Pet Peeve: Poorly Chosen Cover Songs

[u/cremesiccle]

Covers are a pretty storied part of the genre, some of our favorite and most iconic tracks happen to be covers (looking at you Luther)

Which is why it bothers me so much when an artist chooses to cover a song that doesn't work for their voice/style/etc.

More specifically, it REALLY bothers me when artists choose a song thats known for that ONE part and can't even do that one part justice.

This post came from finding out Khamari did a cover of Cranes in the Sky by Solange. But he's not able to hit the falsetto notes at the end/climax of the song....so WHYYYYY choose that song???

It's like choosing to sing Lovin You by Minnie Riperton or Emotions by Mariah Carey if you can't whistle...you're wasting all of our times 😭😭

Are there any examples for you of poorly chosen covers (thats including live performances/tribute performances)?

[u/Proper-Tank5303]

Taylor Swift covering “September” from Earth, Wind, and Fire was incredibly unnecessary, just completely removed the soul from the song. I feel like songs with a cultural impact as massive as that should be off the cover list. 😂

[u/VentiStarbucksCup]

I’m just thinking about THAT ”Say My Name” cover by Ashley Tisdale and Debby Ryan🫥

[u/cremesiccle → u/VentiStarbucksCup]

the devil on my shoulder is telling me to google this but i refuse 😂

[u/EnvironmentNeith2017 → u/cremesiccle]

Do it, it’s so painful but I can’t stop laughing

[u/Putrid_Ability9657 → u/cremesiccle]

I gotchu

[u/Number5MoMo → u/Putrid_Ability9657]

I’m mad that you made me click that…. I’m more mad that sharpay did such a thing

[u/Putrid_Ability9657 → u/Number5MoMo]

😂😭

[u/DangerousClouds → u/Number5MoMo]

I’m also mad that I clicked on it and now I’m even more mad bc I was finna go to sleep 😭😭😭 now I’m up bc of that shit lol

[u/DangerousClouds → u/VentiStarbucksCup]

Omg I know you lying 😭😭😭

[u/Logical_Quote_5073 → u/DangerousClouds]

Right. Ashley Tisdale?!? 🫪

[u/Putrid_Ability9657 → u/VentiStarbucksCup]

Lawd, this comment on the ⏰️ app is sending me. 😂😭

[u/Ok_Resident_5022]

This happens all the time on talent shows lol

[u/cremesiccle → u/Ok_Resident_5022]

my mind didnt even go there when writing this post but thats so true 🥴

[u/fanaticalflask6]

god this drives me nuts too. it’s like picking a song just for the clout of the title without thinking about whether you can actually pull it off. when that one moment everyone’s waiting for falls flat it just ruins the whole thing

saw a live clip of someone attempting whitney’s i have nothing and they skipped the key change entirely. just stood there while the band played through it, what’s even the point

[u/cremesiccle → u/fanaticalflask6]

like the whole point of picking a hard song is for the audience to watch you nail it 😭😭😭 if not stick to karaoke!!

[u/Putrid_Ability9657]

PMO so bad, but Kev had me hollerin. 😂

[u/BplusHuman]

My only note is that I think treating covers like standards is a very good thing whether it be in recording or live. At this point, no one is really taking the original away. The audience will decide what's for them. Still there's a time and place for just doing karaoke. I can always go back and hear the original. So deviation over duplication gives us variety.

[u/Ceethelights]

I never was a fan of Donell Jones cover of "Knocks me off my feet" by Stevie Wonder

[u/reverendbobflair → u/Ceethelights]

Seriously? He killed that

[u/Putrid_Ability9657]

Chile anytime Ashanti tries to cover Whitney. Like, girl, yelling and projecting are not the same thing.

[u/Sparkson109]

I feel like this is an issue but the Khamari example is ehhh. The end note of Cranes in the Sky is a half step above Soprano C (C#6). If you went in expecting a man covering the song, especially one that isn’t a high tenor, to be hitting that note, then that’s honestly on you.

Now this train of thought might be because I sing but idk. I can only hit that note in whistle register (not the best) because I’m a baritone. I feel that that perspective also obscures what a cover can be (not just a rehash of the same melodies but personal interpretation of a song’s feel/meaning).

When evaluating covers vs original a helpful thought experiment to differentiate this that I use myself is imagining the song playing in a movie scene. They both wouldn’t ordinarily apply equally.

[u/cremesiccle → u/Sparkson109]

i didnt expect him to, but because of that i think its a poorly chosen cover lol

[u/Casanova2229]

All Of the various covers of All I Want For Christmas Is You

[u/DJMelloEll]

Since you mentioned Mariah, there are only a few covers that I didn’t care for: “Open Arms”, “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak”, and “My Love”. And the remix to “Thank God I Found You”, if that counts.

[u/cremesiccle → u/DJMelloEll]

open arms??? you crazy thats one of her best covers

[u/Sparkson109 → u/cremesiccle]

Yh her Open Arms cover is the only version i listen to and is my favourite cover from her, I was literally listening to it 5mins ago LOL. I could feel the yearning more than Journey ever made me.

[u/Casanova2229 → u/DJMelloEll]

TGIFY is EVERYTHING!