| 1 | * A favorite running gag on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' was to sing along to Suspiciously Similar Songs with the real song's lyrics. |
| 2 | ** And some of the previews featured a parody of Music/ThomasDolby's "She Blinded Me With Science," with the lyrics "We're Bustin' It with Science." |
| 3 | ** And the music during "Sonic Boom Breaks Glass" is designed to evoke "Danger Zone" from Music/KennyLoggins (from ''Film/TopGun''.) |
| 4 | ** Their theme song sounds like (read: is all but identical to) "Legs" by ''Music/ZZTop''. |
| 5 | *** Another incidental music sounds similar to "La Grange." |
| 6 | ** They did a Suspiciously Similar Song to ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' theme for "Motorcycle Flip," but Adam also sings a bar from it during the episode. |
| 7 | * ''Music/TheRutles'', a fictional band with its own telemovie back in the late 1970s and several "reunion tours" since, have plenty of Beatles sound-alike tunes in their repertoire (not surprising, since they're a Beatles parody), all composed by Neil Innes. (Eric Idle, who played a Rutle and wrote the TV movie, didn't write or perform a note of any of the songs.) However, EMI thought they didn't sound different enough, and, one lawsuit later, several of the songs on the original soundtrack were (and still are) legally credited to Innes, Lennon, and [=McCartney=]. |
| 8 | ** "Ouch!" and "Get Up and Go," in particular, are pretty blatant swipes of their Beatle counterparts, "Help!" and "Get Back." |
| 9 | ** Which has led to a severe case of MisattributedSong, because due to these credits, a whole lot of people think Rutles songs are "lost" Beatle bootlegs. |
| 10 | *** Absolutely true -- the generally shoddy mid-1970s bootleg ''Indian Rope Trick'' even listed "Cheese and Onions" as a lost Lennon demo. To be fair, Innes' take on Lennon's vocal style is uncanny. |
| 11 | * Sometimes this happens when a TV show is released on DVD and the production company didn't manage to secure the license to the original music [[note]]In the [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates U.S.]], one has to contract separately for the right to use a song for ''broadcast'' purposes and the right to include the song for ''distribution'' purposes. Even ten years ago, who would have thought consumers would [[ItWillNeverCatchOn spend good money on box sets of old TV shows]]?[[/note]]. For instance, the original DVD release of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' uses an instrumental opening song that's very reminiscent of, but not identical to, Music/FrankSinatra's "Love and Marriage"... unlike the original broadcasts, which actually ''did'' use Sinatra's song. The newer releases do retain the song, however. |
| 12 | ** Also, the show used Music/{{Queen}}'s "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" rather frequently. The DVD used Suspiciously Similar Songs. |
| 13 | * The opening theme to ''Series/{{Alcatraz}}'' resembles the main synth riff on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gjI67KBbRg "The Brazilian"]] by Music/{{Genesis|Band}}. |
| 14 | * Creator/LewisBlack's segments on ''Series/TheDailyShow'' were prefaced with a Suspiciously Similar Song to [[Music/{{ACDC}} AC/DC's]] "Back in Black." |
| 15 | ** A possible [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] occurred on ''Series/TheColbertReport'' -- Stephen requested to use "Back in Black" for a segment intro, but was told that Jon had said no, as that was ''The Daily Show'''s thing. |
| 16 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBananaSplits'' theme shares a notable refrain with Music/BobMarley's "Buffalo Soldier" (as pointed out on ''Series/{{Ed}}''.) Marley and his family were in the United States (Wilmington, Delaware to be exact) for an extended visit with his mother in the summer of 1969, when ''The Banana Splits'' were in the middle of their original run. Given that he had some young children who might have been Saturday morning TV viewers, it's within the realm of possibility that he'd heard their theme song and had a bout of cryptomnesia later on. |
| 17 | * Comedian Creator/FrankSidebottom once performed a sketch in which he claimed that 'after the first six notes you have to pay royalties'. He proceeded to perform a cover-version of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' theme tune, with a handful of notes played a semitone off at the times in the tune where they would sound the most agonizingly painful. |
| 18 | * ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' |
| 19 | ** DiscussedTrope in a sketch featuring Creator/JonLovitz as the host of a program presenting an unauthorized adaptation of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Snow White'', who explains that it's legally not plagiarism as long as every third note is different. |
| 20 | ** In another sketch, fake soap opera ''The Californians'' uses a poor man's version of Music/{{America}}'s "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5J54RVZjYs Ventura Highway]]" during the between-scene bumpers. For those who recognize what the music is supposed to sound like, it also serves as a nice little in-joke... Since the main theme of the sketch revolves around stereotypical surfer-accented blondes making repeated references to the Los Angeles street grid/highway system. |
| 21 | ** Crystal Pepsi, a transparent variant of Pepsi, had a famous commercial featuring Music/VanHalen's "Right Now." ''SNL'' parodied the commercial with one of its own for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0sjRG34DlA "Crystal Gravy"]], which is Main/ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. The ''SNL'' version features an original song with a very similar instrumentation and melody; the lyrics are even mostly rephrasings of the real lyrics. |
| 22 | --->''It's now (Hey)\ |
| 23 | Make your decision\ |
| 24 | It's now (Hey)\ |
| 25 | You can be anything\ |
| 26 | It's now\ |
| 27 | See the magic moment, the time is here and now\ |
| 28 | You'll see everything\ |
| 29 | Take a chance on tomorrow\ |
| 30 | Say goodbye to yesterday\ |
| 31 | Start your livin' for the future\ |
| 32 | Can't you hear the wise men say\ |
