Songs That Sound Like Other Songs

Remember those times when you heard a song and swore it sounded like another?

Well turns out you may have been right. Tunes often get recycled intentionally or unintentionally and turn up in another musician’s repertoire. It’s especially interesting when the song in question is popular or has reached cult status…..The following 4 songs are well known examples of “borrowing” which made these artists immortal.

Round 1: Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” VS. Killing Joke’s “Eighties”

The 1991 release Nevermind was a bold statement of angst and apathy that shook the music world to its very foundations. In one stroke, Kurt Cobain’s constipated moans and simple guitar riffage wiped away a decade’s worth of glam metal and eighties synth-pop. Plus, the album is really catchy and plays almost like a greatest hits collection. The song “Come As You Are” was the second single to be released, and contains a very distinctive riff which sets the mood of the song:

Maybe too distinctive? Several years before, British dance/punk band Killing Joke released as song called “Eighties” which contains an all too familiar riff:

Verdict: Yup, if you thought the similarity a little too strong to ignore, you’d be right. The members of Killing Joke claim that their song was ripped off, but they supposedly never filed a lawsuit for Cobain’s obvious “borrowing”.

Round 2: Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’” VS. Baligh Hamdi/ Abdel Halim Hafez’s “Khosara”

Think of the song Big Pimpin’ and what comes to mind? Oh yeah baby… the good life…a boatful of babes, gallons of Cristal poured out like so much piss, and debauchery on the high seas with none other than his royal Jigginess Jay Z!

Well, now think of the total opposite, because that distinctive melody that sounds like an Indian flute or a seagull being choked by strong hands is actually of Middle Eastern origin. Abdel Halim Hafez recorded composer Baligh Hamdi’s original song Khosara… and anyone can hear the obviously unchanged melody:

Verdict: Ok, this one is easy because no one is disputing that Timbaland stole sampled re-recorded Khosara for use in the album Volume 3…..Life and Times of S. Carter. The real issue is the possible copyright infringement that occurred. Jay Z, Timbaland and others have been hit with lawsuits regarding the song, but so far nothing has come of the matter…

Round 3: Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” VS. Spirit’s “Taurus”

Say it ain’t so! Could it be the most popular and successful song of all time is actually a ripoff! Is nothing sacred? Well I guess not…

The verses of Stairway are made of up a gentle set of chords which are required to be played by every beginning guitarist who walks into a guitar shop:

Now the band Spirit released the song Taurus a couple years earlier, and those same haunting chords clearly make their appearance.

Randy California, the writer of Taurus gave an interview to listener from which I’ll quote:

Listener: Speaking of Led Zeppelin, the guitar introduction to your 1967 composition, “Taurus,” is a dead ringer for Zeppelin’s introduction to “Stairway to Heaven,” released in 1971. Did they ever acknowledge their artistic debt to you? They must of known “Taurus,” having performed as your warmup band.

California: Well, if you listen to the two songs, you can make your own judgment. It’s an exact… I’d say it was a rip-off. And the guys made millions of bucks on it and never said, “Thank you,” never said, “Can we pay you some money for it?” It’s kind of a sore point with me. Maybe some day their conscience will make them do something about it. I don’t know. There are funny business dealings between record companies, managers, publishers, and artists. But when artists do it to other artists, there’s no excuse for that. I’m mad! [laughs]

Listener: Well, take comfort in the fact that you’re the true author of one of the most instantly recognizable guitar riffs in rock history.

California: Yeah, right…

Verdict:

There is just too much closeness in sound and timing of the release to ignore. Though Stairway is way better than Taurus, it owes its father a tip of the hat at least…(and a buttload of royalties….)

Round 4: Green Day’s “American Idiot” VS. Cho Young-Nam’s “Dosiyo Annyung”

American Idiot, the single, was released in 2004 to kick off the Green Day’s album American Idiot. The “punk-pop opera” was a melodious middle finger aimed squarely at “the man” and it showcased the band at the height of its powers.

But what’s that I hear? Is it a Korean businessman singing some Green Day karaoke after one to many shots of soju? No! It is Cho Young-Nam’s “Dosiyo Annyung”

Verdict: There’s no question here that the chord progression is nearly identical. A western listener (me) would go so far as to think Dosiyo Annyung is the Korean version of American Idiot. But undeniably, Cho Young-Nam’s song was released a full 3 years before Green Day’s. Does this mean GD are plagiarists? Well, no one knows, but the progression (chorus: C#5, G#5, D#5, G#5) is extremely common and made up of simple power chords (resonant partial chords commonly found in rock and metal guitar) so the whole thing could plausibly be a coincidence…

The moral of the story? Great artists steal! And stealing is good! And even if they don’t steal, there are only a finite number of notes and arrangements of those notes in the audible spectrum and duplication of patterns is inevitable! Where is part II of this post?! I haven’t compiled it yet! But stay tuned!

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