8 Songs That 'Rip Off' Other Songs

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Try Pianote FREE for 30-Days: www.pianote.com/affiliate/davidbennett 🎹 📌 4:16 I muddled my Russian composers and said “Tchaikovsky” when I meant “Stravinsky”! Sorry for any confusion 😅😅

[@ConceptJunkie]

That's funny becayse I heard "Stravinsky"...

[@karllegrand]

Well, Thats because Stravinsky was plagiarizing Tchaikovsky's name...

[@ShadowFireclaws]

I've got a really interesting one for you to look at. The other day I was watching Goodtimes Entertainment's 1998 movie "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie". There's a song in the movie called "Show Me The Light" which is performed by Michael Lloyd & Debbie Lytton. Now I have a lot of CDs in my house of old bands & their music, & one of the CD's was a collection of songs from a 1970s band called Bread. From the first few chords of "Show Me The Light" I couldn't help but notice that it sounded exactly like Bread's song "Lost Without Your Love" which came out in 1977, 21 years before "Show Me The Light". The verse melodies of both songs also matched up perfectly.

[@SousSherpa]

I think Huey Lewis was asked to do a song for the Ghostbusters' soundtrack and he turned it down. That may have started it.

[@joermnyc]

Huey Lewis and Ray Parker Jr also signed an NDA as part of the settlement. When Huey started talking about the lawsuit years later, Ray sued him and won.

[@jamesfeldman4234]

I always recommend my clients get an NDA for the NDA as well as for the original agreement. I remind my clients that as a result of this legal structure, they would be violating the agreements even if they said something like, "I cannot talk about my NDA."

[@The_T-Bone]

Yes and he still can’t talk about it, which is weird to me because it’s his song and he got ripped of he should be able to say whatever he wants about. Idk just my thoughts I love Huey Lewis and the news!

[@MrCubFan415]

And M sued them both for similarities to “Pop Muzik”.

[@Tarantulisimo]

I heard that there was a little more context to the whole Drug/Busters thing. Both songs have a similar '80s vibe which could've simply be written off as pure coincidence of the era, but supposedly Huey Lewis was working on the Ghostbusters soundtrack first then dropped out before Parker came on board, so Lewis believed that Parker & the movie studio copped some of his original ideas

[@laartwork]

​@Tarantulisimo it was actually Soul Fingers by the Bar Kays that was the real inspiration. Once the chrus hit all doubt is removed.

[@terezajadudova]

The theme from that Black Eyed Peas song is actually from Dvořák New World Symphony, so it's ridiculous that some other group or producer is making money of it. I'm sadly surprised no one mentioned it so far.

[@hyruleemblemier]

I noticed that too, it is one of my favorite orchestral pieces currently.

[@zzzaphod8507]

I was about to post this. Beginning of the 4th movement

[@Alan_Gutierrez]

I thought the same thing

[@klaus.mp3]

i thought the same

[@klaxoncow]

I wasn't thinking the same, but I just want to join this "love in" as it seems so wholesome.

[@manonvernon8646]

Gotta love Gene Simmon's arbitrary reasoning for who he sues and doesn't sue...

[@blunderr6113]

Tbh I got the vibe from that quote that he might have been making a deadpan quip that people took seriously

[@MusicalRadiation]

​@@blunderr6113I don't think so. Simmons is well known for being an asshole

[@markallen2984]

I got lots of reasons to love Gene

[@freakazoid4691]

@@blunderr6113 I don’t think so. I just think they like and respect the Boss.

[@MrCarrera28]

Might also be because Paul Stanley ripped off 4th of July (Sandy) when he wrote Shandi :)

[@RobinSylveoff]

Honestly melodies that are just going up and down a scale should not be considered copying

[@spindriftdrinker]

Which melody was going up and down a scale? Just curious.

[@rayjr62]

According to the judge who ruled over that case, it is considered copying. We are a nation of laws, not people who think the law only applies to others and not to them.

[@zimmejoc]

or melodies that are only 2 notes--lookin' at you Lovato & Icona

[@johnes4882]

​@@rayjr62tell me why a short 2-bar sequence should be protected, especially 40+ years after it was released

[@Paulnap]

Melodies need the same harmony background to sound similar. The springteen one sounds similar but it has a totally different mood. Also, the productions are totally different. Same with Ghostbusters/Lewis and Muzik.

[@LouiePlaysDrums]

The Rite Of Spring was composed by Stravinsky not Tchaikovsky.

[@mebamme]

Stravinsky actually ripped off Tchaikovsky by copying his piece and title verbatim.

[@shereesmazik5030]

@@mebammeNever knew that ! I can’t hear it though .

[@shereesmazik5030]

@@mebammeOk , I found a small bassoon part in Figaro .

[@gorgolyt]

@@shereesmazik5030 I believe it's a joke

[@logo2462]

It’s correct on screen in the lower left.

[@EricD514]

I need more pitchshifted Kiss. It makes Kiss sounds like what they look like.

