The Worst Song In The World: Duran Duran Do Flava Flav
Posted by Anton S. Trees in Covers, Duran Duran, MP3, Pop, The Worst Song Ever
It’s easy to be awed by the amount of beautiful music in the world. Moments come when it’s difficult to believe that humans could create such sounds: so perfect, so free, so true.
These moments rush at you, the melodies seem divine of origin, and the world slows. It might be hearing the Paris, Texas soundtrack on a cold, empty country road in the early morning. Or Fire And Rain playing as you watch drops fall on the leaves in your backyard. Maybe it’s Harry Nilsson’s primal scream on Without You after she leaves the home you both made.
And then there’s the other side of the coin: the tracks so poorly played, or ill-advised, or grotesquely stupid that you wonder what you did to deserve such aural insult. The songs that wreck moments, disappoint fans, and anger ear owners everywhere.
In the coming months, the Warship will explore those songs. The absolute worst of the worst.
We start with an obvious target: a real head-scratcher from Duran Duran’s immensely terrible Thank You, a mid-90s cover album designed to heap praise upon the artists who inspired LeBon and the boys. What was supposed to pay homage comes across more as a cruel insult.
Especially the bizarre acoustic cover of Public Enemy’s incendiary 911 Is A Joke, a track that seems weirdly racist when a white, English, upper-middle class arsehole in a linen suit sings it:
MP3: Duran Duran - “911 Is A Joke” (from Thank You, 1995).
There’s nothing good about that. And a lot wrong with it: the inexplicable fake American accent, the dodgy breakbeat, the fact it’s Duran Duran doing Public Enemy. The worst part is that it even happened — Simon sang it, the engineer recorded it, the record company released it. Someone should’ve said something. Anything. ‘Why are we doing this song? We’re Duran fucking Duran.’
Bonus track: For those interested in songs that seem weirdly racist when white people sing them, check out Neil Diamond’s cover of Mr. Bojangles. The ‘dance! dance! dance!’ demand makes Diamond sound like a bored slave owner:
MP3: Neil Diamond - “Mr. Bojangles” (from Gold, 1972).
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You know how I’ve had this thing where I read your fine blog but don’t hit the play button, well yeah I couldn’t resist hitting it today! Am I masochist?
I think both covers were made even more “racist” by the country/folky feel to them. Done as actual rock-n-roll they MIGHT not have been as bad. I love Neil Diamond but I could not even make it to the chorus.
Please keep the music coming, the good and the bad!
Anything by James Blunt automatically qualifies. Second is anything by The Spice Girls followed closely by the dross from any of those manufactured bimbo or himbo “bands”
I personally disagree. I really, but really like Duran’s version. Of course it would never match the original, but it is a completely diferent take so, it’s like a new song.
FlavaFlav himself said he thought the cover was “hot”. If you don’t like it, be specific. Just stating what you think is obvious is not intelligent.
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