Discover the year's most critically acclaimed albums
'Behind Blue Eyes,' originally produced by The Who, was covered by Limp Bizkit in 2003 on their 'Results May Vary' album. The bridge features a speak and spell where the band actually spells out their name.
During his heyday, MC Hammer released 'Have You Seen Her,' originally sung by the Chi-Lites. It was said that it had a heavier beat which "did the song no favors," and it didn't help that it was half rapped and half sung.
'Last Kiss' was originally sung by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers but in 1999 Pearl Jam took a swing (and a miss) at the song. Sources say that Pearl Jam sounded far too earnest for a song of this type.
In 1968, William Shatner performed the Beatles' song 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' and it was simply terrible. He gave a very dramatic reading of the song and emphasized words throughout in a strange manner.
UB40 was a leading British reggae band in the 1980s. Their first chart hit was a cover of Neil Diamond's 'Red Red Wine.' Following this success, UB40 tried their hand at 'The Way You Do The Things You Do' by the Temptations in 1990 and it was a huge fail.
In 1991, Mötley Crüe decided it would be a great idea to add a bonus track to their album in the form of the Sex Pistol's song, 'Anarchy In The U.K.' The cover is said to be more of an "arena rocker" versus an "insurrectionist rallying call" as originally intended.
Joan Jett's hit 'I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll' was covered by Britney Spears in 2001 and was anything but a hit. Critics described her version as feeling "tired" and joked that the song definitely doesn't rock.
David Bowie tried his hand at covering the Beach Boys' song 'God Only Knows'. This song went from more of a hymn to a showstopper in Bowie's rendition.
Ugly Kid Joe attempted to recreate Harry Chapin's 'Cats In The Cradle' in the early nineties. The song was a miss and it was said that his vocal delivery sounded like a kid pretending to be an adult.
Covering a song by the infamous Michael Jackson was a big feat for Alien Ant Farm. The song felt like it was trying to be better than the original, but fell short by a long way.
When Warner Bros. Records was celebrating its 50th anniversary, it had current stars choose and perform songs released by Warner artists of the past. The Used decided to tackle 'Burning Down The House,' originally performed by the Talking Heads. Needless to say, they couldn't top David Byrne.
U2 turned Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Fortunate Son' into an "after-hours dance-rocker" which challenged the integrity of the original song and beat.
Percy Sledge’s 1966 classic 'When A Man Loves A Woman' was covered by Michael Bolton. Fans and critics alike weren't crazy about it.
Described as a "genuinely strange" cover, Duran Duran sang Public Enemy's '911 Is A Joke' in 1995. The interpretation of the song seemed to miss the mark.
Lenny Kravitz covered Guess Who's 'American Woman,' but according to critics, he "took the riffs too seriously" and turned "this hard rocker into a celebration of the very things the original condemns."
Nickelback covered Elton John's 'Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting,' and subsequent versions of the track even have a verse by Kid Rock. The bizarre song showed up on the soundtrack for 'Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle' (2003), which may have gained it some commercial success, but certainly not critical.
In March of 2000, Madonna did a cover of Don McLean's 'American Pie' for the soundtrack of the movie 'The Next Best Thing.' Critics hated the song saying it was "flat" and "lifeless."
Jessica Simpson, who starred as Daisy Duke in the 'Dukes of Hazzard' movie, made a cover of Nancy Sinatra's 1966 classic 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin.' The song ultimately didn't do well, just like the movie it was recorded for.
Susan Boyle sang a cover of the Rolling Stones' 'Wild Horses' in 2009. Critics said Boyle had "no affinity for rock and roll," and while her vocal strengths were highlighted in the song, overall it wasn't a big success.
Mick Jagger and David Bowie partnered up in 1985 to record 'Dancing in the Street,' as a charity single for Live Aid. The song was originally performed by Martha & the Vandellas and was a 1964 Motown classic.
'Let’s Go Crazy' was originally a top song from the 1984 Prince Album 'Purple Rain.' Arguably one of Prince's top songs, 'Let's Go Crazy' was performed by John Legend at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Critics and fans alike flooded social media in protest of Legend's cover and one even said it was "an insult to Prince's legacy."
Sources: (A.V. Club) (New York Post)
See also: Who's best covered a Beatles song?
This interesting song mashes up two classics, 'Baby I Love Your Way' by Peter Frampton and 'Freebird' by Lynard Skynard. The results were as strange as you'd expect.
Avril Lavigne covered John Lennon's "Imagine" in 2007 for a tribute album that aided Darfur. It's said that her version has a karaoke night vibe to it and just didn't really work for fans.
Sheryl Crow covered the song 'Sweet Child O’ Mine,' originally performed by Guns N' Roses, for the soundtrack of the movie 'Big Daddy.' Rock fans everywhere hated it.
Crowds were confused as Miley Cyrus performed Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' at a live concert. The video of her performing the song on YouTube received a lot of hate.
Paris Hilton took a stab at Rod Stewarts' 1978 hit 'Da Ya Think I’m Sexy' and failed miserably. Critics said that it sounded like Hilton was actually asking the crowd to confirm she was sexy rather than telling a story in the third person, like the original.
Marilyn Manson chose to do a cover of the Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This).' His eerie demeanor and the slowed tempo weren't exactly improvements on Annie Lennox's classic.
Some songs are classics and should never be covered by another artist. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop other singers from trying. Over the years, musicians have chosen, for one reason or another, to do a cover of another artist's music. Whether to pay tribute or because they think they can do it better, the songs are recreated (with extremely mixed results).
This gallery will name and shame over two dozen stars who tried and failed to recreate musical masterpieces. From the most recent 2024 Democratic National Convention cover by John Legend to the likes of Madonna and Duran Duran, not even the big stars are immune to the blunders sometimes associated with covering another's music.
Curious about which artists' cover songs didn't succeed? Click through the gallery to find out.
Cover songs that missed the mark
Which artists' cover songs didn't succeed?
MUSIC Fails
Some songs are classics and should never be covered by another artist. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop other singers from trying. Over the years, musicians have chosen, for one reason or another, to do a cover of another artist's music. Whether to pay tribute or because they think they can do it better, the songs are recreated (with extremely mixed results).
This gallery will name and shame over two dozen stars who tried and failed to recreate musical masterpieces. From the most recent 2024 Democratic National Convention cover by John Legend to the likes of Madonna and Duran Duran, not even the big stars are immune to the blunders sometimes associated with covering another's music.
Curious about which artists' cover songs didn't succeed? Click through the gallery to find out.