Pearl Jam Does One of the Weirdest Beatles Covers

These days, pretty much any white dude who's picked up a guitar has at some point played a Beatles cover. But although it's far from surprising to see any number of acts play a requisite cover of the world's most revered rock band, some covers can still seem a little off kilter. Case in point: Eddie Vedder's cover of John Lennon's "Imagine," at a concert in Portugal.

According to SPIN, Vedder may have played the cover in response to statements he made at a concert in England, which some of his Israeli fans interpreted as pro-Palestinian. Vedder presented "Imagine" by beginning "It seems like maybe there is a reason to play it." But whether the cover was a public apology for those statements or not, Vedder is notably anti-war, so it's doubtlessly reflective of his opinions. It's not a bad cover by any means, but Eddie Vedder has a distinctive sound, so whether or not you like it is probably based on how you feel about Pearl Jam.

But of course, this is far from the only or even the most extreme time that a Beatles song and the band that's covering it has produced a little cognitive dissonance. Not to say that the artists covering them are bad; rather, that the songs are interpreted in such a way that the Beatles' influence is sapped from the very song itself.

Bing Crosby, "Hey Jude"

Bing Crosby is great at many things: Christmas songs, crooning jazz standards, making your grandparents nostalgic for the '50s. He is not, however, the first person you would ask to do a cover of "Hey Jude."

Mae West, "Daytripper"

This was in the twilight years of West's career, so listening to the cover now is like hearing your aunt try to keep up with a Skrillex song. West may be a knockout singer, actress, and wit, but at this point she wasn't exactly hip to rock 'n roll.

Dave Matthews Band, "Blackbird"

Dave Matthews Band actually has a significant amount of Beatles' covers, and I'm pretty sure they're like catnip for white dudes with fedoras and hacky sacks.

Maroon 5, "If I Fell"

Finally, what we've all been waiting for: a cover of "If I Fell" by the judge on The Voice who can't stop being shirtless!

William Shatner, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"

Actually, this psychedelic spoken-word version of the Beatles song is somehow strangely endearing...

Kylie Minogue, "Help!"

Kylie Minogue injected so much over-the-top '90s pop into the song that its practically unrecognizable. Even if you don't like the cover, watch the video for the very enthusiastic back-up dancers and the incredibly bored rap verse. It's amazing.

Toto, "With a Little Help From My Friends"

Yes, Toto actually did play more songs that just "Africa," and one of them was a cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends" that is bigger than an '80s hairdo.