Covers are tricky things. It’s not always easy to cover a famous song correctly, and even the best musicians out there have failed to put out a good cover song. Let’s take a look at some of the worst cover songs in music history! Though, it is worth noting that this list is a matter of general opinion, rather than fact. You might like a couple of these covers, after all.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Take That
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is one of Nirvana’s most well-known songs of all time, and also one of the easiest songs to cover. Sadly, Take That couldn’t quite take the classic grunge tune to a new level.
As one commenter on YouTube noted: “I can’t get over the fact that this is actually on Take That VEVO and not hiding in some dark corner of YouTube with all involved desperately trying to get it removed.”
Ouch.
2. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Fall Out Boy
Pop-punk outfit Fall Out Boy delivered one of the worst Joy Division cover songs of all time back in 2004. It was a fair effort, but the two bands couldn’t sound more different from each other. It was an odd choice and overall did not come off as very sincere.
A lot of people have been polite about this cover by calling it “different”, as noted in the YouTube comments of the above video.
3. “Fortunate Son” by U2
“Fortunate Son” is a certified banger from Creedence Clearwater Revival. It’s been in almost every movie out there that features the Vietnam War in some capacity, and the 1969 rock song is one of the most well-known anthems of the 1970s. U2 tried their hand at a soul-infused cover of “Fortunate Son” back in 1992, but the whole thing came off as soulless.
“Love U2, don’t love this,” said one fan in the YouTube comments.
4. “Light My Fire” by Train
Train’s attempt at “Light My Fire” by The Doors is one of the worst cover songs, and it’s pretty disappointing considering how great of a pop-rock outfit Train can be. Their cover of the 1967 classic comes off as flavorless and maybe even a little over-aged.
“My god, what in gods green earth is this?” said one fan on YouTube.
Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images
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