Absolute Worst Cover of a U2 song, ever

[Professor Plumb]

How about Jarvis Church's cover of 'One' on the Peace Songs album (sold in Canada...you can download it if you dare)? It wouldn't be half bad if it weren't for the rap part near the end...

 

[Sue DeNym]

Clay Aiken has apparently opened his solo "tour" with Streets.

I have no words and when you see it, I bet neither will you.

http://www.clay-media.com/videos/concerts/solo2004/grandforks/shnn_july0804_wmv.zip

Go forth and multiply.

The vocal was...tolerable...but the performance had no energy whatsoever. It was really bland. Aiken stood still as a statue for the first part of it, then decided, "Maybe I should walk a little," and ambled off in the general direction of the audience. Boring, dull and tedious as watching paint dry.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Unchained Melody

U2 didn't write that

i don't even have to download that video though to know clay's a terrible performer. his voice is all right, but he has no stage presence. he just kinda stands there singing the whole time, which he apparently does in this video too. he'd really be cut out for something like folk, electronic, or something acousticy where you're not expected to do anything but stand and sing.

 

[Schmeg]

I think it sounds like he's reading the dictionary instead of singing it like his life depends on it. Also gotta love the funky hand movements for words such as "with" and "where"!

 

[wolfeden]

nope...got Clay beat...

hands down worst cover of U2 I EVER heard was this "Christian thrash metal" (???) cover of "Like A Song". Guy sounded like he was throwing up, not singing....

 

[Pearl]

The worst U2 cover song I ever heard was when I was working at this store that had on its store CD this guy singing WOWY. It was horrible. The guy sounded incredibly bored, a bit monotoned, and had no emotion through out it. Even the backup singers weren't much help. When he came to the part in the song that goes "Wha-oh!", he barely raised his voice
I don't know who sang it, but it sounded like an R&B song.
It was agony for me to listen to it whenever I worked. I used to think U2 should've sued the guy, for doing such a lousy job!

 

[david]

Hootie and The Blowfish used to do a cover of Still Haven't Found.. before they were signed to a major label...



UGH.

 

[neutral]

Hootie and the Blowfish covering U2?!!

 

[DaveC]

Worst cover of any song ever done:

Scissor Sisters' version of Comfortably Numb.

I would rather slowly saw my balls of with a rusty butterknife than listen to it again.

Seriously.

 

[thrillme]

I never thought of that, thrillme. Thanks for pointing it out. I think I will save myself the pain of actually hearing this version of Streets, though.

By the way, who's the actor responsible for getting you into U2? It's always fun to hear of famous people who are U2 fans.

Chris Kattan, hehe, in an interview, someone asked him if U2 "lost it" with "Pop" album, and he said, "now I'm angry, Pop was a great album." He wasn't really angry, he was joking about that... comedians ye know.

 

[t8thgr8]

so thats what it would sound like if boy george did where the streets have no name

 

[jick]

Billy Corgan murdered Stay (Faraway, So Close!).

Dream Theater did a lame forgettable version of Red Hill Mining Town.

Michael Stipe butchered One (although half the band was U2). Bon Jovi sang a cover version that did the song justice during their concert in Dublin a few years back.

Cheers,

J

 

[U2girl]

I thought Stipe's cover of One was nice.

From others covering U2, I heard Pet shop boys do Where the streets have no name (it was ok), Cher did I still haven't found... (not good) and Gregorian chant did I still... and With or without you. (pretty good, particularly I still... is very suitable for choir singing)

 

[what a bomb!]

Question: WHO THE HELL IS CLAY AIKEN??? never heard of him and by the sounds of it I don't want to either! lol

 

[MrBrau1]

Question: WHO THE HELL IS CLAY AIKEN??? never heard of him and by the sounds of it I don't want to either! lol

Clay Aiken is the American Thom Yorke.

 

[biff]

Clay Aiken is the American Thom Yorke.

 

[neutral]

Question: WHO THE HELL IS CLAY AIKEN??? never heard of him and by the sounds of it I don't want to either! lol

runner up of season 2 of American Idol, our lovely version of Pop Idol

 

[zoopop]

You guys are cracking me up.