| 33 | It's now (Hey)\ |
| 34 | It's now'' |
| 35 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'' and ''Series/TheXFiles''- the "oooh wee ooooh" of the former and the whistling in the latter sound very much similar. |
| 36 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OmWtqb1x1c One of the background songs]] used in ''Series/RobotWars'' from ''Extreme'' onwards sounds eerily similar to Metallica's "Enter Sandman". |
| 37 | * Parodied by Harry Hill in ''Series/HarryHillsTVBurp'' in a segment where he mocks a wildlife show for using a cheap rendition of the ''Film/JamesBond'' theme, [[http://harryhilllizard.ytmnd.com/ as shown here]]. |
| 38 | * [[http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Spv3WoyQFWo This video]] contains what can be described as the Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''Series/DoctorWho'' theme tune. |
| 39 | * A track from early in the first series of ''Series/DoctorWho'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2_1_PD9sjw "Westminster Bridge"]] is an admitted Suspiciously Similar Song to Music/ThePixies' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0R9kFljjv0 "Cecilia Ann."]] |
| 40 | ** "Song for Ten," from "The Christmas Invasion," is a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for the Phil Spector version of "The Bells of St. Mary's." |
| 41 | ** The beginning of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNR9mvEhWz0 "Which One Is The Flesh?"]] sounds exactly like the beginning of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRv35ml6W1g "Flying"]] from ''Film/ResidentEvilAfterlife.'' |
| 42 | * The ''Series/KnightRider'' theme is lifted almost note-for-note from "March and Procession of Bacchus" by Delibes. |
| 43 | ** In turn, it was suspiciously similar to the "chase theme" in ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget''. |
| 44 | * Used for laughs in ''Series/FatherTed'', when Ted and Dougal write Ireland's Series/EurovisionSongContest entry using new lyrics and an old Eurovision song track's tune, which they assume to be too obscure to be widely known. They assume incorrectly. |
| 45 | ** Predictably, WCW did this with Randy Savage when he jumped to there. |
| 46 | *** This is one of TNA's few justified uses of the trope, as it's a remix for Jay Lethal's "Black Machismo" character. |
| 47 | * The FLN showings of ''Series/IronChef'' have had all the music of the Creator/FoodNetwork version (originally used in the movie ''Film/{{Backdraft}}'' of all things), replaced with royalty-free-to-Universal Suspiciously Similar Songs. |
| 48 | * The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=JP&hl=ja&v=ujlWGOZc4QM theme song]] to Spanish comedy series ''Los Serrano'', which became a hit single itself, was a rather brazen knockoff of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrTDnM_OMlM "Pure" by The Lightning Seeds]]. |
| 49 | * The pilot episode of the American game show ''[[Series/BullseyeUS Bullseye]]'' used "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda as the theme. When the show made it to air, a new theme with similar instrumentation was used. |
| 50 | * Creator/AlanThicke has written Suspiciously Similar Songs to themes for several different game shows: |
| 51 | ** The 1970s game show ''Series/BlankCheck'' used Quincy Jones' "Chump Change" as the theme in the pilot episode. After Creator/MarkGoodson-Bill Todman Productions decided to use this theme for its game show ''Series/NowYouSeeIt'', Thicke wrote a theme with a similar melody. |
| 52 | *** Similarly, "Now You See It" ''itself'' briefly stopped using "Chump Change" for anything else than the opening, instead going for a doppelganger theme written by Edd Kalehoff. The original was still used in the intro. |
| 53 | ** After ''Series/TheJokersWild'' stopped using Jean-Jacques Perry and Gershon Kingsley's "The Savers" as its theme, they briefly switched to a Suspiciously Similar Song to the theme, written by Thicke. They later switched to a rearrangement of "The Savers". |
| 54 | ** The pilot episode of ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' used "Give It One", composed by Maynard Ferguson. When the show made it to air in 1975, the first theme that it used was "Big Wheels", a Thicke composition with similar melody. |
| 55 | ** One of the prize cues on ''Wheel'' in the early days sounded a lot like "Temptation Eyes" by The Grass Roots. Another was the ''Blank Check'' theme. |
| 56 | * The short-lived 1998 revival of ''Series/MatchGame'' used a Suspiciously Similar Song to the 1970s theme. |
| 57 | * When the ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'' game show franchise was brought back in 1982 as ''The New $25,000 Pyramid'', it used a theme song that was suspiciously similar to "Tuning Up", the theme that had been used on all 1970s incarnations of the Pyramids. This is actually a subversion, as "Tuning Up" was a piece of stock music that Bob Cobert arranged, and the ''$25,000'' theme was his own composition. |
| 58 | * Brazilian TV station Globo reworks songs into opening themes of some programs. The most obvious case is for ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e69cTTvBA2s Video]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2TbYURpRwM Show]]'', which is the instrumental bridge for Music/MichaelJackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough". Their major news show, ''Jornal Nacional'' started with an already-existing intrumental, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjqfxIkyu_I The Fuzz]]" but eventually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtYZUqDzCwc changed to a Suspiciously Similar Song]]. |
| 59 | * The ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' sketch "The Pantomime Horse is a Secret Agent Film," being a spoof of ''Film/JamesBond'' movies, uses music that, though probably from a stock music vault, has a fairly obvious resemblance to the ''Film/JamesBond'' theme. |
| 60 | ** They also retooled (just barely) the ''Series/PeterGunn'' theme for "THE BISHOP!" |
| 61 | * Listen to [[Series/PowerRangersRPM RPM's]] instrumental for a moment. The riffs sound very similar to Metallica's "Fuel" in composition. |
