Cover songs that murder the original song

[Sionnach Glic]

Something that popped into my head earlier today. It's probably safe to say that 90% of all remakes suck, and this stands true for music as well. So which cover version absolutely ruined the original song, and why?

To get us started, I'll nominate Kayne West's version of Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Sorry, but that's just lame with a capital suck.

So, which remakes do you hate?

[Mikey]

I absolutely love both The Reverend Horton Heat and Social Distortion, but any covers of Johnny Cash ("Folsom Prison Blues" and "Ring of Fire," respectively) are just plain sacrilegous.

[Captain Seafort]

The fuckwit who thought gibbering incomprehensibly over Diamonds Are Forever was a good idea should be castrated with pair of rusty secateurs.

[kostmayer]

Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees.
Steely Dan's "Peg" by whichever silly woman decided to cover it.
ELO's "Last Train to London" by Atomic Kitten
The La's "There She Goes" by Sixpence None The Richer"

[Captain Seafort]

Not quite murdering the original, but still pretty crap, is the Beach Boys version of Rock and Roll Music.

The Beatles version, however, is better than the original.

[IanKennedy]

It's got to be "Stairway to Heaven" by of all people Rolf Harris.

[Mark]

Guns and Roses remake of "Smoke Under Water"

[Mikey]

Not quite murdering the original, but still pretty crap, is the Beach Boys version of Rock and Roll Music.

The Beatles version, however, is better than the original.

Yes, we know they're from Liverpool, and I love 'em - but the Beatles' version is NOT better than the original - not by a stretch.

Guns and Roses remake of "Smoke Under Water"

Worse - GnR's cover of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog."

But my top nod has to go to the disco version of the first movement of Betthoven's Fifth Symphony, immortalized in Saturday Night Fever.