A while back there was a video of a christian pop band (like nsync) doing a cover of "40". It was terrible. It was like 4-5 guys standing on a stage doing a vocals only version of "40" with girls screaming in the background.


"How looonngg...to sing this song" YEEEEEEEAHHAHAHHAHHAHAH!!!!!!!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

LOL-It could be worse, it could be that John Stephens guy

Maybe on the AI tour they'll all do a U2 medley

I still think Cher's is worse

 

[zoopop]

The Cher cover is pretty bad. Imagine Bono or any member of U2 at a Cher show in the crowd (lets say they got free tickets or ALi is a big fan). Lights go down, Bono standing up like everyone else in the arena as Cher comes on, with a beer in his hand. Hears the opening of ISHFWILF while taking a sip, "I have the climbed the highest mountain", then spits it out all over the place and is like "What the ****!!!!"

 

[neutral]

A while back there was a video of a christian pop band (like nsync) doing a cover of "40". It was terrible. It was like 4-5 guys standing on a stage doing a vocals only version of "40" with girls screaming in the background.

Starfield? Yeah that one was horrid too, so horrid that I have brought out A Very Special Emoticon for the occasion

How long to sing this song? TOO LONG. Shut up.

 

[briarrose]

Thanks to this thread, I had a dream last night that I went to a U2 concert and had great seats. When the band came onstage, I realized it wasn't U2 at all. The guy pretending to be Bono was Asian. I was really mad in my dream. It's funny to think about now.

Michelle

 

[neutral]

I found a copy of the U2 cover I voted for. Yup it still makes me wanna stab someone.


http://neutral.ws/music/Richard_Cheese_06_Bullet_The_Blue_Sky.mp3

(fixed)

 

[angel_of_L.A.]

at least he tried to cover good music

somewhere baby jesus shed a tear during this

I was at a Dropkick Murphys show in March and their opening act Blood For Blood did a punk cover of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." It was actually pretty good although the setting was not. There were all these skins scratching their heads looking very confused. My friends and I were the only ones going "Yeah!"

On a sweet note, Gwen (No Doubt) and her husband Gavin did a duet of "The Sweetest Thing" a month after they got married. It was pretty good.

 

[I'mstillrunning]

i once heard The Replacements do I Will Follow on a bootleg so old it was on vinal

the guitarest was playing the riff, but i dont think paul westherburg [sp] new the words, so he just sang some other assorted words - then they got bored and went on to something else

 

[MrBrau1]

i once heard The Replacements do I Will Follow on a bootleg so old it was on vinal

the guitarest was playing the riff, but i dont think paul westherburg [sp] new the words, so he just sang some other assorted words - then they got bored and went on to something else

I heard that same boot! Long time ago. Except if they played the whole tune, it may have been the best U2 cover ever. Mats

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Thanks to this thread, I had a dream last night that I went to a U2 concert and had great seats. When the band came onstage, I realized it wasn't U2 at all. The guy pretending to be Bono was Asian. I was really mad in my dream. It's funny to think about now.

Michelle

...Asian? .

Angela

 

[jick]

Thanks to this thread, I had a dream last night that I went to a U2 concert and had great seats. When the band came onstage, I realized it wasn't U2 at all. The guy pretending to be Bono was Asian. I was really mad in my dream. It's funny to think about now.

Michelle

Why of all the races that can get you mad it has to be Asian? Perhaps you have a subliminal resentment against Asians.

So as not to veer off topic, aside from Japan (which is more Americanized than we think) U2 have never toured Asia - China, Singapore, Thailand, India, Taiwan, etc. or let alone visit Asia south of Japan. Perhaps Asia isn't profitable enough for U2, or U2 perceive Asians as people who cannot afford them. I really wouldn't know.

Cheers,

J

 

[Diemen]

So as not to veer off topic

Bullshit, you are doing exactly that. Must you always try and stir up trouble?

 

[The Scientist]

Worst......probably KMFDM doing a cover of Mysterious Ways.

Lazy guitar sample of the original, gruff vocal, and female backup singers "its all right, its all right".

Horrible (and i liked there other stuff 5-10 yrs ago). I think they were trying to ruin it though....hopefully....