| 62 | ** Another example from RPM, uses a version of a-ha's "Take On Me" during a HardWorkMontage. |
| 63 | ** In [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder's]] 9th episode Beneath The Surface, at the end there's a instrumental that is suspiciously like The Black Eyed Pea's "Where Is the Love". |
| 64 | ** Related to the copyright issues with the MMPR theme, when Tommy fought the iconic Green Ranger during a dream sequence in [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder's]] "[[Recap/PowerRangersDinoThunderS1E27FightingSpirit Fighting Spirit]]", the Dragon Dagger's music was this, because Saban owned that music too. |
| 65 | ** In the trailers leading up to [[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Operation Overdrive,]] a song was used that sounded like Rage Against The Machine's "Guerilla Radio." |
| 66 | ** As in [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]], when Overdrive did a teamup episode featuring MMPR's Adam plus four rangers from Disney seasons, each fought to theme music from their show...except for Adam. Disney wasn't willing to cut the check to Saban. |
| 67 | * The ''Series/{{Psych}}'' episode "Extradition: British Columbia" uses Suspiciously Similar Songs to the anthem "O Canada", including a rock version and a guitar version. |
| 68 | * Alton Brown's ''Series/GoodEats'' has an episode called "The Egg Files," which features a tune that sounds quite similar to the theme of, you guessed it, ''Series/TheXFiles''. |
| 69 | ** A suspiciously similar song to the ''Film/JamesBond'' is used for [[DeadpanSnarker W's]] appearances (Herself a parody of Bond's Q). |
| 70 | ** He also did the main theme in the style of "Tubular Bells" for the episode "Give Peas A Chance", which spoofed ''Film/TheExorcist''. |
| 71 | ** When [[MacGyvering combining hardware to make new devices]], the music is generally in the style of ''Series/TheATeam''. |
| 72 | * One ''Cake Boss'' trailer used a Suspiciously Similar Song to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger". |
| 73 | * Modern Marvels episode '70s Tech had a segment comparing the speed of a calculator to that of a slide rule. The background music playing was a rendition of the Jeopardy theme. |
| 74 | * ''Gerbert'' had a scene in which the title character gets upset over losing a spelling bee. The very [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TninfNNBws dramatic music]] playing during this scene sounds like a Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''Series/TwinPeaks'' theme. |
| 75 | * The game "Safecrackers" on ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'' originally used ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' theme when introduced, but two different songs replaced it, the latter being a Suspiciously Similar Song. |
| 76 | * A episode of ''The UFO Files'' has a just-off version of ''Series/TheXFiles'' theme. |
| 77 | * Suspiciously Similar Songs to the ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' movie theme by Music/JohnWilliams show up in the 1988 ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperboy'' TV series and ''Series/LoisAndClark''. ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', however, averts this. |
| 78 | * The theme to [[Creator/FoodNetwork Sandra Lee's]] ''Sandra's Money Saving Meals'' sounds like a poor man's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKl6EZShaaw Good Times]] by Chic. |
| 79 | * In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUbGcRJUDu0 this Jimmy Kimmel Live segment]], Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz sings a Suspiciously Similar song to "Indeed, I am very glad that I finally am returning home", aka the Trololo song. |
| 80 | * The theme song for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJgHoSaD3ck&feature=channel this Singaporean drama series]] (starts at about 9:18) is a ''Chinese'' version of "I'm Yours" by Music/JasonMraz. |
| 81 | * When the 2000s version of ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' aired a segment on a man spinning 25 basketballs at once, they played a Suspiciously Similar Song to the Harlem Globetrotters' whistling theme song ([[StandardSnippet "Sweet Georgia Brown"]]) with footage of the team. |
| 82 | * The entire soundtrack of ''Series/TheWayansBros'' consists of these. People who are fans of East Coast hip-hop from the mid-90s will recognize most of the instrumentals played between scenes. |
| 83 | * You could easily make a DrinkingGame out of this while watching a few hours of [=HGTV=]. "Hey, that sounds ''almost'' like "All Star" by Smash Mouth! And this sounds ''almost'' like that song from ''Film/{{Zoolander}}''!" |
| 84 | * A Hong Kong ''period'' drama has a piece of background music that's really a suspiciously similar instrumental of [[Theatre/LesMiserables "I Dreamed a Dream"]]. |
| 85 | * The theme tune to ''Series/AmericasGotTalent'' is a simulated version of the theme tune from ''Series/TheXFactor''. It must be noted that both shows were created by Simon Cowell. |
| 86 | ** As a consequence to this, ''Series/BritainsGotTalent'' mostly averts the trope with a different theme tune. |
| 87 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-JQqtzs1lw The opener]] for the 1990 Logie Awards telecast (the Aussie version of the Emmys) was designed to evoke Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". |
| 88 | * ''Series/BetterOffTed'' episode "Secret and Lives" has a Suspiciously Similar Song to "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" when the magic starts. |
| 89 | * Creator/CartoonNetwork original movie ''Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins'' has a scene featuring a Suspiciously Similar Song to [[Film/KillBill "Battle Without Honour Or Humanity"]]. |
| 90 | * {{Creator/FOX}}'s 2010 baseball playoff promos used a ''very'' close instrumental knockoff of Music/{{Aerosmith}}'s "Dream On". |
| 91 | ** Also, the ''NFL on FOX'' theme bears a very close resemblance to the bridge of Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" (which they have been known to {{Lampshade}} during the holiday season). |
| 92 | * The theme from the Creator/DisneyChannel Original Series ''The Jersey'' is almost identical to the instrumental chorus of Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song". |
