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Thursday

Music's worst cover versions

From Miley Cyrus covering Nirvana to Matthew Morrison covering Sisqo, we look at original songs that never should have been remade...
 You know those untouchable classic songs, like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach?" Well, they've been touched... besmirched actually by a growing number of pop stars who think they have the vocal and emotional maturity to handle such weighty material. Excuse us if we're getting a little high falootin', but we can't believe someone gave the green light to Avril Lavigne's cover of a Bob Dylan song! Find out who else we can't believe butchered classic material in our rundown of music's worst cover verisions.


Miley Cyrus "Smells Like Teen Spirit"


Little Miss Cyrus is a classic case of a child star trying to shake off her sickly-sweet image and slip into something a little more uncomfortable. Her pretty floral dresses have been replaced with Rihanna-inspired leather chaps, her dancing has become noticeably more risqué and, instead of singing teeny-bop tunes, she's covering iconic rock songs. Miley Cyrus covered Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on her recent tour -- smells more like a bad cover to us...

Matthew Morrison "Thong Song"


We're the first to admit that we're closet Gleeks -- catch us driving home from a hard day's work and you're likely to hear "Glee"'s cover of "Don't Stop Believin'" booming proudly from our speakers. But, despite their talent for belting out creative covers, the "Glee" crew doesn't always get it right. Seeing Matthew Morrison perform Sisqó's "Thong Song" on the show was one of the most cringeworthy, yet hilarious music moments ever.

Britney Spears "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"


Back in the day, we thought Britney Spears loved anything pink, sparkly and girly, so she surprised everyone when she decided to tell the world that, despite her pop back-catalogue, she actually loved rock 'n' roll... Britney covered "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," which was made famous by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1982 and, despite her best attempts to writhe around in leather on top of a motorbike in her music video, Britney was about as much of a rocker as Marilyn Manson is a Sunday school teacher...

Jessica Simpson "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"


It seems that Jessica Simpson wanted an excuse to strut around in ridiculously short denim hot pants and cowboy boots so, naturally, she decided to cover Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'." Not only did the cover stink like well-walked-in cowboy boots, but the music video managed to undo all of the hard work that feminists have done for women throughout the last hundred years in just three minutes...

Kelly Osbourne "Papa Don't Preach"


Before she was dipped in super-shiny L.A. paint, Kelly Osbourne fancied herself as a bit of a rock star. Donning a grungy style and an angst-filled attitude to match, she covered Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach." The verdict? Kelly Don't Sing...

Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne "Changes"


What unites a lot of the artists responsible for cover version crimes is a lack of self-awareness. Once you've opened up your dysfunctional family life to the reality TV cameras it's probably hard to judge when you've gone too far. For example, you might not realize that destroying Black Sabbath's 1972 masterpiece "Changes," by rewriting it and re-recording it as a soppy duet with your daughter, might be a bad idea. If you've not heard it, imagine two stray dogs howling at a karaoke machine.

Celine Dion "You Shook Me All Night Long"


We're sure many great cover versions have emerged simply because the artist in question was crazy enough to take a risk. However, such questionable sanity has also been responsible for some of music's most heinous crimes. No one, we repeat, absolutely no one ever wondered what Canadian "Titanic" warbler Celine Dion would sound like singing AC/DC. Except, it seems, Celine herself.

Avril Lavigne "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"


Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was written for the soundtrack of the brutal 1973 western "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid." The words reflect the dying thoughts of a once ruthless deputy sheriff. Who better to interpret such an iconic and unambiguous classic than pre-packaged-punk popster Avril Lavigne? The Canadian purveyor of smudge eyeliner and artificial angst performed the song regularly on her Try To Shut Me Up Tour. We tried. We really tried.

Boyz II Men "Back For Good"


Another important rule when tackling a much-loved song is making sure that you, erm, actually know the song you're singing. We're pretty sure U.S. soul giants Boyz II Men can't have actually heard Take That's 1995 classic "Back For Good." If they had, this horrendous cover from last year's "Love" album might have in some way resembled the original tune. We've heard the demo version featuring Girls Aloud's Nadine Coyle and it sounds like an attempt to break the world record for singing as many unpleasant notes as possible.

Limp Bizkit "Faith"


Limp Bizkit covered George Michael's "Faith," on their 1997 album "Three Dollar Bill, Yall$." Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Hee hee hee hee hee hee! Oh dear. No, but seriously, Fred Durst and his band of bearded, backwards cap wearing, overgrown skate punks... no, sorry, it's no good. Ah ha ha ha ha ha. Limp Bizkit covering George Michael! Snrk, pssst, guffaw, hrnk... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.