[@xenialafleur]

What you need is Earth, Kiss, and Fire - "I Was Made for Boogie Wonderland" by Bill McClintock.

[@pateris]

Lip-syncing live ? (Yes, I know… I'm eeeeeevil…)

[@daveandrew589]

The obvious ultimate solution to all of this is to have lawyers write music and then they can just sue each other. The music would suck, but not much more than what we're currently getting.

[@lorenshevitz1178]

Derrrrrrrr

[@tabor503]

This should be a thing. Let the lawyers duel it out. And we can go live in our own worlds with real music and watch them on reality TV

[@wiseoldfool]

ROTFFLMFAO!

[@mandrakeblackstone5838]

Most of are not trying to plagiarize someone else work and the song just happens to have a similar progression , very few songwriters plagiarize others music with willful intent as we pride our selves in our creative abilities , its mostly musicians who are not songwriters that do such things as they lack the creative albitites , as songwriting is a very rare talent , very few musicians write their own songs , they come to people like me looking for songs and if they cant find something in their desperation they plagiarize something thinking if they add few licks in certain places no one will notice

[@ericktallent5663]

David repping the First Of October shirt makes me so happy

[@bongor628]

It's so close...

[@hyruleemblemier]

I just noticed! Same here!

[@YXXXXNN]

you also can't forget how "I Was Made for Loving You" already has a chorus melody incredibly similar to the chorus section of Heroes & Villains by the Beach Boys; could also be a can of worms they didn't want to open

[@Chadner]

Wow, I never thought of that! It really does

[@moresnare]

That's a bit of a stretch...

[@Chadner]

@coolguitargear Oh, if you mean Pigs then I think I know what you mean

[@Chadner]

@coolguitargear Pigs has probably one of the funkiest Floyd basslines and I just recently found out that it's actually Gilmour playing the bass

[@Chadner]

@coolguitargear Yeah I believe he played the whole thing. The bass line is a bit subdued and kind of buried in the mix but still kicks so much ass. And the ending is awesome (the I was made for loving you part hehe)

[@batti591]

4:33, this also happened in Spider-Man 2. Sam Raimi used some of Chris Young's music from Hellraiser II as temp music during the first reactor scene. He liked it so much that he asked Danny Elfman to essentially copy it, which incensed Elfman and caused them to fall out(amongst other things). Raimi then replaced him with Young for Spider-Man 3

[@mattkaustickomments]

My band used to play “Cherry Cherry”, “Rockin’ in The USA” and “What I Like About You” as a medley because they’re essentially all the same song.

[@RealPigeonz]

At some point, it will be impossible to write any simple melody without plagiarizing 50 songs.

[@pulykamell]

Pretty much. If we can assemble a list of every pop (and orchestral) melody ever written, almost any melody you can think of will have some similarities with some melody already written. There's so much music out there and only so many pitches and rhythms that are familiar in Western music, there's bound to be countless intersections. Like the Dvorak mentioned above with both the My Humps and I Need A Freak. Hell, I've written melodies in my bedroom when I was a kid only to find months or years later something almost note-for-note similar show up on the radio. Pretty sure just a coincidence. There's only so many melodies that can be written, especially in the tight constraints of Western pop music.

[@the_mowron]

The solution is to find an old song that has an expired copyright. Then, when you get sued by the writer of a more recent, still copyrighted song, you have a valid defense: "I didn't plagiarize you, I plagiarized the same guy you plagiarized."

[@donaldcummings8407]

Exactly.. How many 3 chord Rock songs have the same progression?? Its much ado about nothing

[@prschuster]

Just make sure your song isn't a hit, and no one will care.

[@TommyWashow]

just play in 5 and 7 and youre fine

[@kerensimpkins3785]

I did an internship last year where we would analyse the defendent and claimant songs in lawsuits. It makes you realise the importance of musicologists for the cases, as many of the artists would try to sue for basic rhythmic patterns or very predictable melodies. The Marvin Gaye/Ed Sheeran lawsuit shows this, as Gaye's estate were trying to sue for using a basic chord pattern and having a similar feel. Although some songs are obviously copying others, I think that most of it is accidental copying by taking maybe a bit too much inspiration from the songs on your playlist.

[@noodles2799]

Here's an example of a song lifting from other song. Blur's "M.O.R." lifts it's call and response vocals and melody from David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging"

[@davidgerrard8661]

Gorillaz rip off Spacer too

[@9Tailsfan]

Don't forget Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby ripping off Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen.

[@TheSultan1470]

​@@9Tailsfan Well, it's a hip hop sample

[@LesPaulDavis]

Another great video David. Pink Floyd’s Echoes and Lloyd Webber’s main Phantom of the Opera theme is a classic example. Don’t think you’ve covered it before.

[@charlestrapp6377]

I think it’s just a chromatic walkdown.

[@polyanthajones8168]

and the phantom of the opera itself is a Bach-resurrection...

[@LesPaulDavis]

It is just a chromatic run and whether it’s genuine plagiarism or just similar ideas is a subject of some debate.