| 93 | * ''Series/TheEdisonTwins''' animated educational segments used a quite obvious Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''Creator/LaurelAndHardy'' theme music. |
| 94 | * In ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', Captain John Hart gets a Suspiciously Similar Song to "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by Music/TheBeatles as his theme music. |
| 95 | * TLC's ''Series/WhatNotToWear'' occasionally uses a Suspiciously Similar Song to Music/DuranDuran's "Rio" for the subject's post-makeover interview. |
| 96 | * The broadcasts of ''Newton's Apple'' used Music/{{Kraftwerk}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIu2Fr2nIhI "Ruckzuck"]] from 1983 to 1989, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhGRh_Yc5KU&feature=related a remixed version]] from 1990 to 1994, but due to licensing difficulties, the home videos used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHKydGMCu3s a Suspiciously Similar Song]]. |
| 97 | * When something very slick and spy-like is going on in ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', an obviously James Bond-like theme tends to play. |
| 98 | * ''Series/{{Conan}}'' had an AudienceGame sketch called "Basic Cable Series/NameThatTune"; because they couldn't afford the rights to play the actual songs, the band performs a suspiciously similar version of an actual song with lyrics parodying the originals, and the contestant has to guess what the real song was. |
| 99 | -->'''Conan''': What song does that sound like, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial but I can prove to you legally it isn't?]] |
| 100 | ** In the segment where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpTOcwdj0DA Andy joins a curling team]], Andy "records" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hpTOcwdj0DA&t=159 a song called "Roll the Rock"]] which sounds very similar to "Eye of the Tiger". In the end of the segment knock-off of "''Film/ChariotsOfFire''" plays. |
| 101 | * ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' has great fun [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] this trope in the episode "Making a Stand". The narrator muses, over a series of still photographs played in lieu of interesting footage, that no matter what theme music is played underneath, it still isn't very interesting. He comments that they even tried Music/TheBeatles' "Yellow Submarine", but they couldn't afford it. Over a subsequent photo montage, an obviously Suspiciously Similar Song called "Yellow Boat" can be heard. |
| 102 | * ''Series/RedDwarf'''s original theme tune was in the style of ''Also Sprach Zarathustra'' but with the tune of its closing theme. Also, Ace Rimmer's leitmotif is a clear version of ''Take My Breath Away''. Meanwhile, the theme tune used from the third series onwards contains a riff lifted straight from David Bowie's "Life on Mars". |
| 103 | * In ''Series/{{Treme}}'', violinist Annie takes a stab at writing her own songs. Her first attempt results in a slightly altered version of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." |
| 104 | * NCIS Los Angeles season 2, episode 23 featured a recurring tune that sounds a lot like one of the instrumental songs from the video game Legend Of Mana. |
| 105 | * Every single ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' song parody, ever. Likewise, any time the show parodied a movie or a TV show, the background music was suspiciously similar to the music most associated with the parody source. |
| 106 | ** Which is hardly a surprise as In Living Color did the same thing years before ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' existed. |
| 107 | * The South Korean drama "Myeongweol, the Spy" has Suspiciously Similar Songs to the ''Film/JamesBond'' theme and the ''Series/MissionImpossible'' theme running in the background during scenes. |
| 108 | * In the last episode of ''Series/JustCause'', when Patrick runs in slow-motion down the street to deliver a document on time, a Suspciously Similar Song to the theme from ''Film/ChariotsOfFire'' plays. |
| 109 | * The fanfare used for the 1990s-early 2000s version of the Creator/{{Paramount}} Television VanityPlate is actually a Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''Franchise/StarWars'' opening theme. |
| 110 | ** It's actually a remix of the last six notes of the rarely-heard [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juGUxQ8FCv4 Paramount Pictures theatrical fanfare]], but does sound similar. |
| 111 | ** Which is ironic when Paramount's former ownership of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' is taken into account. |
| 112 | * An in-universe example: [[Series/PeepShow Jeremy's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6exgBw7iaA8 song "Outrageous"]] sounds a lot like "Firestarter" by The Prodigy if you removed everything musical about it and made a music video full of confusing political "satire". |
| 113 | * Whitest Kids U Know- ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW7gQnWYxpw Let's Wake Up The Neighbors]]'' is suspiciously similar to Music/DaddyYankee's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGKrc3A6HHM Gasolina]]'', and rather dangerously close to the original. |
| 114 | * The instrumental portion of the ''Series/RemoteControl'' theme song (which you hear over pretty much half the show) very closely resembles "Fire" by the Ohio Players. |
| 115 | * ''Series/ImTelling'' (''Series/TheNewlywedGame'' [-[[RecycledInSpace FOR KIDS]]-]!) has a ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' ripoff as its [[https://youtu.be/4HN7uwdWKOk?t=8s theme]]. |
| 116 | * In the episode of ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' where Bayside gets a new school song, the new song is based on the theme song from ''Series/{{Cheers}}''. |
| 117 | * ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' |
| 118 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4f6k9lkFs8 Tsubasamaru's theme]] from Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger is an uptempo version of the famous Film/BladeRunner ending titles. |
