Songs that quote (and credit) other songs

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Not including samples. Examples include:

Coldplay/"Talk" (Kraftwerk's "Computer Love")
REM/"Hope" (Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne")

There must be others, right?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Thursday, 12 January 2006 21:02 (twenty years ago)

Another R.E.M. song, "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight," officialy credits "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." There's no part of the song that resembles the "Lion" all that much, but the song credit is there. I guess R.E.M. wanted to cover thier bases?

― James, Thursday, 12 January 2006 21:10 (twenty years ago)

this reminds me (kinda on / off topic) -- what is the rolling stones song neil young is referring to in "borrowed tune"?

― my name is john. i reside in chicago. (frankE), Thursday, 12 January 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

In King's X's "We Were Born To Be Loved," Doug sings, "and the Beatles said, 'All you need is love'!" That kind of thing?

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Thursday, 12 January 2006 21:13 (twenty years ago)

yeah, and what the heck is "that great Grand Canyon rescue episode"?
(xp)

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Thursday, 12 January 2006 21:13 (twenty years ago)

'I can't get Bouncing Babies by The Teardrop Explodes' - The Freshies

― Niall, Thursday, 12 January 2006 22:37 (twenty years ago)

Well, I'm thinking of songs that literally credit other songs in the liner notes. That R.E.M. song, for example, is credited Buck/Mills/Stipe/Cohen, or whatever.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Thursday, 12 January 2006 23:05 (twenty years ago)

Dudes, one of my all-time favorites!

Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight" when he sings "Just like Ronny said: 'Be my little baby'" Rock on for making me remember that classic slice of rock and roll.

Steve

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 12 January 2006 23:07 (twenty years ago)

Lil' Flip - "Sunny Day" references some song by Big Shasta

― titty sanskrit (sanskrit), Friday, 13 January 2006 00:48 (twenty years ago)

Jackson Browne's epic-length "Stay," with a late-song nod toward the original by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs.

― Terrible Cold (Terrible Cold), Friday, 13 January 2006 00:50 (twenty years ago)

Roxy Music's "Re-Make/Re-Model" references the beginning guitar lines of both the Peter Gunn theme and The Beatles' Day Tripper in its second half. They don't credit either of them, but they're pretty blatantly recognizable enough to make such an act rather silly.

― D.V. Caputo, Friday, 13 January 2006 01:17 (twenty years ago)

The end of Jawbox's cover of "Cornflake Girl" ends with a little bit of "Daydream Believer".

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Friday, 13 January 2006 01:22 (twenty years ago)

Young's "Borrowed Tune" references the Stones' "Lady Jane"…

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Friday, 13 January 2006 01:33 (twenty years ago)

happy mondays - lazyitis

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Friday, 13 January 2006 02:14 (twenty years ago)

Um, this isn't what I was thinking of. I was specifically thinking of songs that actually, literally credit the original song in the songwriting credits. Not just songs that quote another song, which are countless. If you look at that Coldplay disc, Kraftwerk is credited along with Coldplay. If you look at that REM song, Leonard Cohen is credited as a co-songwriter. I'm wondering about stuff like that.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Friday, 13 January 2006 02:47 (twenty years ago)

They don't necessarily get credited though. Elastica kept paying up (to Wire and the Stranglers most famously) but I'm not sure if the credits are shared.
'Lazyitis' must have resulted in a shared credit, surely, at least as far as publishing goes.

― snotty moore, Friday, 13 January 2006 02:52 (twenty years ago)

it certainly did

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Friday, 13 January 2006 02:53 (twenty years ago)

I think "Traveling Riverside Blues" is credited (Jimmy Page/Robert Johnson).

