Worst ever cover version?

**Pauro 76** · 20/02/2004, 6:34 PM

Two muppets from Pop Idol are top of the UK charts at the mo with a cover of "A little help from my friends", which got me thinking... worst ever covers...

Worst:
Ronan Keatings cover of "Fairytale of New York", laughable! Even had the nerve to change the lyrics in case anyone thought it offensive.... in fact any Keating track...
Guns n Roses "Knockin on Heavens Door"
Westlife had a cover of Relish's "Rainbow Zephyr" and turned into their song "Hey Whatever"..what were they thinking....
And any Irish anthem bloody Dance to Tipperary turn their hands to... and destroy it....

Best:
Muse "Feeling Good"
White Stripes "Dont Know What To Do With Myself"
Nirvana "Man Who Sold The World"

**the scout** · 20/02/2004, 6:43 PM

i defy anybody to beat this one

six: after the goldrush /neil young .i mean jesus h christ on horseback that just defies belief.how in the name of jaysus was that ever allowed escape from a recording studio

robson and jerome/unchained melody

**the scout** · 20/02/2004, 7:28 PM

best ones

happy mondays/the boys are back in town
sid vicious/my way
rolf harris/stairway to heaven

**sylvo** · 20/02/2004, 8:39 PM

the jesus and mary chain done a cover of elvis's, crazy lil guiter man,
Shane mcgowan and the pope's done a cover of neil diamond's crackling rosie, both were superb.

Worst that song @ the moment by that kid that's supposed to be the white stripes, fell in love with a girl.
Garth gates and will Young doing the beatles, long and winding road,
and anything screeched out by Ireland's top karaoke singer ronan keating.

**tiktok** · 20/02/2004, 8:43 PM

this'll be fun, there's too many.....

worst:
Celine Dion - I drove all night (for that car ad)
Counting Crows - Big yellow taxi (although i actually like the song and Amy grant does a good cover of it)
Britney Spears - I love rock 'n roll
Candy Flip - Strawberry fields forever (Conor probably loved it)

...and anyone trying to cover Stevie Wonder, don't bother, especially 'Blue' - signed, sealed, delivered.

Best:
Johnny Cash - Hurt (obvious I know, but it is class)
Jimi Hendrix - All along the Watchtower (although IMO anyone does dylan songs better than dylan)
Jose Feliciano - Light my fire (inspirational)
Dixie Chicks - Landslide (i'm not joking)
Sinead O'Connor - Ode to Billy Joe (best song ever)
Tori Amos - Smells like teen spirit

...and every track on the "I want to be a Carpenter" Carpenter's tribute album.

**brendy_éire** · 20/02/2004, 10:04 PM

Best:
(I'll go for some dance ones)
Watergate - Mull of Kintyre
Aurora - Sleeping Satellite
Groove Coverage - Moonlight Shadow

Worst:
Busted - Teenage Kicks (murdered it at the Brit Awards)
All of the Sintara et al songs that Robbie Williams did
...and no doubt to be added shortly, Beyonce - Here Comes the Summer.

**gustavo** · 20/02/2004, 10:51 PM

Originally posted by tiktok

Best:
Jimi Hendrix - All along the Watchtower (although IMO anyone does dylan songs better than dylan)
.

on that note i suppose the byrds tambourine man

**sylvo** · 21/02/2004, 12:52 AM

Tiktok yer spot one with Johnny cash and ''hurt'' also that rendition of Depece mode's, personal Jesus was fantastic by the great man, also he done a cover of u2's one which was great.
Another great cover was Travis doing britney's ''hit me baby one more time'', heard them doing that one a few year's ago @ the brixton acadamy it was the biz.

**Footie_Fan** · 21/02/2004, 2:42 PM

Originally posted by brendy_eire

Worst:
Busted - Teenage Kicks (murdered it at the Brit Awards)

Very true.

**Ruairi** · 21/02/2004, 2:50 PM

when I was on holidays I heard a horrible dancy/trancy cover of ben e king's "stand by me", it was so god-awful i wanted to hurt someone

**patsh** · 21/02/2004, 2:56 PM

Originally posted by the scout
six: after the goldrush

What happened to these groovy kids?
Your wan doesn't have a column in the echo anymore, explaining to the hoi poloi just how hard the life of a famous popstar really is.

**Gary** · 21/02/2004, 6:02 PM

Jonny Cash version of "Light my fire" was atrocious. That said, anyone who tried to cover that particular track failed. Miserably.

Ronan Keating should be jailed for his attempt at 'Fairytale...'. Without doubt, the single worst cover of all time.

Liberty X version of "Aint nobody" is godawful as well. One of the all time greats destroyed by muppets.

A few attempts at "Cat in the Cradle" were terrible as well

Of the good ones, I must say I quite liked TAKE THAT (

) version of 'A Love so strong' and relight my fire, both originally by Dan Hartman.

Actually that Girl who does the 'Seven Nation Army' by White Stripes on the Cello (Violin???) is absolutely fantastic.

More later.

**sylvo** · 22/02/2004, 10:34 AM

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Gary

Ronan Keating should be jailed for his attempt at 'Fairytale...'. Without doubt, the single worst cover of all time.

Some people said(not me now mmmm), that he should have been shot for that insult to an absolute masterpiece, the over emphasis on the oirish accent's were desperate, mind mostly all his song's are cover's. aaaarrrrrgggghhhh

**the scout** · 22/02/2004, 5:35 PM

Originally posted by Conor74

Thankfully he managed to resist his natural urge to have four verses of 'rup a diddle skiddely up a deedle diidle dooooo', but it was still terrible.

when he does that i just flip

**the 12 th man** · 23/02/2004, 7:32 AM

Originally posted by the scout
i defy anybody to beat this one

try
mike flowers:wonderwall

**Peadar** · 23/02/2004, 8:36 AM

Originally posted by PAURO 7
Guns n Roses "Knockin on Heavens Door"

I actually really enjoyed that.
They did it in their own style.

I absolutely hated Robbie W and Nicole K doing "Something Stupid". Williams sounded like a women.

Thought Gary Jules did a good job on "Mad World" in Donnie Darko.

I read somewhere that the beatles "yesterday" is the most covered song on record.
I can't stand the beatles so I've probably blanked this from my mind if it is true.

**Paddy Ramone** · 23/02/2004, 9:12 AM

The best cover versions are
The Clash - I Fought the Law
SLF - Johnny Was (Marley)
SLF - Doesn't Make It Alright (Specials)
The Byrds - My Back Pages
The Byrds - Mr Tamborine Man
The Byrds - Turn Turn Turn
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Sid Vicious - My Way
The Pogues - Dirty Old Town
Joey Ramone - What a Wonderful World
Madness - It Must be Love

The worst is the Corrs version of Phil Lynotts song Old Town.

**the 12 th man** · 23/02/2004, 9:16 AM

Originally posted by Paddy Ramone
The worst is the Corrs version of Phil Lynotts song.

what about the corrs cover of fleetwood macs "player"that sucked big time

b_mcsweeney · 23/02/2004, 11:04 AM

surely madonnas slaughter of american pie is worth a mention in the all time worst category.

good wise, creedence clearwater revival do a daycent version of heard it through the grapevine. most of oasis' reworkings are pretty good (like round our way and i am the walrus).

**Macy** · 23/02/2004, 11:35 AM

McGowan had to agree for the lyrics of fairytale to be changed - you can't stop bands covering songs as long as they don't change the lyrics....

One that hasn't been mentioned... Lets Talk About Girls, by the Undertones.... Cover of The Chocolate Watch Band.....