| 119 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZptRhRtL9A A commercial]] for Series/KagakuSentaiDynaman's Dynarobo uses BGM that sounds strangely like Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger". |
| 120 | ** The beginning part of Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger's opening uses some motifs from ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. |
| 121 | ** Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger's opening sounds like the theme of Series/PowerRangersSPD. |
| 122 | ** And of course, among other ''Franchise/StarWars'' nods, the Gorma leitmotif in ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' is a slightly-altered Imperial March. |
| 123 | * The opening theme song to ''Series/Touch2012'' sounds quite a bit like Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place". This similarity is practically confirmed by the original closed captions used on the pilot episode (and still present on the Hulu stream); suffice it to say, apparently the version submitted for captioning ''did'' use the Radiohead track, before it was overdubbed for the final broadcast. |
| 124 | * ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'' used a ton of licensed music, but those licenses eventually expired. For syndication and DVD releases, the music was replaced. The new music tends to sound nothing like the original, except when a specific song was central to a plot point or mood. One notable example was at the end of the episode "I Want To Keep My Baby," where Johnny Fever plays James Taylor's "Your Smiling Face." The syndicated version replaces this with an obvious soundalike. |
| 125 | ** Later (mostly) averted in the Shout Factory DVD release, which reacquired the rights for about 80% of the music, and tried to use more similar substitutes when necessary. |
| 126 | ** The famously [[SingingSimlish unintelligible]] closing theme song strongly resembles "China Grove" by Music/TheDoobieBrothers. |
| 127 | ** Also the background music played during a basketball game in the episode "Kisses and Basketball," sounds like "Unsung," by Helmet. |
| 128 | * The background music used on Anderson Cooper's talk show, sounds like "Luxury," by Imperial Teen. |
| 129 | * The ThemeTune to ''Series/PressYourLuck'' is relatively similar to the stock music used on the pilot — nearly-identical arrangement and some chord patterns. |
| 130 | * Done in ''Series/StorageWars'' when resident SmugSnake Dave arrives in his enormous truck; the accompanying tune is not quite [[VillainSong The Imperial March]] from Franchise/StarWars. |
| 131 | * In an early episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' where Sam jumps into a boxer, there's a TrainingMontage set to a noticeably less triumphant yet suspiciously similar version of the music from the TrainingMontage in ''Film/{{Rocky}}''. |
| 132 | * Joel [=McNeely's=] score for the ''[[Series/TheYoungIndianaJonesChronicles Young Indy]]'' episode "Phantom Train of Doom" features setpieces with similar segments to the tank fight score from ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade Last Crusade]]'', as well as the finale to ''Film/{{Hook}}''. |
| 133 | * The ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'' episode "Small World" is named for a snow globe that plays a tune that isn't quite "It's a Small World", the copyright for which is owned by Disney. |
| 134 | * The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo7p388bhG8 opening theme and credits]] for a Russian show named ''Freud's Method'' looks awfully similar to the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZABO1mNuSc opening theme and credits]] to ''{{Series/Sherlock}}''. The main character of the former is also described as [[{{Expy}} a special consultant to the police who solves "complex cases using outstanding insight and brilliant logic"]]. |
| 135 | * The [[Creator/ABCFamily Family Channel]] GameShow ''It Takes Two'' had a ThemeTune (complete with words) suspiciously similar to "It Takes Two" by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston. |
| 136 | * The theme song to Jeremy Kyle's daytime talk show blatantly copies Music/KoolAndTheGang's "Celebration" |
| 137 | * [[Creator/TheBBC BBC One's]] 2013 "Love Spring" station idents used a Suspiciously Similar Song to Music/TheBeatles' "Here Comes The Sun". |
| 138 | * The song featured in [[Creator/TheHistoryChannel History's]] 2013 preview trailer sounds a lot like [=OneRepublic=]'s "Everybody Loves Me". That's because History couldn't get the rights to the [=OneRepublic=] song and thus commissioned the company Jingle Punks to come up with something "suspiciously similar". The song on the trailer is titled "Winning Is Everything". |
| 139 | ** The new History Channel promo featuring ''Series/PawnStars'', ''Series/AmericanRestoration'' and ''Series/CountingCars'' uses a song that sounds suspiciously like Tame Impala's "Elephant". |
| 140 | * The ''Series/HancocksHalfHour'' episode "The Bowmans" revolves around the recording of a radio drama very obviously based on ''Radio/TheArchers'', and with a theme tune suspiciously (and appropriately) similar to that series' theme "Barwick Green". |
| 141 | * ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'''s theme song "Think" sounds suspiciously similar to "I'm A Little Teapot". |
| 142 | * Series/DoctorWho's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7VmOZ4Ppj8 "I Am the Doctor"]] and ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsD2FjmLsw "Suicide Mission"]] have parts that sound remarkably similar to each other. |
| 143 | ** Speaking of "I Am the Doctor", it also sounds similar to the beginning of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWWfjK0v8eM "His World"]] from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. |
| 144 | * The old HGTV series ''Simply Quilts'' has a theme song that sounds just way too much like Music/{{REM}}'s "Nightswimming". |
| 145 | * The theme to ''American Horror Story'' sounds like a dark version of the theme to the Austin Powers film series. |
| 146 | * The pilot to ''Series/MarryMe2014'' has "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes as its theme song. From the second episode on, it has a vaguely similar generic song that evokes "Home", but most certainly is not. |
