Co-writer of “September” calls Taylor Swift’s cover “lethargic as a drunk turtle”

Taylor Swift's cover of Earth Wind and Fire's "September" left many people unimpressed. There was even a viral Twitter video that featured a trio of women laughing at the cover. But nearly a month later, the cover has been brought up again, this time by one of the co-writers of the original song.

According to Billboard, Allee Willis, who wrote the song with Maurice White and Al McKay, shared her thoughts on the over during a performance in Detroit on Friday May 18. Willis initially released a statement of support about Swift's cover –– before she actually heard what the cover sounded like. After hearing it, Willis rescinded her initial statement, tweeting out her opinion.

Willis called Swift's cover "as lethargic as a drunk turtle dozing under a sunflower after ingesting a bottle of Valium, and I thought it had all the build of a one-story motel." But Willis also wanted to make clear that the cover wasn't a life-or-death offense. "I mean, the girl didn't kill anybody. She didn't run over your foot. She just cut a very calm and somewhat boring take of one of the peppiest, happiest, most popular songs in history."

"Everyone has a right to do with a song what they please, so go on with your own bad self, Taylor Swift," Willis reportedly told the crowd. "I'm honored you'd choose to do my song and that it meant enough to you that you wanted to personalize it to the goddamn 28th night of September, that you wanted to cover it with banjo... and that you changed the sacred ba-de-ya to the more Caucasian ah-ah-ah and make it sound more like a field of daffodils than a Soul Train line."