strange potency of bad music, The

Spectator, The, Sep 6, 2003 by Berkmann, Marcus

There are serial offenders. 'I would like to nominate Bob Dylan covering Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer",' writes Dominic Marsh, explaining that the old groaner 'double-tracked his voice in order to sing both vocal parts slightly out of tune'. It's very funny, and you can find it, along with other suggested tracks from his awful Self-Portrait album, on bobdylan.com.

Even more frequently nominated was Bryan Ferry, for Lesley Gore's 'It's My Party' (which, according to Guy Walters, 'made him sound like the Alison Steadman character in Abigail's Party'), for 'Amazing Grace' on Taxi ('so bad as to be mesmerising,' says Stuart Mott), and three times for 'Sympathy For The Devil', which I am certainly going to have to hunt out. One song, 'Nobody Does It Better' from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, was nominated in two different versions: one by Julie Andrews, the other a live bootleg by Radiohead. Which pretty much sums the whole thing up.

My thanks to everyone who wrote to me, and the winner of the new Grandaddy CD is Mark McLaughlin, whose loathing of Paul Young's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' made me laugh out loud. And the most nominated song? None other than Madonna's emetic 'American Pie', chosen by 15 correspondents. The old trout wins another prize. Never has she deserved one more.