| 147 | * On ''Series/SilverSpoons'' when Michael Jackson[[note]]actually an InUniverse impersonator Alfonso hires to cover up his CelebrityLie[[/note]] shows up at the local hangout his bodyguards carry a boombox which is playing a song similar to "Billie Jean." |
| 148 | * ''The Late Show with Creator/DavidLetterman'': When it came up during a show that Music/{{Eagles}} charge a flat fee of $250,000 for using one of their songs on TV - in order to keep people from using one of their songs on TV - the staff discovers that CBS has the rights to a song similar to "Life in the Fast Lane" and played a little bit of it. |
| 149 | * In the ''Ice Capades'' special based on ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', the appearance of the eponymous duo is accompanied by a song that sounds ''kind of'' like the ''Mario'' series theme if you're not paying attention. Oddly, the actual theme was played earlier in the special with no alterations. |
| 150 | * Some of the themes in the between-scenes bits on ''Series/That70sShow'' sound quite a bit like popular rock songs from the 1970s. Notably, the "baby baby baby" wail sounds like Music/LedZeppelin 's "baby, baby, baby do you like it" (from "Misty Mountain Hop"). And there's a riff in the later season that sounds exactly like "Same Old Song and Dance" by Aerosmith. |
| 151 | * One ''Series/UnbreakableKimmySchmidt'' episode plays with this trope as Kimmy has a cassette called ''Now That Sounds Like Music'', a collection of songs where the instrumental is mainly the same but the lyrics are altered drastically (a take-off on soundalike records). Examples include "Hiking on Starlight" ("Walking on Sunshine") and "I'm Freaking Out" ("All By Myself"). |
| 152 | * The theme of ''Video and Arcade Top 10'' is similar to Crash Man's stage in VideoGame/MegaMan2. |
| 153 | ** "This Was a Shitshow" is one of these for "Music/MyWay" by Music/FrankSinatra, with elements of "The Way We Were" by Music/BarbraStreisand. |
| 154 | ** "His Status is Preferred" has elements of "Making Whoopee". |
| 155 | ** "Cold Showers Lead to Crack" is basically "Ya Got Trouble" from ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'' with even more absurd moralizing. |
| 156 | * Many songs on the ''Series/{{Galavant}}'' soundtrack are clearly inspired by previously-recorded music. Alan Menken even self-plagiarizes his past Disney soundtracks: |
| 157 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B9rjRzlWtU "Let's Agree to Disagree"]] is a take on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oEmPP5dTM "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"]] |
| 158 | ** The melody of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBN7FB7PsGE "Off With His Shirt"]] is clearly a remixed version of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5aZJBLAu1E "It's Raining Men"]]. |
| 159 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kxIbo2aEOQ "Maybe You Won't Die Alone"]] takes its inspiration from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aobVs-HfsCI "Kiss the Girl"]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'', albeit executed as a mariachi number rather than as a calypso. |
| 160 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnSHFspT5G8 "Dwarves vs. Giants"]] takes multiple cues from ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', specifically the whistling from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKqESnFmTmA "Prologue"]] and the single soprano contrasting the male gangs from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0TDtythc2o "Quintet"]]. |
| 161 | ** "Finally" is clearly inspired by "Summer Nights" from ''Film/{{Grease}}''. |
| 162 | ** "Do the D'Dew" is an evil version of [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs "The Silly Song"]]. |
| 163 | ** "My Dragon Pal and Me" is a lot like the theme song from ''Series/ThatGirl'' |
| 164 | ** The AngryMobSong "Today We Rise" is very similar to "One Day More" from ''Theatre/LesMiserables''. |
| 165 | ** "Jackass In A Can" sounds awfully similar to "Gee, Officer Krupke" from ''Theatre/WestSideStory''. |
| 166 | * The theme song to several of the Power Rangers series, "Go Go Power Rangers", is a poor man's version of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmXWkMlKFkI "Kickstart my Heart"]] by Music/MotleyCrue. Other comparisons include "Electric Eye" by Music/JudasPriest, which was actually used to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcn5Iemz0SU pitch the series]]. |
| 167 | ** The song played when [[Series/PowerRangersSamurai Mike and Kevin]] morph against Epoxar sounds a lot like Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide's theme. |
| 168 | * Creator/{{NBC}}'s ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Thursday Night Football]]'' theme appeared to heavily interpolate "[[Music/{{Europe}} The Final Countdown]]". |
| 169 | * The theme song to ''Series/FullHouse'' sounds like a low-pitched version of ''Delicate Ni Sukishite'' from ''Anime/CreamyMamiTheMagicAngel''. |
| 170 | * The theme song to ''Video Power'' sounds like a poor mans version of ''3 A.M. Eternal'' by Music/TheKLF. |
| 171 | * InUniverse in ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' when Malcolm tries to expand on his creative side by composing an emotional melancholy song, which he sings and plays on a guitar in front of his family. The musical genius of the family, Dewey, starts singing "Meow Meow Meow Meow" (the Meow Mix cat food jingle), since the song had the exact same tune. |
| 172 | * The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn-a2eLeLe4&t=29s second theme song]] to ''Trucks & Tractor Power'' sounds similar to "Gimme Three Steps" by Music/LynyrdSkynyrd. |
| 173 | * The ''Series/ZoobileeZoo'' [[https://youtu.be/oowOsEOTApA theme]] sounds like [[https://youtu.be/6bWyhj7siEY "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"]] from ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'' crossed with the [[https://youtu.be/IgncJgSbbck "Raiders March"]] from the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' series. |
