A week or so ago I posted Simon and Garfunkel’s 1969 TV special as a Monday Matinee. The next day, I was telling a friend about the special and describing some of the highlights including the performance of America.
My friend asked if I had ever heard the Yes cover of America. I admitted that I hadn’t, even though I’m a Yes fan, and that I was intrigued by the fact that Yes had covered the song. When I finally got home and listened to the Yes version of the song I was unbelievably pissed! What a tone deaf interpretation of a beautiful song. While I love Jon Anderson, and fully believe that he could have done an amazing version of the song, his phrasing and the groups musical interpretation destroyed one of the best songs ever written. The melody was lost, the meaning was lost, and we were left with an exercise in musical excess. Let me be blunt it was a piece of shit and I hereby declare it to be the worst cover song of all time. Since it is Two’fer Tuesday you don’t have to take my word for it, you can decide for yourself. First up is America (the beautiful) by Simon and Garfunkel which is quickly followed by America (the 1972 abomination) by Yes.
I would like to issue a challenge to all of the readers of this blog to try to identify a worse cover song and post a comment identifying your nomination for worst cover song of all time. I will keep track of all of your nominations, post about them, and after a month or so stage an on-line vote to select our collective pick for the all time worst cover song of all time. Come on…..join in and let’s have some fun identifying some really bad music!!!!
thebestmusicyouhaveneverheard 