Cover songs walk a fine line between homage and reinvention. A good rendition must be distinct enough to earn its own identity, yet familiar enough to remind listeners of the original. When artists decide to step far outside the comfort zone, the outcome can be brilliant—or downright baffling. Below, we dive into ten unbelievably strange reinterpretations that left fans scratching their heads.
ten unbelievably strange Covers Unpacked
10 Elton John (originally by Nina Simone)
Peeling back the layers of this track raises more questions than answers. Back in 1970, before Elton John became a household name, he was hired to produce low‑budget “sound‑alike” recordings for bargain labels that churned out knock‑offs of chart‑topping hits. The puzzling part is why a market existed for such cheap imitations, though the practice still lingers in various forms today.
The real mystery lies in why Elton John, of all people, was chosen to tackle a civil‑rights anthem celebrating Black pride. The twist comes from the version being duplicated: a 1969 UK top‑five rendition by Jamaican duo Bob and Marcia, which turned the original into a male‑female duet. To mirror that structure, Elton paired with Clare Torry—renowned for her soaring vocals on Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig in the Sky.”
Ill‑advised.
9 Duran Duran (originally by Public Enemy)
Duran Duran’s 1995 covers collection Thank You featured several daring picks, but none as bold as this one. Like Elton’s version, it places a song rooted in the African‑American experience into the mouths of white British pop stars. Unlike John’s assignment, however, no one commissioned Duran Duran to record it—so the question becomes: what were they thinking?
The track manages to spin the original’s urgent message into a commentary on affluent Englishmen struggling to summon emergency services abroad. While the choice seems questionable, the band managed to inject fresh energy, shedding their dated ’80s sound and proving they could still evolve. Rolling Stone even labeled the effort “demented genius.”
Still, ill‑advised.
8 Jackie Chan and Ani DiFranco (originally by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole)
The compilation When Pigs Fly curates a handful of wildly unexpected covers, and “Unforgettable” tops the list. It features martial‑arts legend Jackie Chan, who, despite his global fame, maintains a surprisingly prolific singing career across Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Japanese, and English albums since 1984. He frequently provides theme songs for his movies, making his vocal chops less of a surprise in Asia.
The oddity emerges when Chan attempts the classic duet with folk‑rock singer Ani DiFranco. Chan’s broken English and rough delivery clash with the smooth, polished original, prompting DiFranco to step in and smooth over the rough edges. One can only imagine how much more cohesive the piece might have been if Chan sang in his native Cantonese.
Ill‑advised (but charming).
7 Devo (originally by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young)
When Pigs Fly opened its set with Devo’s take on “Ohio,” a decision that instantly grabs attention. To understand why it feels so out‑of‑place, we need the backstory: Neil Young penned “Ohio” as a protest anthem after the 1970 Kent State shootings, where four anti‑war demonstrators were killed and nine wounded by the National Guard.
Both Devo members, Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, attended Kent State, and Casale witnessed the tragedy firsthand. He once told Young’s biographer that “rich hippies were making money off something horrible they didn’t grasp.” Devo’s cold, industrial sound makes it impossible to tell whether their rendition serves as personal catharsis or a detached commentary. In a 2020 interview, Casale recalled the guard’s warning, “This is an unlawful assembly, you must disperse,” a line that eerily opens their version.
Strange.
6 Lesley Gore (originally by AC/DC)
Rounding out the When Pigs Fly collection, Lesley Gore delivers a delightfully unexpected spin on AC/DC’s hard‑rock staple. Gore, who shot to fame in 1963 with the teen anthem “It’s My Party,” reimagines “Dirty Deeds” as a cheeky, elderly‑woman perspective, playing the role of a sweet‑but‑sassy matriarch who’s still up for some mischievous fun—think Betty White delivering a filthy joke.
The original’s gritty guitars and thundering bass are replaced with brassy horns and a playful piano arrangement, giving the track an R&B‑flavored vibe reminiscent of Otis Redding. Notably, Gore altered the lyric “happy to be your back‑door man” to better suit her character’s voice, ensuring the cover feels fresh while retaining the song’s mischievous spirit.
