The 10 worst covers of all time, according to Far Out Magazine

A cover, as we know, is a delicate creature: what starts out as a noble tribute to an artist can easily turn into an insult. In the past, we've devoted several episodes of Rock in Onda to the topic, picking the greatest covers of all time in "When the Cover Is as Good as the Original", or focusing on "Dark Covers of Songs That Aren't Dark", on International Covers of Italian Songs, or even devoting space to pop-rock reinterpretations of Burt Bacharach in "Tribute to the Coolfather". This time, though, we're offering a ranking in reverse: the covers best forgotten, compiled by the magazine Far Out. "Some artists, like Frank Sidebottom or Weird Al Yankovic, have used covers as an ironic vehicle, somewhere between parody and tribute — the webzine notes — Other cases became famous precisely for their deliberate awfulness, like Mrs Miller's karaoke-style versions in the Sixties. The most indigestible form, however, remains the one where artists believe, with a certain arrogance, that they can improve on the original. Sometimes the result is surprising — as in the case of Devo's version of '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' by the Rolling Stones — but more often these are exercises inflated by rock-star ego. The selection on offer here goes for arrogance, eccentricity and pure embarrassment. As Sister Michael would say in 'Derry Girls': 'It really does make you realise how talented the people who originally recorded these songs were'."

So here are the ten worst covers of all time according to Far Out Magazine (full story here)

10. “Pink Moon” – Aurora (Nick Drake)

9. “Long Tall Sally” – Pat Boone (Little Richard)

8. “Burning Down the House” – The Used (Talking Heads)

7. “Come Together” – Aerosmith (The Beatles)

6. “My Generation” – Hilary Duff (The Who)

5. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – Guns N’ Roses (The Rolling Stones)

4. “Dancing In the Street” – David Bowie & Mick Jagger (Martha and the Vandellas)

3. “Fortunate Son” – U2 (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

2. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – Fall Out Boy (Joy Division)

1. “911 Is a Joke” – Duran Duran (Public Enemy)

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