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Friday, 13 January 2006 02:54 (twenty years ago)

the replacements credit ted nugent in "gary's got a boner," which borrows liberally from "cat stratch fever."

they DON'T credit the beatles in "mr. whirly," which borrows liberally from "oh darling," but the writing credit in the liner notes ("mostly stolen") should make it eligible for this thread, i'd think.

bruce springsteen credits sonny boy williamson in "cross my heart," which borrows liberally from williamson's "cross my heart."

the beach boys were eventually forced to credit chuck berry for "surfin' usa," which borrows liberally from "sweet little sixteen," right?

billy joel credited beethoven for some song late in his career which i refuse to look up because that's after i stopped liking him.

warren zevon credited bruce springsteen in "jeannie needs a shooter," which was actually just zevon recycling an old, unreleased springsteen song title.

the pooh sticks credited pretty much their entire catalog to other songs, and bless them for it.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 13 January 2006 02:55 (twenty years ago)

Time has come to quote the entire lyrics of "Titles" by Barclay James Harvest then:

The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Here comes the sun it's all right
People shout for more
But were you trying to deceive telling me
All you need is love to succeed
Lady Madonna let it be
Something in the way you moved me yesterday
All you need is love so they say

Across the universe
One after nine 'o' nine
I got a feeling for you blue
And I feel fine
I tried so hard to make believe that I'd see
All you need is love to succeed

Lady Madonna let it be
Something in the way you moved me yesterday
All you need is love so they say

Imagine nowhere man
In my life's where you'd be
Band on the run can't buy you love and I agree
It was a long and winding road
Before I'd see
The fool upon the hill was really me

Lady Madonna let it be
Something in the way you moved me yesterday
All you need is love so they say

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 January 2006 03:37 (twenty years ago)

Said song also contains a guitar solo from "Ticket To Ride" btw.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 January 2006 03:39 (twenty years ago)

Also, "Start" by The Jam (bassline and guitar quotes "Taxman")

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 January 2006 03:39 (twenty years ago)

Pulp's Disco 2000 - Gloria

― elgolfo (elgolfo), Friday, 13 January 2006 17:52 (twenty years ago)

In Rip it Up by Orange Juice, Edwyn Collins sings a line from the Buzzcock's Boredom "and this town is very hum-drum" then sings "my favorite song is called Boredom" and then the song mimics the 2 note guitar solo from Boredom.

One of my favorite things in all of music.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 13 January 2006 18:02 (twenty years ago)

Pavement's Range Life steals the riff from Billy Squier's Everybody Wants You at the end, but doesn't credit it, the slack bastards.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 13 January 2006 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Also see "Silent Kit" / Buddy Holly's "Everyday"

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Friday, 13 January 2006 18:50 (twenty years ago)

If credit given in interviews may apply, not just actual songwriting credits, then these should all have a mention:

David Bowie: Starman (Borrows from "Over The Rainbow" in the chorus)
Oasis: Shakermaker (influenced by T.Rex "Get It On")
Oasis: Don't Look Back In Anger (intro influenced by "Imagine")
Travis: Writing To Reach You (Chords based on "Wonderwall")

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 January 2006 21:06 (twenty years ago)

Shakermaker = I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, surely. Cigarettes and Alcohol nicks the riff from Get It On.

― Cracks (Crackity), Saturday, 14 January 2006 00:26 (twenty years ago)

Prince, that Joni Mitchell song in "Dorothy Parker"

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 14 January 2006 00:37 (twenty years ago)

Parliament - The Silent Boatman

Quotes "The Skye Boat Song", which is trad. arr. mind you... or is it? Hold on while I Google... seems the lyrics were by Sir Harold Boulton, the melody by Miss Annie MacLeod but from a traditional air.

― Vicious Cop Kills Gentle Fool (Dada), Saturday, 14 January 2006 12:07 (twenty years ago)

Harry Nilsson's "You Can't Do That" is also a Beatles pastiche.

Listening to Lou Rawls after his recent passing I came across "This Song Will Last Forever" on one of his Philly Soul albums, sort of a lounge-soul version of "I Write The Songs" that credits other songs (Sam Cooke, Spinners, Harold Melvin) alongside Lou's own hits.

Need I add that it's pretty horrible?

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Saturday, 14 January 2006 12:57 (twenty years ago)

I don't think Martin Gore credits Andrew Lloyd Webber for part of "Damaged People", but he sure should have.

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 14 January 2006 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Prince, that Joni Mitchell song in "Dorothy Parker"

Also, a certain Mendelsohn wedding march in "If I Was Your Girlfriend"

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 14 January 2006 14:05 (twenty years ago)

Elastica do credit Wire on one of the songs on The Menace, that borrows the riff from something off Pink Flag (Lowdown, I think, but I can't remember).

