Pop star Taylor Swift is getting eviscerated for her cover of “September,” which turned Earth, Wind & Fire’s funky classic into a slowed-down, country version of the original.
Swift gave a hint of things to come Thursday morning on her Instagram page, where she posted a short video.
"My @Spotify Singles of 'Delicate' and my cover of 'September' by Earth, Wind & Fire come out tomorrow!” she said.
After the song’s release Friday, Earth, Wind & Fire’s diehard fans weren’t at all amused.
Writing for The Root, Monique Judge didn’t hold back. “Taylor Swift needs her a** whooped,” she said.
Judge opined that some songs shouldn’t be remade, and “September” is one of them — especially by Swift.
“There are certain songs you don’t mess with, especially if you don’t have the range, and we all know Taylor Swift has all the range of a dial tone,” Judge wrote.
Swift received at least a lukewarm appraisal from Popsugar’s Kelsie Gibson.
“While the stripped-down version is a complete 180 from the soul classic, it’s also strangely reminiscent of Swift’s older country material,” she wrote in a piece titled “Taylor Swift Just Made a Classic Earth, Wind & Fire Song Country, and I Don’t Hate It.”
Folks on social media also had no appreciation for the effort.