[@Rx6666]

Pink Floyd does NOT own the building blocks of music (chromatic scale and major/minor chord relationships). Sorry.

[@tonybates7870]

No way is that an example of plagiarism.

[@jonlavigne3270]

The thing about the Demi Lovato song is that they can’t really tell it’s copying the other one because in that genre of music everything sounds so similar that they can’t tell, and most listeners don’t care anyway, as long as they can dance to it.

[@freakazoid4691]

Similar, yes, but that was pretty close to identical. Much closer than the other examples.

[@ConceptJunkie]

Yeah, my reaction was "Why would you rip off such an awful song?"

[@alfaDude156]

Also, who would take an "artist" seriously after they claimed that they invented a two-tone "melody". It's something kids play on the piano in kindergarden.

[@ayyguevara8448]

l@@alfaDude156 literally the worst argument ever made against pop music you absolute philistine

[@AGD2112]

I get the rythmic similarilty ... utltra basic though it is... but how is 2 notes a melody ?!?

[@ShadowFireclaws]

I've got a really interesting one. The other day I was watching Goodtimes Entertainment's 1998 movie "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie". There's a song in the movie called "Show Me The Light" which is performed by Michael Lloyd & Debbie Lytton. Now I have a lot of CDs in my house of old bands & their music, & one of the CD's was a collection of songs from a 1970s band called Bread. From the first few chords of "Show Me The Light" I couldn't help but notice that it sounded exactly like Bread's song "Lost Without Your Love" which came out in 1977, 21 years before "Show Me The Light". The verse melodies of both songs also matched up perfectly.

[@ZOB4]

Tchaikovsky writing Rite of Spring would have been very interesting

[@michaeljoseph7879]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but I've heard the term "demo love" for cases when a director's "temp music" becomes the only piece of music they want to use and then, for whatever reason, they can't and so end up using something very similar.

[@djvoid1]

Ghostbusters also borrowed heavily from the Bar Kays song 'Soul Finger' from 1967 even down to the "Ghost Busters" chant being a replica of the "Soul Finger" chant

[@betweenthestatic2464]

I was gonna post the same thing. I remember when Ghostbusters came out, and running back to my Atlantic Records compilation to see if I was hearing things.

[@dhenderson1810]

Ray Parker Jr said that he got the idea of the song because he was kept awake not knowing what theme to write for "Ghostbusters" when he saw an ad which said "Who you gonna call" do decided to do the song like a TV jingle. It makes me wonder if he got the song from that and if that ad used music similar to "I Want A New Drug".

[@eukariootti1]

TV Series _The Ghost Busters (1975)_ has music, which sounds very similar to the famous theme song from the movie _Ghost Busters (1984)._ The lyrics of the 1975 version go: *Who you're gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!* To see and hear a snippet of that, search KZbin channel _RedLetterMedia_ for: _Half in the Bag Episode 112: Ghostbusters (2016),_ time stamp 43m 04s (direct links are often auto-censored). _Soul Finger (1967)_ does seem to have that famous rhythm ("did-did" "di-di-di" "diiid diiid") and (rhytmically) familiar sounding shouting in the chorus. So, perhaps that specific song + all that 1975's ghost stuff form the original inspiration/source (music & lyrics). Then again, perhaps this chain consists of dozens of other songs. Each less and less similar to the super famous 1984 Ghost Busters theme, which was "written by Ray Parker Jr." Until at some point, the difference might get way too big, for direct comparison (opera, classical, jazz, lullaby, mediaval folk song...). PS. According to WikiPedia, Ghost Busters was the working title of the film _Spook Busters (1946)._ I haven't seen it. So, perhaps only that title, and perhaps just few parts of the general theme (group of guys start a spooky business), are only similarities worth mentioning?

[@eukariootti1]

A direct link (unless auto-censored...) to the time stamp of 43m 04s of RedLetterMedia's video called _Half in the Bag Episode 112: Ghostbusters (2016):_ kzbin.info/www/bejne/foaofKWbrrmerKM

[@zacvee7255]

It was like a roller coaster trying to decide whether Wayne’s apology was genuine or not

[@josrodsedre5142]

Lol I felt the same, it’s borderline passive-agressive

[@damianoakes2592]

Very much a "lawyers are making me say this" kind of vibe

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Genuine??? Come on. Stevens' is one of the most famous songs of the last 50 years. He knew he copied it, and then what? Simply forgot? The whole team behind just thought they could get away with that? It's a classic case of 'let's do it and hope we don't get caught, and if we do, just play the desperate, ashamed big fan part who apologises'.

[@DarkSideofSynth]

@@damianoakes2592 Exactly. Play dumb since you've been caught red-handed, and let us try and fix this, while spiking up our fees so you'll learn the next time ;)

[@jaynefurze9942]

I'm old so my 2 songs are very dated, but I always thought that a Peter, Paul and Mary song...Stewball the Racehorse and John Lennon's Happy Christmas (War is over) sounded similar.... we are talking 60s early 70s 😊

[@GoDawgs18]

They sound the exact same

[@prschuster]

Damn! You're right.