Strange.
5 Charles Bradley (originally by Black Sabbath and Nirvana, respectively)
Charles Bradley’s journey reads like a Hollywood script. Born in 1948, he spent decades impersonating James Brown under the moniker Black Velvet, only breaking through at age 53 when Daptone Records co‑founder Bosco Mann discovered him. He released his debut album in 2002 and, tragically, passed away in 2017 from stomach cancer.
Bradley’s brief recording career bookended two astonishing hard‑rock covers. In 2011, he tackled Nirvana’s “Stay Away” for a Spin tribute, delivering a psychedelic reinterpretation that even required a note explaining why the lyric “God is gay” was omitted. Six years later, he recorded Black Sabbath’s ballad “Changes,” which found new life as the theme for Netflix’s raunchy animated series Big Mouth, showcasing his ability to bridge soul and metal.
Strange.
4 Faith No More (originally by the Bee Gees)
Faith No More, known for their gritty, genre‑bending sound, surprised everyone by covering the Bee Gees’ gentle pop classic “I Started a Joke.” The band’s history of covering unlikely tracks—like Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Van Halen’s “Jump”—was a deliberate move to irritate their art‑punk fanbase. Their most successful single, a faithful rendition of the Commodores’ “Easy,” proved they could strike gold with a well‑chosen cover.
“I Started a Joke” follows that formula: a spot‑on recreation with no hint of irony. Frontman Mike Patton adopts a soaring falsetto that mirrors the Bee Gees’ style, but he injects a queer, androgynous edge that recontextualizes the melancholy lyrics. The accompanying video, a swan song after the band’s 1998 breakup, features drag queen David Hoyle karaoke‑singing alongside UK actor Martin Freeman, adding an extra layer of eccentricity.
Strange.
3 Kesha (originally by Bob Dylan)
Amnesty International’s 2012 Dylan tribute, Chimes of Freedom, spanned four CDs and 76 tracks, showcasing the sheer breadth of Dylan covers. Among the sea of familiar renditions, Kesha’s a‑capella‑ish take on “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” stands out as a bold, unconventional choice.
She delivers the song almost entirely without instrumentation, punctuated only by a brief, eerie string passage. Her vocal delivery oscillates between a sobbing whisper and a spoken‑word cadence, creating an intimate, uncomfortable atmosphere. The sparse arrangement forces the listener to confront the raw emotion of a breakup, making the track unforgettable despite—or because of—its stark minimalism.
Strange.
2 Tina Turner and David Bowie (originally by Iggy Pop)
While some argue that Bowie’s version of “Tonight” isn’t a true cover—since he co‑wrote the song with Iggy Pop—it remains a perplexing entry. Bowie originally crafted the track for Iggy’s 1977 album The Idiot, and later recorded his own take during the commercial peak of his career, pairing his voice with Tina Turner’s powerhouse vocals.
The original lyrics describe a fatal drug overdose, complete with Iggy’s spoken intro spelling out the grim narrative. Bowie omitted that spoken segment, opting instead for a languid, calypso‑infused duet that contrasts sharply with the dark subject matter. Most listeners at the time likely missed the underlying tragedy, focusing instead on the smooth, mainstream vibe.
Strange and ill‑advised.
1 Barbra Streisand (originally by David Bowie)
When the original artist publicly denounces a cover—calling it “bloody awful” and “atrocious”—the odds of redemption are slim. David Bowie lambasted Barbra Streisand’s 1976 rendition of “Life on Mars” in a Playboy interview, later reiterating his disdain on VH1’s Storytellers in 1999, joking that her husband‑hairdresser Jon Peters produced, arranged, and even blow‑dried the track.
Despite the scathing criticism, Streisand’s formidable vocal range lends a certain gravitas to Bowie’s soaring melody. Produced by Peters—who had no prior experience in music production—the arrangement is widely regarded as disastrous, yet Streisand’s voice still manages to shine through the questionable orchestration.
Ill‑advised.