| 174 | * The main theme of ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' has a beat similar to Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons." |
| 175 | * The version of "Kiss Me" used as the theme song for the sixth and seventh seasons of ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' is almost a Dead ringer for "Shotgun" by Junior Walker and the All-Stars. |
| 176 | * The main theme of ''That's My Bush!'' resembles "If I Only Had a Brain" from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. |
| 177 | * From season 2 onward, ''Series/FunnyYouShouldAsk'' uses a theme song that sounds similar to Pharrell Williams' 'Happy'. It used [[RealSongThemeTune the real deal]] during season 1. |
| 178 | * The soundtrack in season 3 episode 7 of ''Series/MoneyHeist'', during the chase when the Professor and the Inspector are trying to escape in the ambulance (about 33:12 on), is a beat-for-beat recreation of [[https://youtu.be/4sCXkpZsBRg Brothers In Arms]]" from ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''. |
| 179 | * The famous bass EpicRiff that opens the ''Series/BarneyMiller'' theme was improvised in the studio by session musician Chuck Berghofer, but he later said he based it around a riff from Music/JamesTaylor's "Rock 'n' Roll is Music Now". Indeed, the Taylor riff starts off on bass toward the end of the song and is picked up by the other instruments in a BoleroEffect. |
| 180 | * ''Series/{{Friends}}'': The producers wanted to set [[WillTheyOrWontThey Ross and Rachel's]] first kiss to Music/{{U2}}'s "With or Without You" but couldn't get the rights in time to use it. The scene is instead set to a similar sounding instrumental. They managed to get the rights cleared up in time to use the song in the next episode where it plays on the radio. |
| 181 | * The theme song to British geriatric cop show ''New Tricks'' is 'It's Alright' (sic) written by Mike Moran and sung by Dennis Waterman. The words and melody are ''very'' similar to 'The End of the Line', by The Traveling Wilburys. A version of this, also sung by Waterman, was used for the pilot episode. |
| 182 | * ''Series/SesameStreet'''s parodies almost always have original melodies, as PBS shows do not have the budget to license song rights. |
| 183 | ** "Cereal Girl" was a pastiche of Music/{{Madonna}}'s "Material Girl", using the same beat and chord progression with a different melody. |
| 184 | ** "It's Hip to Be a Square" is one of the few exceptions, directly borrowing the melody of Music/HueyLewisAndTheNews' "Hip to be Square", with Lewis being credited as co-writer. |
| 185 | ** Billy Idle's "Rebel L" is a sound alike of Music/BillyIdol's "Rebel Yell." |
| 186 | ** Bruce Stringbean's "Born to Add" and "Barn in the USA" spoof Music/BruceSpringsteen's "Music/BornToRun" and "Born in the USA," respectively. |
| 187 | ** ''Sesame Street'''s composers being the creative people they were, sometimes these deviated pretty far from their sources. "Kids Just Love to Brush" was clearly based on "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", but really doesn't sound much like it at all. And word has it that Cookie Monster's famous rap "Healthy Food" was based on... "Walk This Way"! |
| 188 | ** The "Monsterpiece Theater" theme is slightly different from the "Masterpiece Theater" theme it is meant to parody, which was unnecessary since the "Masterpiece Theater" theme is public domain. |
| 189 | ** Sesame Workshop (then Children's Television Workshop) almost got sued by ATV Music over "Letter B," their parody of Music/TheBeatles' "Music/LetItBe". Then Music/MichaelJackson bought the [=Lennon/McCartney=] catalog, so CTW only paid $50 (which came from composer Chris Cerf's pocket). |
| 190 | *** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG1nCrnUim4 "I in the Sky"]][[note]]which predates Music/TheAlanParsonsProject's "Eye in the Sky" by a decade[[/note]] is a more subtle pastiche of "Music/YellowSubmarine". |
| 191 | ** The song Elmo pounds on the piano at the end of ''Elmo's World'' sketches is eight notes (in the end) away from "Jingle Bells," with a different word repeated 28 times. |
| 192 | ** In one jogging montage, they played music suspiciously similar to, but legally different from, ''Vangelis''' main theme to ''Film/ChariotsOfFire.'' |
| 193 | ** Possibly unintentional, but the song at the end of the "Journey to Ernie" segments is, especially in the final bars, quite similar to the ending theme from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''. |
| 194 | ** "Monster In The Mirror" sounds like a slower version of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee. |
| 195 | ** The second part of [[https://youtu.be/4JWwOzEDGss "The Geometry of Circles"]], composed by Music/PhilipGlass of all people, resembles [[https://youtu.be/Ovt7iGFkBiY "The Dignity of Labour, Part 3"]] by Music/TheHumanLeague (MK 1). |
| 196 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh3QY9HpZV8 "Above It All"]] is suspiciously similar to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=355Fk8drgZE "Gloria"]] by Umberto Tozzi[=/=]Music/LauraBranigan. |
| 197 | ** [[https://youtu.be/ZwnB6PO5SsM "New Ball in Town"]], oddly, is similar to [[https://youtu.be/Ccapt6Xjwjc "Up on the House Top"]], which is a public domain Christmas song. |
| 198 | ** "Listen to the Bells" is a close sound alike of Music/TheBeachBoys' "Barbara Ann". |
| 199 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnoJwfnzmqA "Beginning, Middle, and End"]] is a pastiche of Music/TalkingHeads' "And She Was". |
| 200 | * ''The Sunny Side Up Show'': |
| 201 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jPadli8zSs Kwanzaa Candles]]" is similar to "Do Wah Diddy," primarily the Exciters version. |
| 202 | ** "[[https://web.archive.org/web/20130624174432/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt4pdo6Ubwk Chica's Little Baby Chick]]" is a pastiche of Creator/ReneeZellweger's "Roxie." |
| 203 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRnnLPjRn84 Days of the Week]]" is similar to Lipps Inc.'s "Funkytown." |