[@Erotomania89]

Both "I love it" by Icona Pop and "Really don't care" by Demi Lovato were written by Swedish songwriters that know each other quite well. Could be that the writers of the Lovato song simply borrowed the hook, with consent from the writers of "I love it", or maybe it happened more subconsciously 'cause they've been working together on other projects.

[@slm_766]

There is a parody song based on "I love it" called "I ship it" (referring to members of fandoms "shipping" characters from TV shows, whether there is a logical reason for the 'shipping' or not.) It's hilarious!

[@ShadowFireclaws]

Demi Levato's "Really Don't Care" also borrows from Pat Benatar's "Shadows Of The Night". The line "And even when the stars and moon collide" in RDC sounds very similar to the line "We're running with the shadows of the night." in SOTN.

[@FMEEvangelist]

The radio show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue always interests me about music similarities because of their “One Song to the Tune of Another” section. I mean, if you can drop the lyrics from Ghostbusters directly into the melody from Greensleeves, then you start to wonder if there’s a similarity between the songs that isn’t obvious at first. My favourite is the lyrics from a Whiter Shade of Pale to the melody of The Muppet Show theme. Fits perfectly!

[@ed07722]

Good show

[@golwenlothlindel]

There is a similarity: the meter. The vast majority of all lyrics ever written in English fall into one of several popular hymn meters, whether the poet was intending that or not. Greensleeves represents by far the most common of those meters. If a song is in standard spoken English, there is still a very good chance it will fit one of these meters although this is becoming less true for American songs with the rise of the singer-songwriter and thus American colloqualisms being used in lyrics. AAVE is also much more common in song lyrics with the rise of R&B, which generally doesn't fall into these standard hymn meters, but often the lyricist will be intentionally or unconsciously referencing a certain spiritual or other hymn popular in Black churches. This can even apply to a lot of poetry that wasn't intended to be sung: again, poets often use these meters without being aware of it.

[@edryba4867]

I was a Radio DJ when the first three records mentioned here were released, and had these same thoughts at the time! David, I’m guessing that you compose music. Do you find it difficult to write a melody or a chord pattern and not feel that you may have heard it somewhere before, since every possible combination of the 12-tone musical scale we use had already been used sometimes in the last several hundred years?

[@bgmaraujo]

3:55 Same thing with Titanic! James Cameron wanted Enya to do the soundtrack, but she refused. He was using her music as temp music, so that's why Southampton (Titanic) sounds like Book of Days (Enya), for instance.

[@dimitriberozny3729]

Enya didn’t care about James Cameron using her music!! She was so busy behind the scenes of getting CELTIC WOMAN established that letting James Cameron use her music actually worked to her advantage!!

[@annoschreier1860]

The Springsteen/KISS melodies also sound strikingly similar to Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon and Blondie's Call Me. 😉

[@alexkunce2002]

I thought of Call Me when I heard the song!

[@rome8180]

In the end, we're only talking about walking up and down the first five notes of the minor scale. Not particularly unusual. Any number of people could stumble across that by accident.

[@spindriftdrinker]

By the way - give a listen to "Call Me" by Blondie released in August 1979 - a couple of months after KISS' "I was born for loving you". Much as I despise KISS, it seems that not only Springsteen lifted the tune - although the Blondie resemblance is not quite as strong. EDIT - also the Black-Eyed Peas/I Need a Freak tune is clearly taken from a famous classical theme. I can't remember the composer - Beethoven perhaps? Oh and Demi Levato/Icona Pop ripped off the "One Note Samba" ( joke).

[@Zeta9966]

I don't understand how anyone could willfully listen to Blondie in 2023

[@spindriftdrinker]

@@Zeta9966 OK, what's your idea of good music then?

[@jonnyboybrownie6390]

i heard call me before kiss too

[@spindriftdrinker]

@@jonnyboybrownie6390 No, actually "Call Me" came out a couple of months later. Sad to say, but KISS was there first. Yechh...

[@Zeta9966]

@@spindriftdrinkernot blondie

[@scenicenglish7465]

Great video, not sure if you've already covered it, but , Alan Parson's Project "Eye in the Sky" seems to have had the chorus "ripped off' by Lady Antebellum's hit "I need you now" . Something for a future video if you haven't already. Keep up the great work.

[@jamesmeehan8008]

When I first heard the beginning of 'Do You Believe in Love' by Huey Lewis I thought it was a cover of 'Sweet Talkin' Woman by ELO. Even the lyrics were very similar.

[@baptistebaali7134]

The Black Eyed Peas song actually sampled Dvorak's New World Symphony, that's not plagiarism ! It was composed in 1893 !

[@ConceptJunkie]

It's still plagiarism. It's just not illegal. Lots of pop acts copy the classics.