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Sunday, 15 January 2006 01:57 (twenty years ago)

Surely in-lyrics quotes can count if the lyrics, in addition to quoting, give the credit:

Put on a little Dylan
Sittin' on a fence
I said, "That line is great"
you asked me what it meant by
'Said I shot a man named Gray
Took his wife to Italy
She inherited a million bucks,
and when she died it came to me
I can't help it if I'm lucky'
I only wanna be with you
Ain't Bobby so cool?
I only wanna be with you

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Sunday, 15 January 2006 16:58 (twenty years ago)

What song is Prince quoting in "Gett Off" ('Reminds me of something James used to say'...)?

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 15 January 2006 22:55 (twenty years ago)

*In Rip it Up by Orange Juice, Edwyn Collins sings a line from the Buzzcock's Boredom "and this town is very hum-drum" then sings "my favorite song is called Boredom" and then the song mimics the 2 note guitar solo from Boredom.*

I was going to mention this. In 'I Can't Help Myself' he not only borrows the title off the Four Tops tune, he namechecks them in the chorus too.

Poor old Edwyn has a brain haemorrhage or something recently. hope he's well.

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Monday, 16 January 2006 14:33 (twenty years ago)

According to his website he's back in the studio (although still ill).

http://www.edwyncollins.com/

I met him on a couple of occasions - very nice man.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Monday, 16 January 2006 15:09 (twenty years ago)

B-b-but doesn't that opening falsetto bit recall the melody of the older song? Heard this for the first time in ages on the weekend. I think it's one of my favourite REM songs.

I knew there had to be a reason why I loved "Talk" so much more than anything else I've ever heard by Coldplay!

― Sundar (sundar), Monday, 16 January 2006 17:14 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

"That great grand canyon rescue episode"-Thrasher Neil Young on Rust Never Sleeps.

"yeah, and what the heck is "that great Grand Canyon rescue episode"?
(xp)
-- dr. phil (joshlanghof...), January 12th, 2006."
I immediately thought of a cartoon show from my childhood called "Rough and Ready" from the late 50's early 60's. Rough and Ready (animal cartoon charactors, dogs?) rescue tiny horses living in the Grand Canyon. Neil's lyric may mean something else but that's what struck me from the first listening to the song
.

― David Guzman, Friday, 12 May 2006 15:33 (twenty years ago)

"nothing from nothing" by quasi - quoting "nothing from nothing means nothing"

"execution day" ny new porns:quote from The Who - I can see for miles

built to spill - distopian girl - not a song but:"i think bowie's cool i think "lodger" rules "

cheap trick - taxman,mr. thief - like the beatles...

― eddie the kid, Friday, 12 May 2006 18:38 (twenty years ago)

pavement - this song that's talking directly about REM and their first record and how great it was except "time after time" which is me the least favourite song.forgot the name of that song.
but Stipe was offended by it, till he was convinced no irony is involved. (don't believe thats true myself)

― edd the kidoo, Friday, 12 May 2006 18:43 (twenty years ago)

A ton of hip-hop records do this.

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Friday, 12 May 2006 19:03 (twenty years ago)

forgot the name of that song

..is that "The Unseen Power of Picket Fences"???

― christoff (christoff), Friday, 12 May 2006 19:40 (twenty years ago)

fifteen years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTSPgu_j4eA

― xzanfar, Friday, 25 March 2022 13:43 (four years ago)

Violent Femmes "Gone Daddy Gone" nicks an entire verse from Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You", and credits him as co-writer.

― Lee626, Tuesday, 29 March 2022 19:14 (four years ago)

two years pass...

Destroyer The Bad Arts cites Joy Division Disorder in the end in a nice way <3

― fpsa, Thursday, 5 December 2024 14:14 (one year ago)

Famous Tracheotomies by Okkervil River quotes from Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks, and credits Ray Davies.

Surprised to see that Paul Simon doesn't get a credit on Billy Bragg's A New England.

― bored by endless ecstasy (anagram), Thursday, 5 December 2024 14:26 (one year ago)

HERE COMES THE LAWSUIT BABY

― frogbs, Thursday, 5 December 2024 14:31 (one year ago)

speaking of okkervil river, they basically perform the entirety of "sloop john b" at the end of "john allyn smith sails"

― invalid handel (voodoo chili), Thursday, 5 December 2024 16:23 (one year ago)

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