Songs that blatantly rips off a famous or better artist

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Go for it

― Erick, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:27 (9 years ago) Permalink

Anybody else noticed how "Into The Deep" by Kula Shaker shamelessly ripped off The Stone Roses' "Bye Bye Badman"?

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:32 (9 years ago) Permalink

Time to lock the thread.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:33 (9 years ago) Permalink

Duhhh... aahh fink Smells Like Teen Spirit iz a Pixies copy song!!!111!!!

― Stupid (Stupid), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:34 (9 years ago) Permalink

the beatles - "you got to hide your love away"
the beatles - "two of us"
the beatles - "sun king"
the beatles - "come together"
the beatles - "and your bird can sing"
the beatles - "back in the ussr"
the beatles - "helter skelter"
outkast - "she lives in my lap"

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:35 (9 years ago) Permalink

I sense a pattern.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:36 (9 years ago) Permalink

Bjorn Again do this a lot.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:36 (9 years ago) Permalink

O yeh, heard them approximating 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' once, no kidding.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:45 (9 years ago) Permalink

All these rappers just copy music because they sample old tunes and don't even play their own instruments!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 01:46 (9 years ago) Permalink

I'm Saying Every Song On The Jet Album Sounds Either Like A Rolling Stones, ACDC or Oasis Song.
But I Still Think The Album is Amazing.
I Saw Them Live for 92 cents.
Pretty Cool

― Dude (The Yellow Dart), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 02:17 (9 years ago) Permalink

And what was up with The Byrds?! I mean, come on! :)

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 02:40 (9 years ago) Permalink

the byrds were just lemon pipers rip-offs.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 03:04 (9 years ago) Permalink

cf. "rocket man" and "space oddity." you figure out which is better, and which is worse.

and mark prindle was right ... goodly portions of ziggy stardust do sound like an elton john record.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 03:06 (9 years ago) Permalink

"The Last Broadcast" by the Doves sounds quite a bit like "Once around the block" by Badly Drawn Boy.

― Jole, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 03:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

you mean like Joe Jackson's Breaking Us in Two being Badfinger's Day After Day?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 04:27 (9 years ago) Permalink

Texas "Say what you want" = "Sexual Healing" + "Love, thy will be done"

I know you know. Just reminding you.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 10:17 (9 years ago) Permalink

(I beat Alex to it!) Nirvana ripping off Killing Joke for Come As You Are.

― OCP (OCP), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 10:34 (9 years ago) Permalink

The Doll "Burning up like a fire" is the same song as The Cars "Just what I needed" - the first verse particularly.

Obscure, I know, but amazing...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 10:41 (9 years ago) Permalink

"(I beat Alex to it!) Nirvana ripping off Killing Joke for Come As You Are."

Do you mean "Eighties", which Killing Joke ripped off from The Damned's "Life Goes On"?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 11:08 (9 years ago) Permalink

Every German-produced pop hit of the last four years to thread!

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 11:49 (9 years ago) Permalink

Kylie Minogue's "Secret (take you home) rips off Prince's D.M.S.R.

― Jedmond, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 11:56 (9 years ago) Permalink

Blah Blah Don't Look Back In Anger Blah Blah Imagine etc

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 12:05 (9 years ago) Permalink

that Sugababes No.1 was strongly reminiscent of Gary Numan...

― Enrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 12:10 (9 years ago) Permalink

Sheryl Crow's 'Run Baby Run' sounds like Dark Side of The Moon.

― pete s, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 12:43 (9 years ago) Permalink

Ash 'Girl From Mars' = Dinosaur Jr 'Freak Scene'.
Paul Weller 'Changing Man' = ELO '10538 Overture'. But I don't know which is worse out of the latter pair.

― Canada Briggs (Canada Briggs), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 12:54 (9 years ago) Permalink

And "Start!" = "Taxman" of course.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:13 (9 years ago) Permalink

Paul Weller 'Changing Man' = ELO '10538 Overture'. But I don't know which is worse out of the latter pair.

Both are fiiiinnnneee......

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:15 (9 years ago) Permalink

As is some bullshit Beck track. 'New Pollution' or something.

xposty

― Enrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:16 (9 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, remember all those saxophones and Farfisa solos in "Taxman"?

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:18 (9 years ago) Permalink

Ocean Colour Scene rip off.....Oh who cares

― Patrick Kinghorn, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:21 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Start!" has a saxaphone solo? Must be some bootleg remix you've got there.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:22 (9 years ago) Permalink

Elvis Presley sounds an awful lot like some black chappies

― Patrick Kinghorn, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

Nate, I think you're clearly misremembering the song AND underestimating Ringo's multi-instrumental talents. That's so wrong, man.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Elvis Presley sounds an awful lot like some black chappies"

Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about those odd-ball "rock and roll" characters - it's only some strange passing fad andit'll never really catch on, you know.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:27 (9 years ago) Permalink

I think Ima Robot ripped off lyrics and riffs from a Screamers track, and then managed to make it sound like it was Joy Division doing so. Which I found pretty impressive.

― MattR, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 13:32 (9 years ago) Permalink

Haven't we done this a million times before?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 14:00 (9 years ago) Permalink

Moments of Musical Mimicry

Great moments of musical mimicry - part two

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 14:01 (9 years ago) Permalink

xpost
"Start!" has a saxaphone solo? Must be some bootleg remix you've got there
Well, my Start 7" plays the Village People as it's a mispressing. Maybe I'll get 2 quid for it on ebay.