[@baptistebaali7134]

@@ConceptJunkie It is not plagiarism if it is not illegal, plagiarism is a legal term. But you're right for everything else. The fact that the Black Eyed Peas didn't use this argument to defend them is kinda suspicious btw.

[@Augfordpdoggie]

​@@baptistebaali7134it should be illegal

[@baptistebaali7134]

@@Augfordpdoggie Maybe... that is something everybody has his own opinion on. All I know is that in music in general, every artist have been inspired by another one... there is a gap between inspiration and simple copy so I am not mad when I here some talented band use a chord progression or melody from another artist if they manage to make something different with it. I mean even Bethoven's Ode to Joy is based on Mozart's Misericordias Domini

[@MrStGeorgeIllawarra]

I think the Kaiser Chiefs are smart enough to realize while they might win in a court of law, in the court of public opinion, suing Kylie of all people is a PR nightmare and akin to kicking a puppy.

[@terryloh8583]

Really loved the explanation of the use of place-holder music in movies. That is something that I knew happened, but it never occurred to me the effect it would have on the composer. The one example I can think of is for the main theme to Star Trek VI. In that case I know that the composer, Cliff Eidleman was specifically told by the director Nicholas Meyer to come up with something that sounded like Stravisky's introduction to The Firebird.... which he did.

[@DonVintaggio]

2:19 I've read that Huey Lewis was first commisioned the main theme for Ghostbusters; but after initial rehearsal he dropped to compose and perform the soundtrack of Back To The Future; then Ghostbusters producers made Ray Parker Jr very clear they wanted the same beat and the result is very similar

[@yohualtica]

There is an early 2000 song by the Mexican alternative rock band Jumbo called Cada Vez Que Me Voy which sounds quite similar to Congregation by Foo Fighters which came out in 2014. Either Grohl was listening to some under mexican indie at the time, or they both ripped off something else... But what was it?

[@Mikepservice]

Hot fun in the summer time (I think the bridge or chorus) vs Must be some misunderstanding by Phil collins? What do you thing? the riff sounds the same

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Another informative and entertaining video, Mr Bennett, for which many thanks. Isn't it becoming inevitable that melodies which appeal to the ear and/or don't sound too dissonant are increasingly likely to resemble earlier melodies, today? The Hurrian Hymn was written over 3,500 years ago. Repetition is impossible to avoid after so long a time.

[@Eselta_]

My first thought for the "I need a freak" riff, was Snoop Dogg's "Bring it on", where the vocals and melody in the beginning, lift directly from this as well.

[@alguitarchristie]

Practically all John Williams scores for Star Wars movies sound like Holst!

[@anthonyscully2998]

And Holst sounds a lot like Wagner

[@addyd.3140]

+ new world symphony, dvorak

[@ArthurB]

The build up for the ending part of Coldplay's "Adventure of a Lifetime" sounds like the chorus of "It's Only Love" by the Beatles

[@RobinSylveoff]

I have a strange feeling that this particular riff has appeared in even more songs

[@marianneootjers4786]

0:57 to 1:24 and 1:31 to 2:00 from Muse's Knights of Cydonia sounds on purpose alot like Tornadoes' song Telstar. Matthew Bellamy (lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter of Muse) is the son of George Bellamy; the guitarist of The Tornadoes.

[@cabal3747]

On the temp track front, you might want to look at the Craig Safan track "Confrontation" from the soundtrack to Michael Mann's film THIEF. Mann had temp tracked the finale of the film to "Comfortably Numb" while he was editing. Tangerine Dream was doing the music, and he asked them to write something using the Pink Floyd song as a guide, but he didn't like what they came up with. So her brought in Safan instead, who came up with something that's recognizable when you know what it was based on, but not enough so that Pink Floyd would have noticed. Not to my knowledge, anyway.

[@scytaleghola5969]

Post Toastee by Tommy Bolin and Cocaine by JJ Cale. Both released the same year, but not sure which one came first. Of course, both sound like they could have come from Cream's Sunshine of You Love. I have written stuff that I thought was original, only to find out later that it sounds like something else that it is possible I could have heard on the radio sometime in the past. However, I have also written things that sound like something else, only to learn that mine came first (but there was no way anyone could have ripped it off). In other words, coincidences happen.

[@bobby666666]

On the Beach Boys Smile deluxe boxset, there is one track that has the chorus sound exactly like the chorus for I Was Made For Loving You. The Beach Boys song was recorded 12 years before the Kiss song.

[@wllmhrnr]

You beat me to it! I replied to a post above before reading yours.

[@D_Tuned]

4:49 That melody line is similar to "Whistle While You Work" from Snow White & The Seven Dwarves.

[@anthonyscully2998]

There is a Bowie song that uses some of the chords from stairway to heaven. I don't remember the title. It has the lyric when Ziggy played guitar

[@ijskålleter]

@DavidBennettPiano Have you noticed that the melody of „I need a freak“ sounds exactly like Dvoraks 9th Symphony? 7:04

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

As a composer, how are we supposed to catalog a ZILLION songs while trying to write our own? HOW????

