Horrible cover versions

[substitute]

I’ve had a couple of conversations with nickjb and genericus about bad cover versions over the last few. We were dredging our brains for the worst covers we could think of, either because a good song was humped to death by some horribly inappropriate interpretation, or a mediocre song was taken to the logical limit of its badness.

Some notables were:

• Natalie Merchant doing “Because the Night” like she had a teacup on her knee.
  
• Fine Young Cannibals present the Buzzcocks’ “Ever Fallen in Love”
  
• Blood, Sweat & Tears do “Minnie the Moocher”. Late enough in their career to have drum loops.
  
• Phil Collins skullraping “You Can’t Hurry Love”
  
• Michael Jackson sings “Come Together”. Auuiiggh.
  
• 10,000 Maniacs again, this time murdering John Prine’s “Hello in There”
  
• James Taylor “How Sweet It Is to be Loved By You”
  
• Shaun Cassidy “Rebel Rebel”
  
• R.E.M.’s teeth-grindingly whiny version of “Pale Blue Eyes”
  

Please add yours!

Comments

[frobisher.livejournal.com]

I would have responded sooner if I wasn't suffering hysterical amnesia...

The face that We Built This City exists AT ALL is bad enough. That there is not one, but several covers, apparently, is a crime against humanity.

Also, for what it's worth, The Shaggs did a cover of the Marie Osmond hit "Paper Roses". I managed to forget how bad it is, but I have my theories.

[substitute.livejournal.com]

Who the hell covered "We Built This City"?

I'm not sure the Shaggs doing a song counts as a "cover". It's more of a.. erm.. tribute?

[frobisher.livejournal.com]

I was thinking "atrocity", but ymmv.

Honestly, I'm not sure who would cover We Built This City, but I heard one, mentioned it on my LJ, and was told that there were more than one. Pheer.