Rou

.. don't do it at all.

I can't take it anymore.

In decades past, music had a special quality. There have been few songs in recent memory that have captured that flare, that spark, that sense of wonder. Today's music, as the song says, ain't got the same soul.

Now, I don't fault our modern music. Some of it I like. Some of it I don't. Some of it took lots of talent to create. Some took 10 minutes and 3 chords.

But what really gets me is the disrespect some musicians have for the older music. Or at the least, the perceived disrespect given the manner in which they cover those beloved songs. Some artists cover songs and totally mutilate them. It's a sin what they do to these cherished songs.

Let me give you some examples to show you what I mean. Madonna's remake of 'American Pie'. Horrid. Britney's remake of 'Satisfaction'? Bad beyond words. Jessica Simpson's latest effort of 'These Boots are Made for Walking'. Wretched. Fiona Apple's remake of 'Across the Universe'. Eh mediocre at best. Hillary Duff's version of "My generation (the Who, not Limp Bizkit), Cake's version of 'I Will Survive', Avril Lavigne trying to do 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'? Bad, bad, and worse. And the grand finale A Perfect Circle daring to touch 'Imagine'. As if.

In some of these cases, the artists are simple incapable of doing the song justice. In others, they should just be ashamed of themselves for such feeble attempts.

Now, this doesn't mean I don't like a good cover. Nor do I think that the cover needs to sound just like the original. I mean, list to the Animal's cover of 'The House of the Rising Sun'. It's poetry in motion. But it doesn't sound anything like its predecessors. 'Turn the Page' by Metallica was decent. Johnny Cash's version of 'Hurt' is breathtaking. Opinions may very on how good a cover is, but some of them are just horrific.

As an artist, if you decide to cover a song, do it justice. If you're a bubble gum pop star, assume that you can't do real rock 'n' roll justice.