[@vladislav_ivanovskiy]

I need a Freak theme was stolen from Dvorak's symphony, what do u think?

[@francissreckofabian01]

I'm glad you mentioned Pop Muzik. Rite of Spring sounds like Twilight Zone ot the Outer Limits. The last example is so bland I'm surprised that this hasn't been copied many times.

[@das_murks]

1. The Beach Boys - Surfin USA is a copy of Chuck Berry- Sweet Little Sixteen. They settled somehow and Berry is always credited as writer when Surfin USA is put on a record. Brian WIlson said if I remembger correct, it should have been an hommage to Chuck Berry. 2. Stand-in Soundtrack could be the old Mortal Kombat Movie Theme Song ("Moooortal Kombaat") which is inspired by many eurodance-songs but one stands out clearly: 2 Unlimited -Twilight Zone.

[@ivankolobov9502]

Ah yes, Tchaikovsky’s Rite of spring 😂. Thanks for the video David!

[@frogandspanner]

That inspired Shostakovich to write the Firebird..

[@chrisisbell3080]

At least the caption is correct. Even Homer nods. 😃

[@BaieDesBaies]

Vivaldi wrote the Firebird. Get your facts straight.

[@frogandspanner]

@@BaieDesBaies Four of them.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😅😅😅

[@robertsmith16286]

This is why I like writing music outside of the 4/4 time signature. It’s less likely to sound like some other pop artists music.

[@ΓιώργοςΚαπάτος]

In 1989 Kaoma released lambada. The song was something like the despacito of its time, it was literally heard everywhere day & night. Except the tune was a pure rip off from LLORANDO SE FUE - LOS KJARKAS. Of course there was a lawsuit and Los Kjarkas win the case.

[@TheAquabears]

I still think it was extremely low class of Huey Lewis to go after Ray Parker Jr like he did. Not just because Huey lifted New Drug from M's Pop Muzik, but also because it came off looking like he was just sore about Ghostbusters being such a huge hit (peaked at #1), and higher charting than New Drug (peaked at #6). It's also not Huey's first plagarism. Compare the verse of Do You Believe In Love with the verse of ELO's Sweet Talkin' Woman. He barely even changed the words. I lost all respect for the man after that. Flushed his credibility right down the tubes.

[@michellemaria71]

I absolutely love these music comparison videos, and I LOVE music ❤ I have written many titles of songs that have the same riff or sound similar but I’m not musically trained and can’t always pinpoint what the likeness is. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I Google the songs, see who made it first then write it down. I love these videos as they’re songs I hadn’t realised sound the same, there must be so many! Thank you ❤

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@hanspeters1796]

Another example from the golden 80s: Bon Jovi (You give love a bad name, 1986) and Bonnie Tyler (If you were a woman and I was a man, 1986). Both stole the refrain melody from Laura Branigans unforgettable "The Lucky One" fom 1984.

[@pastorandreaswendt]

and the melody is currently in the charts again with Ava Max's "Kings and Queens"

[@ShadowFireclaws]

@@luke5100 Kinda, it's also not that similar.

[@SoleaGalilei]

I think you misspoke at 4:15. Obviously you meant Stravinsky, not Tchaikovsky!

[@aaronw7602]

Surprised it's not talked about more how Flo Rida's song "My House" has a chorus melody that sounds exactly like "Impossible" by Shontelle.

[@carwashslayer4235]

Omg yes please talk about this one

[@ShadowFireclaws]

I've got a few more that were missed out on: 1) The instrumental to "My Baby Loves Me" by Martina McBride sounds strangely similar to that of "Born In The USA" by Bruce Springsteen 2) The opening chords and chord progression of "Show Me The Light" by Michael Lloyd and Debbie Lytton sounds exactly like those from "Lost Without Your Love" by Bread 3) "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton sounds exactly the same as "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James

[@noscrubbubblez6515]

We're all bombarded with info nowadays. Sometimes we hear a tune- and can't get it out of our heads. The Beatles spent much time with Donovan. Though I don't know what came first, the similarities in melody to John's Norwegian Wood and Donovan's Yellow is the Color (of my true love's hair) isn't lost on me.

[@nickstadler1906]

There has been so much talk about the Ray Parker, Jr./Huey Lewis thing over the years, yet so few ever mention M's Pop Muzik in that discussion. I'm glad you hit upon it, cos I had the link to the video in the chamber and ready to go if you didn't.

[@OldSchoolBowler]

I know you cover The Beatles extensively, David. Have you done one on the similarities between "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and "Why Don't You Get a Job?" by The Offspring? When I heard it on the radio in 1999 it was pretty obvious. I thought they must have done it on purpose, sort of like a parody, but maybe not. Anyway, I really like your channel. I learn a great deal about music from you!

[@fnjesusfreak]

"There's something everyone can enjoy!"

[@blaisevillaume9051]

I think a few songs off the Americana album are in part meant to be twisted takes on big hits from the past. "She's Got Issues" seems to be inspired by "Hold on Loosely" by .38 Special for example.

