Can You Find Some Songs that Copy Another a la "Blurred Lines"?

[kenneth]

I was thinking about the recent lawsuit, and wondered if any of you, like me, have heard so many similarities in songs that you wondered why they didn't result in a lawsuit.

I have a couple, one major, one minor.

I already mentioned in the "Blurred" thread that James Brown's "Hot [[I Need to be Loved Loved Loved" is a blatant ripoff of David Bowie's "Fame" which had come out earlier the same year!

There's another one I just stumbled on today. The Supremes and Temptations version [[as well as the original by Sly and the Family Stone) of "Sing a Simple Song" has an opening riff which is identical to that of Ike and Tina Turner's "Bold Soul Sister." I think "BSS" was first, though I'm going to check on that. The album from which "BSS" came was "The Hunter," and it came out later that it was Albert Collins on guitar, not Ike. "Hunter" is a great album, all roaring blues numbers which Tina sings like she means it!

Any others you can name for our comparison?

[kenneth]

Fame by Bowie:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-_30HA7rec

[kenneth]

James Brown "Hot"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vn--qcqxXI

[kenneth]

Diane and the Sups and Temptations "Sing a Simple Song"


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

[kenneth]

Ike and Tina "Bold Soul Sister"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb55dHjKtW0

[midnightman]

Nah, Sing a Simple Song came out first in 1968. Bold Soul Sister emerged in 1969. Interesting that Albert Collins was the main guitarist on The Hunter but then again, I should've known. I knew it was him when Tina covered the title track. I wonder what was Ike doing besides producing it? Playing keyboards perhaps?

Interesting topic btw.

James Brown purposely used the same riff/melody from "Fame" to act like "yeah that's someone's riff but I inspired it because Carlos was my guitarist first" kind of deal.

[Bokiluis]

The most obvious to my ears is George Harrison's near letter perfect of "He's So Fine". Which Harrison lost that suit.

and then love Unlimited's "It Must Be Winter Ouside" which is also a direct replica of The Supremes popular B-side "Everything's Good About You".

i never was crazy about "Got to Give It Up". But the moment I heard "Blurred Lines" it was waaay to similar.

Thicke and Pharell should have been more dignified and paid the royalties. It has obviously hurt Thicke more than Pharell, who has been conspicuously silent through most of this.

[Jerry Oz]

I used to think the Phil Spector/George Harrison case was frivolous until the other day. I told my wife it was bogus but when I played them back to back, it was clear that the melody and chord changes were the same, so I was wrong.

The other notable one was Huey Lewis' suit against Ray Parker, Jr. charging that 'Ghostbusters' ripped off 'I Want A New Drug'. The rhythm was remarkably similar, but Parker's argument that Lewis first stole it from 'Pop Muzik' by M should have been considered because it sounds like Lewis was a thief, himself.

[daviddesper]

I cannot remember the names of the two songs that I am thinking of but can probably give you enough to go on so that you will know the ones I mean:

1) There is a fairly recent Madonna song that uses the exact intro to ABBA's "Gimme Gimme Gimme a Man After Midnight."

2) There was a Kid Rock song that sounds to me exactly like Werewolves of London.

[midnightman]

^ Madonna's song was Hung Up and as far as I know her producer sampled them.

[bradsupremes]

HDH sued Aerosmith around 1990-ish for their song "The Other Side" which the chorus was an identical rip-off of "Standing In The Shadows Of Love." I believe it was settled out of court and HDH received writing credits on "The Other Side."

Another case is George Benson/Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love Of All." Michael Masser and Linda Creed stole 24 bars of Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind" and it was note for note. I know Lightfoot's sued Masser, but I don't know if it was settled out of court.

[skooldem1]

Wasn't there a Lady Gaga song that people say sounded like Madonna's "Express yourself"?

[jillfoster]

Some butthurt contestants tried to accuse the 1973 Mocedades song "Eres Tu" of being a copy of this song, but it didn't stick.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r55l47uwbAU

[jillfoster]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s3BIX0duKs

[MIKEW-UK]

Isley Brothers - SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TDPL07g8sE

[MIKEW-UK]

If you concentrate on the backing, not the tone of the vocals and the fact it is a duet , do you hear the same patterns at a slightly slower tempo? Or is it just me?

Larry and Jaibi YOU MAKE ME FEEL GOOD


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd_EWm7ieDU

[MIKEW-UK]

Maybe hear some of those same patterns on this Marvin recording of SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9wNzFYOxhc

[MIKEW-UK]

They had simply disappeared on this recording of SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND by Bobby Montgomery


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79iyoyAwemc

[Methuselah2]

Check out the bridge--at 1:16 on the timer--of Archie Bell & the Drells/I JUST CAN'T STOP DANCING:

https://youtu.be/H4V3MU0ZLVc

Call me crazy [["You're crazy, Methuselah2!") but I hear BABY LOVE. Always have.

Thanks to OldiesCentral for the YouTube posting.

[kenneth]

Check out the bridge--at 1:16 on the timer--of Archie Bell & the Drells/I JUST CAN'T STOP DANCING:

https://youtu.be/H4V3MU0ZLVc

Call me crazy [["You're crazy, Methuselah2!") but I hear BABY LOVE. Always have.

Thanks to OldiesCentral for the YouTube posting.

Certainly, the horns do seem to play the "Baby Love" melody during the bridge. Weird!

