Pop music history is packed with cover versions that spark one burning question: were these artists trolling us? Some covers become legendary disasters that unite music lovers in shared horror. You know the feeling when someone ruins your favorite song forever. These eight train wrecks committed musical war crimes against beloved classics, proving that confidence doesn’t always equal competence.
6. Twenty One Pilots – “Cancer” (My Chemical Romance Cover)
Adding trap beats to songs about terminal illness feels like bringing confetti to a funeral. The original “Cancer” delivers emotional devastation with surgical precision, but this cover commits crimes against both music and good taste. The verses work adequately—then the chorus transforms profound sorrow into something resembling a TikTok remix.
Anyone who’s heard a wedding DJ massacre a classic knows this exact horror. Electronic production on a song demanding raw vulnerability is like autotune on a eulogy—technically possible but morally questionable. As producer Rick Rubin once noted about emotional authenticity in music, the best covers respect the original’s emotional core rather than reimagining it entirely.
5. William Shatner – “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (The Beatles Cover)
Shatner’s spoken-word delivery defies every notion of musicality known to humanity. Picture Captain Kirk hijacking karaoke night in hell, reducing Beatles psychedelia to plain silliness. This isn’t just a cover—it’s the USS Enterprise boldly going where no musician should venture into uncharted musical territory.
Critics called it “a trainwreck you can’t look away from,” which explains absolutely nothing and everything simultaneously. The bizarre performance makes it essential listening for all the wrong reasons, like witnessing a car crash on a perfect sunny day. Sometimes the most memorable covers are memorable for being memorably awful, creating cult status through sheer audacity.
4. Machine Gun Kelly – “Misery Business” (Paramore Cover)
Basic karaoke wisdom suggests picking something within your actual vocal range. MGK apparently skipped that lesson with his take on Paramore’s pop-punk anthem. Hayley Williams’ vocals are notoriously challenging, but MGK gave it the old college try—in a lower octave, with suspicious autotune riding shotgun.
Picture the resident wannabe rocker at a dive bar grabbing the mic after too many tequila shots. Sure, you admire the confidence, but everyone’s silently begging for the jukebox to return. Covering songs nowhere near your range feels less like artistic expression and more like acoustic assault on unsuspecting eardrums.
3. Madonna – “American Pie” (Don McLean Cover)
When Madonna chopped McLean’s eight-minute folk epic down to four minutes, it was like speed-dating a Russian novel. Her dance-pop makeover proved even pop royalty occasionally faceplants harder than a drunk influencer on ice. The transformation stripped away the song’s nostalgic soul and storytelling magic for radio-friendly accessibility.
The BBC poll naming it “worst cover ever” wasn’t exactly subtle feedback. It’s like making gourmet cuisine from gas station sushi—technically food, but missing everything that made the original special. Don McLean himself called Madonna “a colossus… a fine singer” but the diplomatic praise couldn’t save this dance floor disaster.
2. Panic! At The Disco – “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen Cover)
Attempting “Bohemian Rhapsody” requires Sherpa-level skills—it’s musical Mount Everest. Brendon Urie’s technically impressive vocals land somewhere between karaoke night and Broadway audition tape. While the instrumental arrangement mimics the original structure, it loses crucial emotional translation in the process.
The performance feels like recreating the Mona Lisa with Instagram filters—technically accurate but completely soulless. This victory lap nobody requested proves that mimicking genius rarely equals genius. Urie isn’t Freddie Mercury, and anyone who’s watched tribute bands knows the difference between homage and hubris in musical interpretation.
1. Limp Bizkit – “Faith” (George Michael Cover)
Trading George Michael’s silk-smooth swagger for Fred Durst’s burlap-sack aggression was like replacing champagne with energy drinks. This nu-metal nightmare alienated fans of both the original and Limp Bizkit itself. Durst’s abrasive delivery strips away everything that made “Faith” work in the first place.
The result is musical marmite—you either love the audacity or hate every second. Fred Durst once explained they “like to do really aggressive versions” of cheesy pop hits, which sounds like a manifesto written by someone who fundamentally misunderstood the assignment. Complete with trademark growls, it’s catchy for all the wrong reasons.