[@ShadowFireclaws]

I have a few more for you. 1) The instrumental to "My Baby Loves Me" by Martina McBride sounds strangely similar to that of "Born In The USA" by Bruce Springsteen 2) The opening chords and chord progression of "Show Me The Light" by Michael Lloyd and Debbie Litton sounds exactly like those from "Lost Without Your Love" by Bread 3) "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton sounds exactly the same as "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James

[@marcusnolte7476]

Ray Parker (& Raydio) did this all the time: "All In The Way You Get Down" is in the vein of Michel Jacksons "Off The Wall", "Until The Morning Comes" is more than a nod to "Lost In Music" by Sister Sledge

[@gieselats]

My recommendation for a comparison. „Can‘t touch this“ (mc hammer), Falco „der Kommissar“. 😊

[@pianopressofficial]

Hey I just watched your video on Pianote, but I was subed way before that video. Nice work man, you explain music theory in a way that is understood easily.

[@ShadowFireclaws]

There's a part about Demi Levato's "Really Don't Care" that you forgot to mention. While it does lift mostly from Icona Pop's "I Love It", it's not the only song that "Really Don't Care" borrows from. If you listen to the line "And even when the stars and moon collide", you'd notice that it sounds very similar to "Shadows of the Night" by Pat Benatar, specifically the line "We're running with the shadows of the night."

[@zappababe8577]

I was listening to "Pop Muzic" recently and the similarity didn't jump out at me like the Hughie Lewis and the News track

[@brycecombs2868]

You should do a video on Lou Reed. I have been listening to his work and realized that he is a lot more brilliant than I earlier considered, having been caught up in his extreme lifestyle instead of his music. For instance, A Perfect Day has brilliant piano work, which reminds me of another song, but I cannot say what.🤦

[@manonvernon8646]

You can thank his buddy David Bowie for producing Transformer

[@edsimnett]

The Morrissey song Every Day is Like Sunday is awfully similar in melody (and chords) to Love You by Primal Scream (Primal Scream is often derided as one long "influence," but to me this specific example seems very clear, and I've never seen it commented on). LY was being played live by Primal Scream as early as 1985, and released in 1987 while EDILS was written after/as the Smiths broke up in 1987 at the earliest, and not released until 1988.

[@kirkhensley5870]

Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man" The Romantics, "What I like about you" And of course Eddie and the Cruisers (Even though they're fictional) using the same chords in "On the Dark Side". In a cover band, it makes for a loooooong medley of E, A and D. Oops. Forgot John Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." Genuine rip-offs from one to the next, but it doesn't stop *any* of them from being fun!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TimothyJames-u5w]

Sorry if it's in a different video, but did you ever look at "Lady Madonna" (Beatles) and "What I Got" (Sublime)?

[@MrDrakedrake]

In the score on I want a new drog, the score says it is D major (##) , but in the analys you write D as IV? this also happen in other songs in the video. Misstake? or am I just confused?

[@DavidBennettPiano]

It’s because those songs use a mode. It is still the right sharps in the signature but yea it is confusing. Sorry about that!

[@boriss.861]

David you know it was in error as I do not know how you put these videos together but. 4:15 Tchaikovsky's Rite of Spring, I'm sure it was Stravinsky with the furore that caused with Diaghilev!

[@tassherb]

You could also compare the guitar riffs in Hunters & Collectors' "Holy Grail" to Boston's "More Than A Feeling". :)

[@dhenderson1810]

The copyright thing is ridiculous. No one invented musical notes, or own what order they can be played in. There are only twelve chords and millions of songs. There is bound to be overlap. Courts should have thrown out any case of this. No one "owns" music.

[@h8rraider227]

I am a Classic Rock DJ at an FM station and over the years , while playing requests , i hear a lot of songs vaguely similar and others way too similar! I saved up a list of these songs for 8 years .. but many YT channels that feature these " rip-off" songs has still not mentioned a lot of these songs i compiled. One thing is sure , the "Sampling epidemic" in the music industry is horrendous!!

[@FriendofWigner]

These comparisons are always entertaining, but also a bit discouraging. I have been 'writing' a song in my head for a couple years now (mostly lyrics and melody), but I am almost certain it is based on an existing song. The lyrics are basically a joke, and I tried singing them in a more blues/folk style, but I still hear a familiar cadence. FWIW, I think the tune is from a marching band piece; is Souza's work still under copyright?

[@pantheon777]

I saw a mash-up of that Kiss song with and Earth Wind and Fire song "Boogie Wonderland," it's hilarious. I thought they could have added Fleetwood Mac's song "Rhiannon." I keep hearing mash-ups in my head, like today I heard an Ed Sheeran song, Taylor Swift's song, "Cruel Summer," and "Unstoppable" by SIA

[@Elizabeth-vh6il]

The "I Need a Freak" vs. "My Humps" one is reminding me of something else but I can't think what that is and it's bugging me. Closest an online search turned up was Brahms' Quartet for piano & strings, Opus 60, which *might* have been what I was thinking of because I do listen to a lot of classical music but the first 2 pitches are different and I'm not convinced that I was remembering something classical in this case.

