Artists borrowing from Artists ?

Been a while since I originally posted this, but I recently re-upped segments of my website and discovered this old project I started...

For those of you who never checked it out, give it a listen. Over the years I've heard segments of songs that sounded exactly like earlier songs and often wondered, "Did they do that intentionally ?" "Was it a total coincidence ?" "Did they hear it once and unintentionally, subconsciously copied it ?"

http://www.guiltyforgiven.com/sb/soundBITES.html

Give me some more cool examples that I can add to it. (They have to be VERY obvious and not hard to notice)

I have TONS of examples from only secular songs - one of these days I'm going to cut them up and add them to the site as well.

The one that immediately comes to mind is the Petra and Kiss example you already have on your web page. I noticed it the very first time I heard Petra's "Seen & Not Heard"

Do you think they did that unintentionally ? I mean, it's SO close that it warrants questions. I wonder who wrote the Petra song and if he had any clue of the Kiss song ? Or maybe in music writing, it's just an easy catchy bar chord (ie smoke on the water) that turned out to be a coincidence ?

I've played guitar for several years and was actually a music major in college for a time (I'm only one class short of my degree, much to my parent's chagrin. I changed to business...). There's really only so many chords and notes and there's bound to be this kind of thing.

I don't have it anymore but at one point I had a video of a guy who played songs that sounded similiar from early Bach all the way through 80's New Wave.

I do this a lot, whether or not I realize it, when I write guitar riffs. I'll hear something cool and I'll do something similar - not identical, of course, but more like borrowing some of the patterns - just for the heck of it.

As for concrete examples, I can't think of any. I know that I've heard some classic rock song on the radio that reminded me of Petra - Counsel Of The Holy.

Some really smart dude once said "there's nothing new under the sun"

nothing new under the sun doesn't apply to technology (including music).

unworthy wrote:

nothing new under the sun doesn't apply to technology (including music).

I was being silly, smarty-pants !

The only ones that come to my mind are the ones I know have a direct relationship. I know "We're Not Gonna Take It" is modeled on "O Come All Ye Faithful" and the chorus of Billy Joel's "This Night" is lifted from the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique sonata for piano. I don't remember if the similarity between the opening of "Number of the Beast" and "When the Saints Go Marching In" is deliberate or just happened.

There's a whole branch of musicology called "forensic musicology" where people really study this stuff. These are the folks the RIAA call in for the infringement lawsuits.

Green Jello's Electric Harley House of Love used the opening riff from Enter Sandman midway through the song.

Quote :

Green Jello's Electric Harley House of Love

Sorry that just made me laugh

messiaen77 wrote:

The only ones that come to my mind are the ones I know have a direct relationship. I know "We're Not Gonna Take It" is modeled on "O Come All Ye Faithful" and the chorus of Billy Joel's "This Night" is lifted from the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique sonata for piano. I don't remember if the similarity between the opening of "Number of the Beast" and "When the Saints Go Marching In" is deliberate or just happened.

There's a whole branch of musicology called "forensic musicology" where people really study this stuff. These are the folks the RIAA call in for the infringement lawsuits.

That's pretty cool, I always wondered who was behind all that infringement stuff as it seems like a lot of work, and people with good ears.
I didn't know that about Twisted Sister, but now that I'm humming both tunes... YOU'RE RIGHT ! That's crazy !

Huely Lewis sued (and won) Ray Parker because the music for "Ghost Busters" was just to similar to Huey's hit "I Want A New Drug".

I heard about that one, then I decided to listen to both songs back to back over and over... I hear it a little, but not enough to make a full comparison. But then I'm tone-deaf so who knows

I agree, I remember hearing a few parts that sounded similar...but some of it seemed a stretch.

Guilty/Forgiven wrote:

messiaen77 wrote:

The only ones that come to my mind are the ones I know have a direct relationship. I know "We're Not Gonna Take It" is modeled on "O Come All Ye Faithful" and the chorus of Billy Joel's "This Night" is lifted from the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique sonata for piano. I don't remember if the similarity between the opening of "Number of the Beast" and "When the Saints Go Marching In" is deliberate or just happened.

There's a whole branch of musicology called "forensic musicology" where people really study this stuff. These are the folks the RIAA call in for the infringement lawsuits.

That's pretty cool, I always wondered who was behind all that infringement stuff as it seems like a lot of work, and people with good ears.
I didn't know that about Twisted Sister, but now that I'm humming both tunes... YOU'RE RIGHT ! That's crazy !

I stumbled on it listening to the Twisted Christmas album.