The 25 worst cover songs of all time, ranked

Even great musicians with the best intentions can serve up a bad cover of a cherished song. In some cases they might try too hard to be faithful to the original, leading to an interpretation that’s too stiff or slick. Or they can alter a song until it contains just the vaguest air of what made the first version special. In some cases they can wildly misconstrue the classic track, turning their take into a memorable monstrosity.

Whatever the reason for the failings by these artists, there’s no disputing that the original songs remain beloved, which is why brutally bad updates can be so difficult to swallow. This list of the 25 worst cover songs, like our look at the 25 best cover songs of all time, doesn’t pretend to be comprehensive. Still, as we surveyed the last five decades of pop and rock music, we’ve done our best to corral the truly awful covers and order them in a way that metes out some semblance of order, if not justice.

1. Mick Jagger and David Bowie, “Dancing In The Street” (1985)

One of a handful of songs that’s impossible to hear without picturing the video, Mick Jagger and David Bowie’s version of Martha & the Vandellas’ 1964 Motown classic “Dancing In The Street” is a misfire on a number of levels. Knocked out in half a day while Bowie was recording material for the Absolute Beginners soundtrack, this version of “Dancing In The Street” was tacked onto the broadcast of Live Aid because neither singer could share the same stage at the same time that July day in 1985. What they wound up with was an excursion in high camp that outlasted Live Aid, existing on its own astral plane, where two of the greatest rock stars mug and mince as they play-act nostalgia for a past neither would choose to revisit. On its own, it’s a monumental exercise in bad taste, but it seems especially tacky when considering its origins.