[@simonjohnson3641]

I’m thinking Dvořák and movement IV of the New World Symphony - is that it by any chance?

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

The Kylie/Kaiser Chiefs example is an interesting one, as while Ricky Wilson might be friendly with Kylie, the rest of the band (who co-wrote the song and don't have Ricky's TV and radio career) might be tempted by the chance of some income. Especially as it wasn't as Kylie wrote Padam Padam anyway, so the court case wouldn't be against her.

[@JefAlanLong]

The best example that was very obvious to me immediately I head it is why don’t you get a job by the offspring and obladi oblada by the Beatles.

[@allenrodgers1577]

I haven’t listened to it since it was on the radio, but I remember waiting on the world to change sounding a lot like people get ready.

[@TheShadman47]

There's a sequence in Nights in White Satin that bears a striking resemblance to The Hunters' 1961 guitar instrumental 'The Storm'.

[@TheGerkuman]

Yay, I helped contribute to an episode! :) Edit: For those wondering, I brought up the Pop Musik thing on a Community Post made to preview this episode and David replied saying that he didn't know about it! So it's nice to see he added it in.

[@Somewhatdamaged1989]

There’s some tunes that uses melodic lines that are so simple that it’s so obvious it has already being used and they know it, this is pop music. The Demi Lobato case is the perfect example. And I believe that tune uses the famous “millennial whoop” with the root>5th movement. Someone that knows stuff can confirm it please?

[@ernestscribble4922]

7:00 it is so a particular moment movement in Dvorack symphonie 9

[@angelthman1659]

Thanks for bringing up Pop Muzik. It boggles my mind that almost no one ever talks about how I Want a New Drug ripped that off. I've been saying it for decades.

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

And Ray Parker sued Huey Lewis for violating an NDA placed on Lewis before he did an interview regarding the settlement on VH1 Behind the Music. Parker won.

[@jeffery9543]

Hoping if you make another one of these that you talk about Sum41's No Reason and Theres No Solution (both from the album Chuck, 2004), that are very blatantly "inspired" by One Step Closer, Crawling, and In The End (all from Hybrid Theory, 2000) by Linkin Park. No Reason is the most blatant, and is the One Step Closer rip. I do really like the two Sum41 songs, but I also really like Linkin Park, and it jumped out at me SO quickly lmao

[@brandonramirez7101]

Today I was listening to Simon and Garfunkel A Hazy Shade of Winter and the beginning of the guitar chord progression reminded me totally of pretty woman from roy orbison

[@StillBowling4Dollars]

Great clip, David. Here's my submission for a "rip-off" song: "Mockingbird" by Grant Lee Buffalo (1990s) is clearly taken from "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp (1970s), all the way down to the falsetto chorus.

[@unknownfilmmaker777]

What’s that music at the end?

[@lucypreece7581]

When you were going on about Temp music used in like movies and stuff it reminds me of the fact that the song Hot Stuff by Donna Summer was used as temp music in the movie musical Fame for the big scene where they all dance in the street and stuff but that was because the actual song they were going to use the title song of the movie was still incomplete and being written at the time but the film crew needed to film that scene that day because they only had access to that space to film for that day so they used Hot Stuff as a place filler because the dancers needed a song to dance to for that scene to work. Then once the song was complete and finished they just overlayed it over the scene and took out Hot Stuff for the actual film version.

[@torstenreil404]

Another obvious one one is Mad World by Tears For Fears. The bridge melody (“And I find it kind of funny”) is identical to the middle-eight of Cat Stevens’ Matthew & Son (1:37 into the song).

[@zeeburn]

One of my personal favorites is the chorus to the Diana Vickers 2010 song “My Wicked Heart” is almost *identical* to Under The Bridge by RHCP. The chili peppers considered suing but never did. Although if this song came out today they’d 100% have a writing credit on it

[@wiseoldfool]

Thank you David, another really informative and entertaining presentation! Keep them coming!

[@Musicradio77Network]

There is one that I might add, the main theme to “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic”. The first few seconds was a ripoff of a song from the 80’s which was the commercial for “My Little Pony” toy line, plus the first two specials, a theatrical animated film from 1986 and the animated series. Spencer Minchlin and Ford Kinder was the original composer for the original theme, but Daniel Ingram borrowed it without permission from the original composers, but he didn’t get credit for it. And then, the music kicked in, and the melody sounded a lot similar to the other song “Help” by the Beatles and “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves. That was plagiarism. Why did Daniel Ingram, the guy who did the theme song and the score borrowed it. If he did, he should’ve get sued.

[@emilmetallic6393]

Rod Stewart's Do You Think I'm Sexy is a direct rip of Jorge Ben's Taj Mahal. Stewart just gave it new lyrics. Jorge Ben sued the daylights out of him.