Livin' Thing - The Beautiful South

Here it is-the number 1 'Guilty Pleasure' single of all time, according to Q Magazine. And here I thought such a title would involve Michael Jackson in some way.

In 1976, Electric Light Orchestra released the platinum-selling album, 'A New World Record', and 'Livin' Thing' was released as a single late in the year. It reached number 4 on the UK charts, number 4 on the Canadian singles charts, and number 13 on the US singles charts over the Christmas period.



The Beautiful South released an album of covers in 2004 entitled 'Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs'. This was one of three singles released from the album, and it reached number 24 on the UK charts, also late in the year.

You Shook Me All Night Long - Celine Dion

So, it's been a while, hasn't it?

I figured it was time to get back at this. Well, whenever I get the chance to. And today, that chance is one that will make stab your ears with a jackhammer.

This cover of 'You Shook Me All Night Long' by Celine Dion was recently voted the Worst Cover Ever by Total Guitar magazine.

I believe the video shows why. And make sure your stomach is empty. Dry heaves might be better in front of your monitor.



Don't say I didn't warn you.

My Way - Sid Vicious

When it comes to covers, it just doesn't get any more frightening or terrible than this. Not frightening in a bad or scary way-probably more of a 'what the hell were you thinking' kind of way. Being Sid, I'll go with 'not really thinking because he was shooting heroin.

In 1967, Paul Anka acquired the publishing rights to a French song entitled 'Comme d'habitude' by Claude Francois. By 1969, he had rewritten the tune and the lyrics and came up with 'My Way. but Paul did not want the song for himself. He wrote this song specifically for Frank Sinatra.

In 1969, Sinatra released the album 'My Way' and released the title song as a single. It performed respectably in the US, reaching 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, and did quite well on the Adult Contemporary charts, where it peaked at number 2.

The single reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and became the year's best-selling single-a much better performance than in the mainstream US chart. Amazingly, it reentered the UK chart six times until 1971, becoming the single with the most total weeks on the UK charts at 124.

The song, while considered a signature song of Frank's throughout his career, was not one of his personal favourites. He described the song as 'self-serving and self-indulgent'.



In 1979, Sex Pistols 'bass player' Sid Vicious released a cover that managed to reach number 6 on the UK Singles chart. This version was notable not only for the sped up arrangement, but also for the changed and improvised lyrics. The improvisations were because Vicious did not know the words, and threw in some barbs at former band mate John Lydon (Johnny Rotten).

It was one of only three singles Vicious released on his own, and his death would follow soon after in early 1979.

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)/I Want You - Robert Palmer

Were there two classier singer-songwriters than Marvin Gaye and Robert Palmer? I mean, these guys made women wet with their just voices-the sound, the feel, the emotion.

I may be wet myself now that I've thought about them.

In 1971, Marvin Gaye released his legendary album 'What's Going On', and released the memorable 'Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)' as the second single in June of that year. The song relates to Marvin's sad views of how we as humans have dealt with the environment, and has prven a popular song to cover, especially today-see the two different artists, Corinne Bailey Rae and Alicia Keys, performing the song at Live Earth in 2007. It stormed the charts in the US, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart and number 1 on the R&B Singles Chart.

The other Marvin Song in this double-cover, 'I Want You', was released in April of 1976 from the album of the same name. The song is considered one of Gaye's most romantic songs, and reached number 15 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart and number 1 on the R&B Singles Chart, just as 'Mercy Mercy Me' did.



Robert Palmer decided that women weren't getting excited enough by his recordings and cut a cover version that combined both of these singles, thereby making women wetter than water.

Palmer released the dual cover in 1991 after including it on his extra-long 1990 album 'Don't Explain'. It reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart, as well as number 16 in the US Singles Chart. Not too shabby.

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Devo

Back to cool covers. Because I can't take much more crap this week. Maybe next week-who knows?

Seriously-if you don't think Devo are cool, then you are lame. Lamer than a lamoid who is lame as a lamey lamerson who is lame.

The Rolling Stones originally released this single in June of 1965, and would be on the subsequent full length album 'Out of Our Heads' the following month. A smash hit, the song gave the Stones their first number 1 single in the United States.

After controversy arose around the single in Europe (it was oringially played on pirate radio due to 'issues with the lyrics'), it was eventually released in the UK in August of 1965 and also reached number 1 there. This marked the Stones' fourth UK number one single. The song did not feature on the UK version of 'Out of Our Heads' since previously released singles were not added to albums at the time.



In 1978, after a number of years together, Devo released their first studio album entitled 'Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!'. Their cover of Satisfaction wa splaced right up front, as the second track on the first side of the album (just the second track now). The song was performed live by the band on an early episode of Saturday Night Live and remains a popular cover version by the band.

Mad World - Gary Jules

My God. Has it been that long since I posted? That's what happens when vacations, new jobs, eating chips, sleeping, and added work after hours get in the way.

And what better way to start than with a cover song so grating, I want to walk right up to Gary Jules and punch him repeatedly in the groin. Yes, he sounds 'deep'. To me, it's deep all right. And I'm pulling up the hip waders to wade through the fecal matter this cover produces. I mean, what was this all about?

In 2001, Jules released the album 'Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets', and included his cover of 'Mad World'. The album literally took years to climb the charts, reaching the UK Top 40 and Billboard 200 in 2004, a good three years later. The cover song was included on the soundtrack to Donnie Darko in 2002, and demand for the song forced Jules to release it as a proper single in 2003. It reached number 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart (WTF?) in 2004, while over Christmas of 2003, it became the UK Christmas number 1. How...seasonal.



The original Tears For Fears version was sung by bassist Curt Smith, a rare departure from Roland Orzabal on lead vocals. The 3rd single by the band, it was released in November of 1982 as a single, later to appear on the 'The Hurting' album the following year.

It was also the band's first international hit, breaking in to the Top 40 in many countries, including number 2 in South Africa, number 6 in Ireland, and number 12 in Australia. Surprising success the band and the record label did not foresee, especially since the original idea was to make the song a B-side to 'Pale Shelter'.

Immigrant Song - Dread Zeppelin

Tortelvis! Tiny Bass! Butt Boy!

This is the greatest cover band ever. I mean, ever. An Elvis impersonator fronting a Led Zeppelin tribute band that plays in reggae fashion? Awesomeness times a thousand.

Way back in them olden days known as the 1970s (1970 exactly, in fact), one of Led Zeppelin's rare single releases came out. 'Immigrant Song' was written in the summer of 1970 and debuted at the Bath Festival, before being released as a single in November of that year, against the wishes of the band. It managed to reach number 16 on the Billboard charts, and was the opening track on Led Zeppelin III, released the month before.

The single was released in Japan with 'Out on the Tiles' mistakenly replacing 'Hey Hey What Can I Do' as the B-side, making that single an incredibly rare and valuable item.



In 1989, Dread Zeppelin recorded their cover version at the home of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, and released it as a 7" single exactly as Led Zeppelin did, with a cover of 'Hey Hey What Can I Do' as the B-side. It was a surprising success, and the song was included on the band's 1990 debut album, 'Un-Led-Ed'. The album also surprisingly reached 116 on the Billboard Album Chart.