If you asked 100 randomly-chosen musicians to do a cover a the same song, what song would return the highest number of good covers? In other words, what is the hardest song to ruin? I was pondering this as I listened to Louis Armstrong doing "Summertime" and it occurred to me that I've never heard a non-awesome cover of that song.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:33 am
by ken
Louie Louie?
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:03 am
by Niveous
ken wrote:Louie Louie?
Nope.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:20 am
by Billy's Little Trip
My Sharona.
On a separate note. It just occurred to me that the singer of The Knack looks like a young Bill Nye the Science Guy from his college days, lmao.
Has anyone made that simile yet in interwebz history? Or am I some kind of "he looks like that guy" genius.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:07 am
by JonPorobil
I've never heard a bad cover of "Hallelujah" (by Leonard Cohen), but I'm not sure there's anything about that particular song that makes it so.
My brother suggests "Chopsticks."
Maybe it should be a song where expectations aren't too high? I mean, when I hear that someone has done a Beatles cover, I immediately tense up, because I know that when you screw up a Beatles cover, you can screw it up badly. Whereas if you're some girl with a ukulele making a Youtube video, and you cover Britney Spears' "Toxic," who's going to care if you do it badly?
Funny, I once posted a question here many years ago asking what was the biggest hit song of all time that would probably lose if it were a Song Fight entry, and the original Louie Louie was suggested and pretty much shut the thread down as the definitive answer.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:20 pm
by jb
Margaritaville.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:00 pm
by roymond
La Vie en Rose
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:15 pm
by Caravan Ray
Nothing could make me want to hear about Bryan Adam's first real 6-string any less than I already do.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 8:13 pm
by Jim of Seattle
Someone needs to release an EP with covers of
Summertime
My Sharona
Louie Louie
Margaritaville
La Vie En Rose
Hallelujah
Chopsticks
It can't fail.
Actually, why hasn't anyone done a really awesome cover of Chopsticks? I just Wikipediaed it. Originally called The Celebrated Chop Waltz. Written in 1877. Hmmmm...
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:05 pm
by JonPorobil
Jim of Seattle wrote:
Actually, why hasn't anyone done a really awesome cover of Chopsticks? I just Wikipediaed it. Originally called The Celebrated Chop Waltz. Written in 1877. Hmmmm...
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:55 am
by Billy's Little Trip
Generic wrote:
Jim of Seattle wrote:
Actually, why hasn't anyone done a really awesome cover of Chopsticks? I just Wikipediaed it. Originally called The Celebrated Chop Waltz. Written in 1877. Hmmmm...
Damn, that makes me want to Watch bugs Bunny hearing that. Liberace was damn good.
....by the way, he wishes his brother George was there....I'm guessing.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:10 pm
by fluffy
Generic wrote:I've never heard a bad cover of "Hallelujah" (by Leonard Cohen), but I'm not sure there's anything about that particular song that makes it so.
Maybe it should be a song where expectations aren't too high? I mean, when I hear that someone has done a Beatles cover, I immediately tense up, because I know that when you screw up a Beatles cover, you can screw it up badly. Whereas if you're some girl with a ukulele making a Youtube video, and you cover Britney Spears' "Toxic," who's going to care if you do it badly?
Stop lowering our standards for entertainment, fluffy.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:16 pm
by Freddielove
Sweet Jane.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:44 pm
by Mr. Car
ken wrote:Louie Louie?
Way back in '83 KFJC in Los Altos Hills did a weekend marathon of Louie Louie covers and the majority were done just for the event. They called it Maximum Louie Louie.
I think about 500 entries. The original songwrighter flew out for it. Poor guy.
That song is easily butchered.
I know KALX preceded this with it's own event but only had 100 or so.
Ah, college radio.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 7:06 pm
by Mostess
Shenandoah.
You can't ruin it. It's like a diamond. Tom Leherer said "the reason most folk songs are so atrocious is that they were written by the people" but this is the exception that proves the rule.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 9:13 am
by jimtyrrell
It seems there are a couple ways to look at this. 1) The song is so good it withstands any treatment of it. 2) The song cannot be made worse than it already is.
I submit Wagon Wheel.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 9:19 am
by Hoblit
Having never seen this thread before, my first suggestion was the first response in this thread with Louie Louie.
But the next one would be I wanna Be Your Dog by The Stooges.
Re: What is the hardest song to ruin?
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:58 am
by Jerkatorium
I once had an album (on vinyl) that was just a bunch of cover versions of Flipper's "Sex Bomb". My favorite was essentially just the drum track and baseline with a couple of girls shrieking and screaming the "lyrics" for like 15 minutes.
Flipper's "Sex Bomb" is a song that is, arguably, impossible to ruin and impossible to improve.
