The Beatles fans say Michael Jackson’s Come Together cover is ‘great’ but has one ‘awful’ problem

A cover of Come Together, the Abbey Road classic written and performed by John Lennon, has been hailed as “great”.

But there’s one “awful” problem with Michael Jackson‘s take on the song. Fans of The Beatles‘ version took to the r/Beatles subreddit and shared their thoughts on Jackson’s cover of the song. The Bad hitmaker would collaborate with Fab Four member Paul McCartney on This Girl is Mine. But his cover of Come Together came years after the pair had worked together, with the friendship between the two souring after the Thriller sensation bought The Beatles’ back catalogue. As a result, Jackson could cover any track from the band as he pleased, though he didn’t get through many. He did choose the opening song of Abbey Road, though, and featured the cover on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.

Fans are split on the quality of the cover. Some said it’s a lovely version of the Lennon classic while others suggested it was only slightly better than Aerosmith’s rendition. A fan asked: “Today I found out that Michael Jackson did a cover of Come Together! I love this cover, what do you guys think?”

Another replied: “Better than the Aerosmith cover, but I hate the Aerosmith cover.” A third added: “Wow, I’d never heard it either before. It sounds good but that snare is WAY too loud.” Jackson would also sing the song as part of Moonwalker, though the cover of Come Together discussed by The Beatles’ fans here would feature on Jackson’s 1995 album.

One person wrote: “Yes, a great cover in my opinion – as a child who loved MJ, I thought this was his song, and was mind blown when I heard the original just as I was getting into the Beatles – nine-year-old me was ecstatic about the connection.”

Another added: “Not a fan. Sorry. It sounds 90s commercial trying to be cool, but it isn’t. There’s absolutely no feeling.” A third wrote: “I don’t even come close to liking this. I’m not a fan of the production at all, and I’ve never been a huge fan of Jackson’s voice post-Motown era.”

Others believe the song sounds “more dated” than the original version which featured on Moonwalker. One fan wrote: “This manages to sound significantly more dated than the original, despite being recorded a decade after the original.”

Another agreed, writing: “The original is timeless. Every cover of this song has elements that date those covers immediately. Aerosmith with the trashy lead guitar pick, this cover with sound effects from Castlevania.”

A third added: “No one has managed to make a proper cover of Come Together, and this is no exception.” Others believe the problem lay not in the performance, but the cover. One listener wrote: “Side note – that album cover photo is awful.” You can listen to Jackson’s cover of The Beatles’ Come Together below.