00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the cover songs that not
00:10only fail to live up to the original, but are just downright irritating.
00:19Number 10, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, Nickelback featuring Kid Rock.
00:30Depending on who you ask, a Nickelback and Kid Rock team-up is either a whole lot of fun, or the worst idea imaginable.
00:38To call both artists divisive would be putting it lightly, so when they recorded a version of Elton John's
00:44Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting together, at least the results were going to be interesting, good or bad.
00:50Well, for most people, this cover wasn't even that. It's a pretty flat take on this hard-rocking classic,
01:02which took a seemingly can't-miss formula and processed it down to its most vapid and boring form.
01:08It's equal parts obnoxious and utterly forgettable, which is a difficult balancing act to pull off well.
01:15Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, Get a Little Action in
01:20Number 9, Do You Think I'm Sexy, Paris Hilton
01:24Let you on my body, let you think I'm sexy, come on sugar, let me know
01:32Rod Stewart may have gotten up on stage and sang Do You Think I'm Sexy with a semi-straight face,
01:37but the song is clearly very tongue-in-cheek.
01:47Or at least it was, until Paris Hilton decided to reinterpret it.
01:51As soon as that happened, all of the fun and playfulness of the original was lost.
01:55Hilton was genuinely telling you how attractive she was, and there was no wink and nudge behind it.
02:00Although we understand how someone could listen to Stewart's song and think that he was seriously that fond of his own reflection,
02:06it's funny that Hilton and her team thought this was a good idea.
02:10If you really need me, just reach out and touch, come on honey tell me so
02:18Number 8, Big Yellow Taxi, Counting Crows featuring Vanessa Carlton
02:22They'd be paradise and put up a fucking lie
02:26You could say that the Counting Crows style of alternative rock is like Marmite.
02:32Some love it, and others completely despise it.
02:35Whatever one's feelings about the group, taking an anti-commercial anthem like Big Yellow Taxi
02:40and turning it into a clean-cut commercial hit was a bit too ironic not to mention.
02:46The original by Joni Mitchell is a heartfelt plea about the merits of taking care of the environment.
02:51Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone
02:56They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
03:00One particularly scathing review described the Counting Crows themselves as the parking lot that was put up after paradise was paved.
03:08It's pretty safe to say that this critic is not alone in thinking that.
03:12Put up a parking lot
03:14The notion that Duran Duran ever thought it was a good idea to cover a public enemy song is an odd one.
03:35Hearing these millionaire pop idols attempt to dive headfirst into socially conscious hip-hop is a truly bizarre experience.
03:42Eyes out 9-1-1 a long time ago
03:44But don't you see how late they're reacting
03:46They only come and they come when they wanna
03:49So get them off trucking and bomb the corner
03:51Most people would agree that Chuck D & Co are one of the most influential and successful rap groups of all time.
03:57Simon Le Bon and Duran Duran are quite accomplished in their own field too.
04:01To this day though, it's hard to understand exactly what they were trying to accomplish
04:05by attempting to earn some hip-hop acclaim, a total misstep in every sense of the word.
04:11Now I'm on is a joke
04:13Now I'm on is a joke
04:18Number 6. Dancing in the Street
04:20David Bowie and Mick Jagger
04:22Parting out around the world
04:25Are you ready for a brand new beat?
04:29The sheer number of iconic musicians who have recorded a version of Dancing in the Street is a testament to the strength of the original track.
04:37First released by Martha and the Vandellas, everyone from Karen Carpenter to Van Halen has had a go at this tune.
04:43It's the David Bowie and Mick Jagger version that really sticks out though.
04:56This rendition and its very flamboyant music video were conceived for 1985's Live Aid concerts.
05:02Though the idea of Bowie and Jagger teaming up sounds like a dream come true, the resulting track was instantly mocked for being tacky.
05:10If it was tacky in 1985, the passage of time most definitely did not help it.
05:15Every guy, grab a girl, everywhere around the world, now we're dancing
05:23Number 5. These boots are made for walking
05:26Jessica Simpson
05:27Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walking was penned by the legendary Lee Hazelwood and is in its own way a timeless classic.
05:41It should come as no surprise that it hit number one on the Billboard charts, becoming one of Sinatra's signature songs.
05:48And now someone else is getting all your best
05:52Jessica Simpson's version, released as part of the Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack, went for a totally different tone.
05:59People were quick to point out that Simpson is by no means the level of vocalist that Nancy was.
06:04The song was also repurposed as a seductive and quite risque showpiece for Simpson, which some felt cheapened the source material.
06:11Sure, it sold well, but most people would agree that it doesn't compare to the original.
06:16Number 4. Anarchy In The UK
06:26Motley Crue
06:33The Sex Pistols burst onto the scene with an image and attitude that was totally fresh.
06:38When California band Motley Crue decided to cover Anarchy in the UK, the resulting track didn't quite have the same impact.
06:45Sure, the instrumentation is spot on and brings solid energy to the table.
06:50But the rewritten lyrics and ill-fitting Johnny Rotten-esque ad-libs fall flat.
07:02If you're already a fan of Motley Crue, then there's a good chance that this cover works for you.
07:07If you're not, it's just an irritating version that does nothing to improve on the original.
07:12Just one another country
07:20Number 3. Burning Down The House
07:22The Used
07:23Watch out!
07:25Too much electric!
07:27Go babies!
07:30Anyone who is familiar with Talking Heads will be aware of just how infectious their energy was, on record and on stage.
07:37Even by their standards, Burning Down The House stands out as one of the grooviest and catchiest songs in their discography.
07:44Three, one, ten, six, ten, five, seven, three, burning down the house!
07:51However, when The Used decided to give it an edgy, emo-tinged makeover, the result was interesting, to say the least.
07:59People were generally confused by this cover's existence in the first place.
08:03Released as part of the Transformers' Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack,
08:06most people would agree that this one falls firmly into the category of unnecessary renditions.
08:12Something short cannot lead off my feet
08:18Burning Down The House
08:20Number 2. American Pie
08:22Madonna
08:23I started singing
08:25Bye-bye most American life
08:28Drown the Chevy to the levee
08:30But the levee was dry
08:32Did the world need a Madonna version of Don McLean's American Pie to mark the turn of the century?
08:38Well, apparently the iconic pop star thought so.
08:41The original was a sprawling epic, running almost nine minutes over several verses,
08:46that deal with a range of themes and imagery.
08:56Madonna shaved it down to a compact, two-verse structure, and basically missed the entire point along the way.
09:02Acoustic guitars are replaced by dated synthesizers,
09:05leaving us without the energy that the original's live band provided.
09:09The song went to number one in several countries,
09:11so there was a period of time where it was damn near impossible to avoid.
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09:38Number 1. Faith Limp Bizkit
09:41Trust us, Limp Bizkit's version of Behind Blue Eyes by The Who was definitely in contention.
09:55However, no single cover summed up the obnoxiousness of the period quite like their take on George Michael's Faith.
10:02Love Them or Hate Them, Limp Bizkit were truly a product of their time,
10:12and this attitude-filled performance is just about as Limp Bizkit as it gets.
10:17Fred Durst's vocal delivery is certainly interesting.
10:21Of course, he makes a point of changing the line,
10:24not everybody has got a body like you, to a body like me.
10:28It's brash, unapologetic, and unquestionably, one of the most annoying covers of all time.
10:43But what cover songs truly grind your gears?
10:46Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
10:51Please read this video.
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