Several years ago, I met some friends from across the country in Washington, D.C., to watch the U.S. National team play a World Cup qualifier. So I could fully enjoy the experience, I stayed at a downtown hotel. After the game, a bunch of us went to the hotel lounge to have some drinks.

That evening, the lounge featured musical entertainment. Well, kind of. They had a guy who played acoustic guitar. When someone asked our waitress if they always had music like that in the lounge, her reply was something to the effect of “No, sometimes we have good music.”

The guy played the classic “Suspicious Minds” at some point. He played it very badly. I remember this because I quipped, “I have never in my life wanted to hear the Fine Young Cannibals version of a song more than I do now.” I thought it was an awkward, clumsy attempt at a joke, but it got some laughs. That’s why I remember it. I’m cheap that way.

I bring all of this up because I heard another cover by the band on the XM 80s channel the other day. This one sickened me more than I could ever expect. Did you know that FYC covered “Ever Fallen In Love?” by the Buzzcocks? I listened to just enough to make sure it was the same song and not just a title coincidence. I barely made it to the second verse. I investigated some more and found out that the song actually hit the top 10 in the UK. What the hell is up with that?

I didn’t realize how many times people had covered the song until I read the WIkipedia page. I discovered it on an IRS Records compilation back in the late 1980s and have gone through life unaware that others have tried to capture its spirit. This is a perfect example of ignorance being bliss because the fun of loving this song may have disappeared long ago if I knew people like the Fine Young Cannibals had defiled it.

Covers can sometimes breath new life into a song. Not this time. I’ll take the original any day of the week.