't like Prince's version.

I have to agree with him. Betcha By Golly Wow is not the type of song where you should do a lot of shrieking, which is what Prince did in his version. Prince was a musical genius, but only with his own material. Thank god he didn't do more covers.

Ho's be ho-ing

[quote]Any cover of any song by the Beatles

Even Nana Mouskouri's Hey Jude? ;)

[quote] Any cover of any song by the Beatles

The only Beatles cover that was better than the original was this one:

I like Aerosmith's "Come Together" better than the Beatles'.

No Doubt’s whiny slaughter of “It’s My Life” was ear-bleed inducing.

r11, many beatles covers are improvements

Gloria Estefan’s “Turn the Beat Around” was a boring note-by-note recreation of Vickie Sue Robinson’s version and brought nothing new.

Faith Hill’s boring, flat, uninspired 1994 cover of Janis’ “Piece of My Heart.”

Hill claims she had never heard the Janis version before recording it and was stunned when she heard the original. Yet she still released her version.

I like the version at r34...

Any person successful in a field outside music, who tries to a music career with a cover version or album of covers. It's lazy and grasping.

[quote] Janis’ “Piece of My Heart.”

Funny enough, Janis' version was a cover itself. Aretha's sister, Erma Franklin, did the original, but Janis definitely made it her own.

Cher covering Walking in Memphis.

How the hell did Faith Hill never listen to Janis Joplin's version? BS.

Not a huge fan of No Doubt, but I did like "It's My Life."

Walking in Memphis sucked the first time, it actually sounds much better when Cher sang it.

r47 Yikes

All of the Linda Ronstadt Motown covers.

[quote] Not one of Sweden's best exports.

You’re kidding. Ace of Base are iconic. Their version is better and more successful than Bananrama’s. It’s always played over the original. They did an excellent job.

I like Madonna’s cover, just not the remix used for the video.

R40 wrong

[quote]Any cover of any song by the Beatles

I prefer Anne Murray's "You Won't See Me" to The Beatles' version - and so did John Lennon.

Jessica Simpson covering Robbie Williams. Why??

Miley Cyrus owns this thread. Here's her latest offense

r53 Nope

[quote] Their version is better and more successful than Bananrama’s. It’s always played over the original.

I still listen to oldies radio (yes, I know, I'm dead in gay years). I have never heard the Ace of Base version on the radio, ever. But I have heard the original several times over the years. I like both versions but the original is best. Also, looking at youtube, it looks like Bananarama's version is considerably more popular on there.

That was truly awful, R56.

Miley Cyrus Heart of Glass. Don’t do Blondie, ever.

Chris Cornell’s Nothing Compares 2 U acoustic version is beautiful and moving but not quite as good as Sinead’s. I’ve never heard Prince performance of it. Whitney’s version of I Will Always Love You is more melodramatic than Dolly’s but Dolly’s is more simple and sweet.

I think Whitney opening I Will Always Love You in acapella was a brilliant move. From what I understand, Arista didn't think that was a good idea and they thought it would prevent the song from being successful. But they were wrong. It really hooks you into the song.

R38: Earth, Wind & Fire's "Got to Get You Into My Life" is far superior, too.

Yeah, I don't remember Ace of Base Cruel Summer eclipsing the Bananarama version.

Agree about the cover of Fever, but I love her version of American Pie.

Kim Sanders singing Phil Collins’ song in the air tonight. Not bad but probably not much mainstream appeal. I find her interesting because she’s basically Janet’s age, was raised in Gary and then went to Germany for a singing career.

The hideous Counting Crows version of Big Yellow Taxi

i thought that was a pretty good cover r67

Britney Spears - Satisfaction

Celine Dion's "I Drove All Night." Just not great compared to the Roy Orbison and Cyndi Lauper versions. The techno/dance production doesn't work well.

Sandra Bernhard was touring and performing Fever as part of her one woman show, when Madonna recorded it and released it as a single. Apparently didn't go over well.

I love this Beatles cover much better than the original.

[quote] Sandra Bernhard was touring and performing Fever as part of her one woman show, when Madonna recorded it and released it as a single. Apparently didn't go over well.

I remember Bernhard bitterly complaining about this in the late 90s.

[quote]One of the unnecessary covers Jessica Simpson did.

Don't forget this one although Nick looks yummy.

The version of Lady Marmalade by Christina A., Pink, and Mya.

I do love the version by the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Miss Irma Thomas.

