25 cover songs that totally missed the mark

Yes, even two legends like these had their cringe-worthy moments. Now, it wasn't necessarily a problem Bowie and Jagger decided to cover this 1964 hit from Martha and the Vandellas, which was co-written by Marvin Gaye, in 1985. However, it was just strange that it was featured as a debut. And, the over-the-top, images of their goofy dancing and in-your-face vocals made for uncomfortable viewing at times. Of course, the star power behind this version was enough for the single to top the charts in the United Kingdom and crack the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

Another case, and not the last on this list, where a song that was generally panned by critics and fans, alike, actually enjoyed some noteworthy success. Crow's schlocky version of this Guns N' Roses' signature hit, which was included on the film soundtrack for Adam Sandler's Big Daddy (1999), actually won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. However, in reality it was not one of Crow's better efforts, and had an almost coffee-house vibe that delivered absolutely none of the emotion as the original.

Now, these Hall of Fame, English pretty boys did a fine job covering Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" in 1995. However, when Duran Duran went the rap route again in 1999 for this Public Enemy favorite, it was just weird. And, not in an eccentric or quirky kind of way. The distorted vocals were passable, but the bluesy, jug-band sound did not seem to work, and the track seemed all over the place. We're not saying this was a completely futile effort, but compared to its "White Lines" take, this one is rather forgettable. 

This Phil Spector tune was made popular by The Crystals in 1963 and notably performed by the Beach Boys. One of the great pop songs of all time, KISS did not do it justice as the final track on its 1977 Love Gun album. KISS was always campy, infused with elements of pop and punk, however, even by changing the "He" to "She," this was a little too much. We stomached "Beth" and slightly cringed at "Hard Luck Woman," but almost feel bad for the legacy of the this classic that KISS felt like it had to mail it in with this pedestrian version. 

Megadeth delivered a solid version of this Sex Pistols classic for its 1988 So Far, So Good... So What!  album. However, Motley Crue seemed to miss the mark when it took on the same cover. The L.A. rockers offered a more glammed-up, polished version of the gritty punk tune, but it just didn't seem to work for its inclusion on their Decade of Decadence 81–91 compilation.  The band also changed some of the words to fit a more American viewpoint, but again, the overall product lacked the edge and angst that made the original and Megadeth's take worth embracing.

With or without the talented Vanessa Carlton lending vocal support, it would seem to make sense that Counting Crows tried to pop-up this Joni Mitchell favorite. However, it was for the soundtrack of the comedy Two Weeks Notice (2002), starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock, so that provided an opportunity for Counting Crows to remain relevant into a new century. It was a move that resulted in some modern-day soft rock attention for the band, though since forgotten, which should still be known for its early days of alternative-pop rock that held its own amid a hard rock and grunge landscape. 

The case of a great band feeling the need to appeal to the masses — in one of the worst possible ways: performing a song for a movie soundtrack. And, not a good one, at that. During the late 1980s, Judas Priest was trying to maintain a mainstream presence by glamming it up a bit, and covered the iconic Chuck Berry rock number for the forgotten 1988 comedy Johnny Be Good, starring Anthony Michael Hall, Uma Thurman and Robert Downey Jr. Priest's version, which was included on its Ram It Down (1988) record, was a minor hit in the United Kingdom, but rarely spoken of by true metal fans.

The pride of Bob Marley and the Wailers' fantastic Exodus album from 1977. It should be sacrilegious for a pop-rock band to cover such a classic and beloved tune. Well, Maroon 5 felt it was worthy enough of such an endeavor to help Hyundai sell cars in 2018. That wasn't a good idea, simply because there is nothing there. The Maroon 5 version sounds like it was played by the house band on a cruise ship providing background noise in the pool area at 1 p.m. in front of the bottomless margarita bar. 

Truthfully, Joe Jackson never truly got his mainstream do. "Steppin' Out" was a top-10 hit in 1982, but before that Jackson earned new-wave praise for what should be considered the gold standard of his catalog with "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" However, even though Sugar Ray enjoyed some extended fame in the 1990s and into the 2000s, the pop-rock/turntable-aided outfit, led by Mark McGrath, did nobody any favors by taking on this cover from its 2003 fifth album In the Pursuit of Leisure to remain relevant. It's a harder, up-tempo version, but even more poser-like than the band's original material.

A 2019 punk side project of Chicago-based rapper Vic Mensa, there were plenty of quality aspects regarding his 93PUNX project. Covering this hit by The Cranberries was not one of them. Like other covers on this list, nothing particularly stands out about this particular project. One can even argue that the famed original song was more punk than what Mensa and Co. delivered. Which, unfortunately, is nothing to write home about, and quite forgotten when thinking about more recent cover versions that missed the mark. 

Nu metal meets classic rock. It's not an undesirable combination, but this mesh, from 2004, did not work. In fact, what made Korn one of the most lauded and influential bands of that 1990s genre of mainstream, aggressive metal was nowhere to be found in covering the legendary three-part "Another Brick in the Wall" piece, and fellow track from The Wall, "Goodbye Cruel World." The former essentially featured Jonathan Davis screaming without any musical innovation or creativity from the rest of the band. We expected more when taking on such an iconic track — or three.

The legacy of Ian Curtis and Joy Division should not be tarnished like this. Now, there have been artists who have succeeded in taking on a cover of this 1980 post-punk, alternative gem. Check out Paul Young's version from the 1980s. But, Fall Out Boy's attempt at alt-rock credibility through this version, from the 2004 EP My Tongue Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue, is wonky, at best. The idea is ambitious, but the band doesn't seem sure how to pull it off. Mixing Curtis' fatalistic lyrics through an acoustic/ramped-up mesh sounds sloppy, even if they handle the original's trademark bass line quite well.