[144man]

When Madonna sings the line "Papa Don't Preach", the tune sounds just like Sam Harris on "Sugar Don't Bite".

[arr&bee]

Heck even a young smokey[borrowed]from the great[bobby blue bland]listen to the backbeat of mickey's monkey and then listen to turn on your lovelight.

[Cadeho]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQyl1hcB1mA


I also wondered why Motown didn't go after that guitar riff in Otis and Carla's "Tramp" that sounded exactly like the Tempts' intro to "[[I Know) I'm Losing You."

[Cadeho]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWMvCXdsG4

These did go to court...

[Cadeho]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI5OX-ChBYY

I always thought this commercial from 2002 sounded like "Going to a Go-Go"

[roger]

I always thought that "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman", the 1979 hit by DOCTOR HOOK, sounded suspiciously like "Rock Your Baby" by GEORGE McCRAE. The general arrangement of the song was certainly very similar and rhythmically it mimicked that "Rock Your Baby" tempo in much the same way that "Blurred Lines" did so with "Got To Give It Up".

Roger

[marv2]

I always thought that "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman", the 1979 hit by DOCTOR HOOK, sounded suspiciously like "Rock Your Baby" by GEORGE McCRAE. The general arrangement of the song was certainly very similar and rhythmically it mimicked that "Rock Your Baby" tempo in much the same way that "Blurred Lines" did so with "Got To Give It Up".

Roger

A very good observation and choice.

[marv2]

Stevie Winwood's 1988 hit "Roll With It Baby" was a ripoff of Jr. Walker & the Allstars' "Roadrunner".

[StuBass1]

Another One Bites The Dust [[Queen)was a ripoff of Good Times [[Chic)...John Deacon even admits to hanging around the studio with Bernard Edwards when that bassline was being played....

[StuBass1]

Ray Parker Jr told me one day that he wrote "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing [[Leo Sayer)...Apparently, Ray was in the studio playing it one day for the producer who then took the song and gave it to Leo. Since Ray didn't have it on tape he couldn't claim copyrights infringement..

[StuBass1]

Just think of all the musicians hanging around studios and coming up with lines and hooks like The Funk Brothers, The Wrecking Crew, MFSB, etc and never got any credit [[or money) for their creative input. Robert White and My Girl being a prime example. That guitar line was the foundation of the track, yet Robert never received a penny other than his usual session fee. He could have struggled much less in his later years had he gotten the credit [[and royalty) he likely deserved had the "Blurred Lines" standard been used...

[theboyfromxtown]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI5OX-ChBYY

I always thought this commercial from 2002 sounded like "Going to a Go-Go"

I love this advert.....never seen it before. Made me play Going To A Go Go a few times too

[marv2]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWMvCXdsG4

These did go to court...

Great clip! I love that Beach Boys vs Chuck Berry LOL!!!!

[Cosmic Truth]

Paul Wellers track Changingman definitely copies parts of ELO's song 10538 Overture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ3DOnkUtDQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v9WhRpQw8E

Sorry, I can't figure out how to post videos.

[sansradio]

Here's a case of lyrical [[as opposed to melodic) cribbing: HDH's "V.I.P." [[The Honey Cone/The Glass House) contains the line, "When times are bad/And he's feeling sad," hearkening back to Stevie's "A Place in the Sun." ;)

[mr soul]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_XBXtkd76k

[mr soul]

To my ears it sounds like Bobby might have inspired one of Rod's biggest hits, anyone think so?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hphwfq1wLJs

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Check out the bridge--at 1:16 on the timer--of Archie Bell & the Drells/I JUST CAN'T STOP DANCING:

https://youtu.be/H4V3MU0ZLVc

Call me crazy [["You're crazy, Methuselah2!") but I hear BABY LOVE. Always have.

Thanks to OldiesCentral for the YouTube posting.
By golly, Meth, you’re right! It’s plain as day. How the heck did I manage to miss that before???

[sansradio]

To my ears it sounds like Bobby might have inspired one of Rod's biggest hits, anyone think so?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hphwfq1wLJs

Absolutely, mr soul. Remember Millie Jackson's legendary mashup of those two songs on her Live and Uncensored album?

[mr soul]

Yes and here it is.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03RbsU9Ifww&list=PL91898E1B8BEA453E

[platters81]

didnt Berry Gordy sue Curtis Mayfield [[successfully) claiming that Cant Satisfy was a rip off of This Old Heart of Mine?.....outrageous :mad:

[milven]

I heard the first four notes of an old Everly Brothers song on the radio and thought that I was about to hear Chavez La Femme by Dr. Buzzard's Band. The first few notes are the same. But nothing else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZChPBo-ENAY

[milven]

The intro to this song duplicates the opening lines to the classic TENDERLY. You can even sing the words to Tenderly along with the opening "The evening breeze, caress the trees tenderly"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBUNynQ6PQ0

[stephanie]

144man YES I thought the same thing about Sam Harris and Papa dont Preach. I have been thinking about Dr Hook and what song I was trying to think of that it resembled for the last h
month! Thanks for Soulful Detroit I have my answer!

[sansradio]

Ike and Tina "Bold Soul Sister"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb55dHjKtW0

Just remembered: The Jackson 5ive's "Hallelujah Day" and Rose Royce's "Pop Your Fingers" both employ this motif as well.