Terrible Classic Rock Covers

By the mid '80s, Madonna was one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. But many parents objected to her hyper-sexual image and preferred a girl-next-door alternative as a role model for their daughters. Enter 16-year old Tiffany Darwish.

Such is the formidable stature of Jimi Hendrix's legacy that not too many artists have had the cache and self-assurance to dare cover his songs. We're talking about Stevie Ray Vaughan ... Bob Dylan ... Winger?

In the 1950s and '60s, golden boy crooner Pat Boone built a career around recreating lily white versions of classic rock and roll numbers for American consumers who were too sensitive to cope with Elvis Presley's gyrating pelvis, Jerry Lee Lewis' pumping piano, or, God forbid, African American performers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

For a relatively simple jukebox anthem, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' 'I Love Rock 'N Roll' proved surprisingly influential during its successful run on the charts in 1982, paving the way for female artists of subsequent generations to exert greater control over their careers and break boundaries of their own. For example, artists like Britney Spears, who recorded what she presumably thought wa

When you think of AC/DC, you think of hot, nasty sex with little regard for neighbors, sanitation issues or local laws concerning public nudity. In fact, an informal survey of the band's catalog reveals that 89 percent of their songs are about sex. You didn't think 'Given the Dog a Bone' was about sharing dinner leftovers with your pet, did you?

Which do you think upsets the Rolling Stones more: how bad Vanilla Ice's cover of one of their greatest songs was, or all the money they lost by not letting him cover 'Satisfaction' the first time he asked?

On one side, there's one of the most revered rock bands of all time undertaking a landmark album with an electrifying combination of subtlety and power. On the other side, there's one of the most reviled bands of the past 20 years demolishing a rock classic with the ham-fisted arrogance with which they approached their own intolerable music.

When we started our Terrible Classic Rock Covers series, we knew that, at some point, we would have to tackle Rod Stewart. After all, he’s recorded more than his share of other people’s songs throughout his career that have been marred by lazy singing, uninspired arrangements or both...