Green Day has been chided for its commercial-driven angst over the years, so how are pop-punk fans to believe pop-rockers 5 Seconds of Summer are any more jaded? Like it or not, Green Day has been successful voicing its opinion on various issues throughout its career, and American Idiot (2004) is one of the great concept records ever, backed by the blistering title cut. This version doesn't offer any originality of its own, and is essentially a poppier, distortion-fueled take that seems like an opportunity for a younger band to score points with fans of an important influence.

These Swiss hard rockers were no stranger to covers, especially during the 1980s when it became more relevant outside of Europe. Versions of "American Woman" and "Ballroom Blitz" weren't great, but it seemed like the band truly went through the motions with this take of the Alice Cooper anthem from its 1986, ninth studio release Change of Address. Perhaps the best part of the Cooper classic is the attitude, of which Krokus exudes none on this version. Now, it did manage to find a place in the Billboard Hot 100.

This British boy band, whose members can apparently play their instruments quite well, still had no business covering such a groundbreaking song. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a game-changer, which essentially ushered in a new genre of rock music and turned Nirvana into a legendary band. So, any time a pop act covers it, whether in studio form or simply as part of a live show, it never seems like a good idea. Case in point. Take That had its moments during the 1990s, but this was not one of the better ones.

More needless soundtrack inclusion. It can be argued that Charlie's Angels did not need to be made into movie, and certainly did not need the 2003 sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Then there would have been no need for Nickelback to cover this Elton John classic. Including Kid Rock only made it worse. It was another chance for Nickelback to gain favor with the hard-rock world. Well, featuring Kid Rock didn't help. Now, the only redeeming quality of this amped-up version was Dimebag's presence on guitar.

Even legends can strike out from time to time. Don McLean's "American Pie" is undeniably iconic. A piece of Americana, and Madonna's version, which was associated with her 2000 comedy-drama The Next Best Thing, was intended to veer from the original. Which is fine, even in the dance-pop style that was intended. In the end, however, the finished product, shorter than McLean's near 9-minute version, just sounded wrong, trying to bridge the gap between classic rock and modern-day pop that would broaden the song's already legendary appeal. Of course, it was Madonna, so it reached No. 1 on the U.K. Singles chart, and was a top-30 hit in the U.S.

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) movie was quite forgettable, yet this version of the Nancy Sinatra anthem of female empowerment seems to be burnt into the minds of music fans. For all the wrong reasons. Simpson starred in the movie, so that apparently was license to potentially defame one of the great pop songs of all time. Of course, Simpson popped it up, added some of her own lyrics and turned it into a country-dance number (and yes, that's Willie Nelson in the music video) that actually cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. As is the case with pop music, success doesn't always make sense.

Keep in mind that the popular version from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, in the early 1980s, was a cover of this 1975 anthem from the Arrows. As the story goes, Spears was a fan of the song, especially when it came to singing karaoke. So, when a cover was needed for her brutally awful 2002 film Crossroads, she opted for this number. It's obviously more pop focused than the other two notable versions, and there are certainly elements of dance-pop (completely with turntable effects) involved. Which we would expect. Now, that does not mean it was worth the effort. 

Nu metal favorite Limp Bizkit made a name for itself with a unique version of George Michael's "Faith," a live staple for the band that was included on its 1998 debut Three Dollar Bill, Yall$. However, by the time it released a 2003 cover of this classic from The Who, Limp Bizkit's popularity had waned. Most critics panned the effort, and even the presence of Halle Berry in the music video (What was she thinking?) couldn't really do anything to keep it from being dismissed, proving that it's usually not wise to mess with musical greatness.

Yes, Shatner's guilty pleasure of a music career began in 1968 with his The Transformed Man album. This was the undisputed most memorable moment from the record. Done in monologue form, like the rest of the album, it drew more attention to Shatner in an entirely different light: that of a punchline, when it came to his music career. As legend has it, Shatner was channeling someone in the midst of an acid trip (which the Beatles' classic has long been rumored to be about) while recording the tune. Now it all makes sense. 

Perhaps music fans would have more enjoyed if Osbourne's father, Ozzy, covered this popular Madonna hit song. We're not really sure what Kelly Osbourne was going for here, aside from trying to trade off her success with The Osbournes (2002-05) television show. This pop-metal, lyrically-distorted take should go down as one of the most needless and terrible cover projects of all time. Mostly because Kelly Osbourne is not a singer, and should have never passed herself off as one — regardless of what her famous parents might think.

Where to begin. How about it never should have been recorded in the first place? A bonus track on Duff's self-titled 2004 third studio release, it doesn't come close to resembling the iconic version from The Who. Of course, that was the point. However, this is almost like something out of KIDZ BOP, which actually would have been more acceptable. Duff does not have a bad voice, and her pop offerings were quite popular. But sometimes it's not fair for a young artist to try and lend her own vision of a classic track that only seems deemed to fail.

Even the greatest musicians and recording artists in the world can fail when it comes to pulling off a cover song. Just imagine when a novice, who thinks too highly of herself, tries to do the same. That's when you get this Paris Hilton take of the Rod Stewart classic. Famous for simply being herself, Hilton tried to change that — somewhat. However, all it did was allow for more people to take her even less seriously than was already the case. This was intended to be a dance track (like other more successful covers of the tune), but don't know how many people actually moved to the sound — other than to turn it off.

First off, Wonder Woman, herself, Gal Gadot meant well. In releasing the video of her, and a group of celebrity friends (including Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Natalie Portman, Norah Jones and Will Ferrell), she tried to bring goodwill and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Unfortunately, it's never easy to do a John Lennon, or any Beatles-related cover justice. Some of the critical response to the video and performance included the word "cringe" — and that might be too kind. For those who missed it, here it is. But all have been warned.