― Canada Briggs (Canada Briggs), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 14:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Setting Sun" (Chemical Bros.) = "Tomorrow Never Knows (Beatles)
"Roll With It" (Steve Winwood) = anything (Sam & Dave)
"Stigmata" (Ministry) = anything (Big Black)
"Alley-oop" (Hollywood Argyles) = anything (Coasters)
"Under the Influence of Meat Puppets" (firehose) = Meat Puppets (duh!)
several (Feelies) = anything (Velvet Underground)

I make no moral distinction nor judgement between "homage" and "ripoff". These are all obvious imitations, for better or worse, admitted or not, some bettering their inspirations, some not.

― Scott, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

Spice Girls "Mama" rips off some Talking Heads song...
"More than Words" is Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos"...
... and of course Beck's "Paper Tiger"

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:18 (9 years ago) Permalink

My favorite Beck song ever, "Electric Music and the Summer People", sounds to me exactly like he wrote it drunk as hell on a couch while watching National Lampoon's European Vacation on USA late night.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:21 (9 years ago) Permalink

Blur's "Death of the Party" is a clear homage to/ripoff of "How Soon Is Now?"

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:21 (9 years ago) Permalink

Blah Blah Don't Look Back In Anger Blah Blah Imagine etc

The intro isn't, has never been, and will never be, an important part of a song.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

"More than Words" is Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos"

You must be thinking of "You and Your Sister" because those two songs sound nothing alike.

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:25 (9 years ago) Permalink

Generally, a lot of the examples here are not ripoffs at all, because they are just pastiches or using part of an intro, a bass theme etc. If it isn't juridically a ripoff (which has to do with ripping off a notated melody, or a longer harmonic pattern), then it isn't a ripoff.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:25 (9 years ago) Permalink

The intro of "Just Lookin' " by the Charlatans is pretty much the same as "Lovely Rita Meter Maid"

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:25 (9 years ago) Permalink

I don't know which one was the first 12 bar blues ever, but it has certainly been ripped off and blatantly copied a lot afterwards. Particularly during the 50s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:26 (9 years ago) Permalink

12 bar blues is just a structural format,most songs with 12 bar blues structures have completely different melodies.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:27 (9 years ago) Permalink

As long as the chord pattern is exactly the same, the song is more or less the same too.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:28 (9 years ago) Permalink

Coldplay's "Clocks" is a rip-off of James Brown's "Hot Pants".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:30 (9 years ago) Permalink

You mean James Brown had all those brilliant chord changes and wonderful and catchy melodic lines in his song? Must be the best funk tune ever!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:30 (9 years ago) Permalink

I can't imagine owning a set of ears that didn't recognize catchy melodies in James Brown's music. That would suck.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:35 (9 years ago) Permalink

Jet's Are You Gonna Be My Girl steals quite liberally from Lust For Life and maybe You Can't Hurry Love too, but whatever. What I have a problem with is that when asked about this, they wouldn't even acknowledge the similarity. "It's just a riff".

Annoying.

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:35 (9 years ago) Permalink

Well, sure, I haven't heard any catchy melodies by James Brown, but then I haven't heard that tune. If it sounds more like Coldplay than like James Brown, then I guess it is good :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:41 (9 years ago) Permalink

You must be thinking of "You and Your Sister" because those two songs sound nothing alike.

Yes.

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:42 (9 years ago) Permalink

That "You Can't Hurry Love" beat has been ripped off several times anyway.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:43 (9 years ago) Permalink

nickalicious otm

― pete s, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 23:48 (9 years ago) Permalink

'The intro of "Just Lookin'" by The Charlatans is pretty much the same as "Lovely Rita Meter Maid'

And either that song or 'Just when you're thinking things over' totally rip off 'Torn And Frayed' by the Stones (its been so long since i heard it i cant remember which one, but i remember thinking it when they came out.) Also 'Crashing In' owes more than a little to 'I Can See For Miles' by the Who.

― pete s, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 23:59 (9 years ago) Permalink

There's a huge hit club dance song that completely, and I mean, completely, steals the meody of "More (theme from Mondo Cabe.)"

But I don't know it's name.

― Ian Grey (Ian_G), Thursday, 29 January 2004 01:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

PiL, Careering gets an almost note for note "cover" in The Rapture's "Echoes" (the track)

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:51 (9 years ago) Permalink

anything by the black crowes is a ripoff of seventies stones. except that the black crowes suck.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:55 (9 years ago) Permalink

ah fuck, now I can't remember the name of this wretched fucking song, but it was a hit about two and a half years ago and it completely ripped off Bonnie Raitt's "Thing Called Love". Someone remind me. It was some whitey fake ass bluesy piece of shit.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:58 (9 years ago) Permalink

All the new TOK tracks sound like Cher's "Do You Believe In Lover After Life" or whatever it's called...

― OCP (OCP), Thursday, 29 January 2004 12:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

Everyone knows biggest rip-off EVER bar none is Rod Stewart's 'Do you think I'm sexy?', from Jorge Ben's 'Taj Mahal' Still unsurpassed, probably unsurpassable. (Ben'd easily make the Top Ten in an Artists Blatantly Rippin Off Themselves List, but that's another story...) Cheb Khaled's 'Aicha' is way too redolent of, er, Offspring's 'Self Esteem'.

― cacotaste, Friday, 30 January 2004 23:18 (9 years ago) Permalink

Elastica "Connection" of course famously rips off Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba".

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 31 January 2004 01:25 (9 years ago) Permalink

British Sea Power - Remember Me

rips off

The Wedding Present - Dare

with a stupid U2-ish air about it.

― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 31 January 2004 02:02 (9 years ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

"The only one I know" by the Charlatans is a pretty big rip off of "Hush" by Deep Purple

― joe ross, Friday, 14 May 2004 03:47 (9 years ago) Permalink

8 years pass...

Kenny Wayne Shepherd ripping off Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter"

― van smack, Saturday, 11 August 2012 17:37 (9 months ago) Permalink

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