Song Ripoffs

[lippy]

I hate being almost tone deaf. I can't tell the similarities between any of these (aside from Bowie v. Ice Ice).

[Dr. Strangelove]

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stack shot billy by the black keys sounds a lot like moby's natural blues

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? I mean, they're both blues songs, that's about it.

There's some other black keys stuff that is nearly identical to rl burnside or junior kimbrough.

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The notes of the main riff in backshot billy are very similar to the backbone of natural blues.

[theblackkeys]

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stack shot billy by the black keys sounds a lot like moby's natural blues

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? I mean, they're both blues songs, that's about it.

There's some other black keys stuff that is nearly identical to rl burnside or junior kimbrough.

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and stack shot billy is a variation of stagger lee.

[Austiger]

First came
The Jayhawks' Waiting for the Sun
then came
Petty's Last Dance With Mary Jane

Don't know which is first:
Aldo Nova's Fantasy
or
Jefferson Starship's Jane
(cover version)
but the Aldo Nova video is awesome all on its own.

[Austiger]

Of course Petty got paid back righteously by
The Strokes
When they ripped off
American Girl (you'll thank me)

[Jack of Arcades]

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Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit vs Boston - More Than a Feeling

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Meh, I've heard this before, but here's what he said in a Rolling Stones interview:

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I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band — or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.

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Anyway, Kurt Cobain was a pop freak, and it's funny how much of Nirvana is just old pop songs reworked with that grunge veneer.

[suzzer99]

A buddy of mine has a Nirvana bootleg where they start off doing a few bars of More Than a Feeling on guitar, then smoothly segue into Smells Like Teen Spirit. It's pretty awesome.

[kidcolin]

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a well documented one that went to court:
George Harrison - Halleluja
The Chiffons - He's So Fine

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WTF? The Harrison song is called "My Sweet Lord".

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yeah duh.. I was singing the "halleluja" part in my head when I was posting I guess. The point is the song is a blatant rip off.

[kidcolin]

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Of course Petty got paid back righteously by
The Strokes
When they ripped off
American Girl (you'll thank me)

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Wait.. are you saying they actually got sued by Petty? FWIW, I can here some similarities (the opening, the initial chord progression at the beginning of the verses), but it's no blatant rip off. Also, American Girl is perhaps the finest rock tune ever written.

One of the newer Red Hot Chili Peppers song is a lot like Petty's "Mary Jane". I heard when asked about it, Petty just said, "whatever, it happens."

extra: after posting that I googled the Petty / Chili peppers thing and I got this quote from Petty:

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Everyone everywhere is stopping me. The truth is, I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock & roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took “American Girl” [for their song “Last Nite”], and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, “OK, good for you.” It doesn’t bother me ... If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe. But I don’t believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs.

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[suzzer99]

At the end of Arcade Fire - Wake Up, when it breaks down and gets all loungy, it's the same beat as You Can't Hurry Love.