A song murdered by someone.

My selection features a great voice/skilled singer who fully "180 degrees" missed the point of the song. The song is "Pretty Women", from Stephen Sondheim’s musical "Sweeney Todd".  It is about lust and the singer’s desire to kill and eat the girls he’s ogling. The original was sung (very effectively) by Len Cariou, who has no voice at all. Here’s how you butcher a song:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=876_HQr4ePE

This thread reminded me of a favorite cover for reasons of self-satire:  Julie London singing "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" - - she makes it positively pornographic with her lingering diction.  (Not that the original was any kind of "classic" that makes this a scandalous alternative!)

The Turtles’ cover of “Like A Rolling Stone” 

Just about anything from Rod Stewart’s “Great American Songbook” series.  

Tom Waits?!?!  Can’t be judged the same way.  Unique artist. Besides, he writes most of his own material.  

I for one greatly prefer that version to the better known recording that was done in the 1960s by the Righteous Brothers.

Not me. The Righteous Brothers version has way more soul. Bobby Hatfield kills it.  It makes Al’s sound like Wonder Bread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiiyq2xrSI0

Even live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYj2hex99gY