The worst cover of all time—Everclear Brown Eyed Girl

Dolly Parton covered a Neil Young song and it was awful. Sorry Dolly.

R70, and the worst part is when she says "to make love to youuuuu". There's 0 sexuality when she sings it. Because Celine is about as cool as Streisand.

r4 that was really awful. You win!

Ahem! Sorry, Liza!

What about Tom Jones' versions of "Kiss" (with Art of Noise)? I thought it was a good cover.

Then why are you posting it in this thread, r81?

To me, the Billboard Music Awards Prince tribute was worse than Fever.

R11 I really love Siouxsie & The Banshees version of "Dear Prudence."

Jack Wagner's cover of "Dancing In the Moonlight" by King Harvest.

This one is also atrocious.

[quote]The hideous Counting Crows version of Big Yellow Taxi

Some wit writing for the British music press back then who disliked their faux-indie sound renamed them "Accounting Crows."

That utterly horrendous Sheryl Crow's cover of "Sweet Child O'Mine".

And I won't post the video. It's not worth it.

The Blue Nile's "Tinseltown in the Rain" is one of the most wistful, otherworldly, enigmatic songs released in the 1980s. Bland Irish pop songstress Andrea Corr decided to cover it, took all the magic out of it and turned it into an emotionally tone-deaf, generic and upbeat Oirish Corrs tune. Talk about not 'getting' a song at all.

Oh well, at least songwriter Paul Buchanan made a few bob out of it.

OP: take any Nouvelle Vague album and pick any five tunes off the track listing. Exhibit #1:

If it qualifies as a cover version and not just a sampled track, I've always loathed Diddy ft. Faith Evans's "I'll Be Missing You" (The Police, "Every Breath You Take")

The back story to that, R91, is that Diddy didn't even bother to secure copyrights (Every Breath song). Sting actually makes money from that song, not Diddy.

Frank doing the Beatles is cringeworthy. My mom almost disowned me for criticizing him.

Nina Simone did a beautiful cover of "Here Comes the Sun."

Pat Boone singing "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses.

Words fail.

horrifying.....

Paul Anka does Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

No. Just no.

R56 that's a melange with Gaga's song.

Cyrus covers usually express her unique and bizarre musicality and they aren't usually the worst covers around. There, I said it. Miley does interpret songs authentically, although her voice often grates. But not always.

R91, I have always hated that song.

R95, the best thing you can say is at least he didn't do Welcome to the Jungle. Then, you'd hear "na na na na na na, scream, scream". etc.

I didn't ask for it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! A lot more than I thought I would have thought. (the whole show was just so fun & upbeat). Bubba Knight, closing Gladys' show at the Hollywood Bowl in 2014.

That entire album of Pat Boone's was filled with horrific covers of metal songs. Check out some of the other titles on the album.

Why did Pat Boone do that album? and he is wearing leather, was he trying to come out?

R104 There's a lengthy article about the album at the WayBackMachine.

No mention of Lara Trump's wretched cover of Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down?"

R103 that looks like a parody or something Saturday night live would do. Lmao that it was real

[quote]The only Beatles cover that was better than the original

Sorry, but Earth Wind and Fire's "Got to get you into my life" and Emmylou Harris' "Here there and Everywhere" would disagree with you.

Joe always sounded like he was straining to take a shit anyways.

R106 wins

R68 that cover should be federally outlawed due to its offensive hideousness.

I defy anybody to find anything worse than this!

I liked EWF's cover of Get You Into My Life.

Gahd knows that Sgt Pepper film was an abortion but I liked THAT song.

I love that screen-capture image of Madonna impersonating a giant mantis shrimp. 🦐

No one asked for it, but this Alanis cover of "My Humps" is brilliant.

Paul Anka did a good job and made it his own.

I'll see myself out..

R116, LMFAO.

Susan Boyle does The Stones. Truly awful. That chorus!

I usually like Cyndi. But this desecration of Marvin Gaye’s classic is unforgivable.

Cyndi wasn't the only one who destroyed a Marvin Gaye classic.

Every time I listen to this version, I think of that famous Prince meme of him hearing it in the studio with a look of disgust on his face.

Cool Jerk is the only Go Gos song I find unlistenable

whyyyy

Everything's...

And...

Fall Out Boy did We Didn't Start the Fire. It was atrocious.

R123 I actually enjoy some of Belinda's stuff. But this track is just so awful.