| 204 | * ''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy'' featured parodies of pop songs with scientific lyrics for its music videos, in addition to Suspiciously Similar Songs to several tunes, e.g. La Bamba, the 007 theme, Wipe Out (the surfing song), etc. Some of the parodies, much like ''Series/SesameStreet'', deviated rather far from their source material, such as "The Moon Cycle" (Music/{{Queen}}'s "Bicycle Race"), "My Favorite Star" (Music/DeepPurple's "Highway Star"), and "G.R.A.V.I.T.Y." (either 2 Unlimited's "Twilight Zone" or The Immortals' [[Film/MortalKombatTheMovie "Techno Syndrome"]]). |
| 205 | * ''Series/MythBusters'' has a number of songs that fit this trope, most blatantly an off-key version of Music/{{Queen}}'s "Keep Yourself Alive." |
| 206 | ** And some of the previews featured a parody of Music/ThomasDolby's "She Blinded Me With Science," with the lyrics "We're Bustin' It with Science." |
| 207 | ** And the music during "Sonic Boom Breaks Glass" is designed to evoke "Danger Zone" from Music/KennyLoggins (from ''Film/TopGun''.) |
| 208 | ** Their theme song sounds like (read: is all but identical to) "Legs" by ''Music/ZZTop''. |
| 209 | *** Another incidental music sounds similar to "La Grange." |
| 210 | * One episode of ''Series/{{Zoey 101}}'' had the "Macalana," which was nearly identical to the Macarena. |
| 211 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBananaSplits'' theme shares a notable refrain with Music/BobMarley's "Buffalo Soldier" (as pointed out on ''Series/{{Ed}}''.) Marley and his family were in the United States (Wilmington, Delaware to be exact) for an extended visit with his mother in the summer of 1969, when ''The Banana Splits'' were in the middle of their original run. Given that he had some young children who might have been Saturday morning TV viewers, it's within the realm of possibility that he'd heard their theme song and had a bout of cryptomnesia later on. |
| 212 | * In one episode of ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'', Raven knocked over a lamp while compulsively dancing to "HER JAM!", which sounded suspiciously like the understandably danceable song "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce. |
| 213 | * The first theme song written for ''Series/SigmundAndTheSeaMonsters'' sounded very similar in some respects to ''I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing'' (AKA: the famous Coca-Cola "hilltop song"), so much so, that Sid and Marty Kroft were allegedly sued, leading to the creation of the show's second theme song. |
| 214 | * The theme from Series/TheSuiteLifeofZackandCody sounds like a blatant rip-off of "Ballroom Blitz," by Sweet. |
| 215 | ** Also the background music played during a basketball game in the episode "Kisses and Basketball," sounds like "Unsung," by Helmet. |
| 216 | * ''Series/HorribleHistories'' lives on this trope. OnceAnEpisode there is a song that is usually a parody of a song with a style that fits the characters, or occasionally a loose pastiche of someone's musical style: |
| 217 | ** Cleopatra's song is a takeoff of "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, as a melodramatic fashion-loving queen, and the video uses a HomageShot to the music video for "Telephone" when we're looking at the people she murdered to get the crown. |
| 218 | ** The Luddites sing a song very like "Anarchy in the UK" by the Sex Pistols. |
| 219 | ** The four bad Roman Emperors sing a thinly-veiled version of "Bad" by Michael Jackson. |
| 220 | ** "[[Music/{{Eminem}} My name is, my name is]], my name is Charles the Second..." |
| 221 | ** The Norman family tree is a pastiche of "Knowing Me Knowing You" by ABBA. |
| 222 | ** The Borgia Family? The theme to ''Series/TheAddamsFamily''. |
| 223 | ** The Georgian Navy's song is very like football novelty single "Vindaloo". |
| 224 | ** Patchacouti's song is a lot like "Agadoo" by Black Lace, only with [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids lyrics about dismemberment and torture]]. |
| 225 | ** Mary Seacole's song is a lot like "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé, and she does some of the dance moves in the video. |
| 226 | ** Owain Glendyr sings a song much like "Delilah" by (famous Welsh Singer) Tom Jones, which morphs into "Kiss" by Prince (covered by Tom Jones) when he mentions becoming Prince of Wales. |
| 227 | ** The Aztec Priests' song is an obvious spoof of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees. |
| 228 | ** Mary I performs a number which sounds suspiciously similar to Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights", along with the misty music video elements, down to Bush's out-of-the-ordinary singing style. |
| 229 | ** Marcus Crassus has a BoastfulRap about how rich he is which sounds an awful lot like Dizzee Rascal's "Bonkers". |
| 230 | ** The song about Australia's founding is a lot like Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky". |
| 231 | ** Charles Dickens' song about his life is an almost note-for-note take of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by The Smiths. |
| 232 | ** Dick Turpin's song is based on "Stand and Deliver" by Adam and the Ants. |
| 233 | ** Joan of Arc sings about her story to a tune very similar to "Price Tag" by Music/JessieJ. |
| 234 | ** The song about heiroglyphics? "ABC" by Jackson 5. |
| 235 | ** Boudicca's song is a lot like "That's Not My Name" by the Ting Tings, though the middle eight is a reference to "Pop Muzik" by M. |
| 236 | ** The monks, when partying, sing like "Play That Funky Music, White Boy" by Black Cherry. |
| 237 | ** The Pilgrim Fathers' song is very close to "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z. |
| 238 | ** The song with the transportation pioneers singing about their inventions is a pretty obvious take-off of "Greased Lightning" from ''Film/{{Grease}}''. |
| 239 | * The theme from the ''Creator/{{Sprout}}'' series ''Noodle and Doodle'' sounds like the minor enemy encounter (i.e. Hammer Bros.) theme from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3''. |
| 240 | * ''The Good Night Show'': According to writer and composer Tim Burns, the 2009 opening song has a [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]]-style feel to it. |
| 241 | * ''Series/{{Zoom}}'' |
| 242 | ** The "Email or Z Mail" song sounds like "Freedom '90" by Music/GeorgeMichael. |
| 243 | ** The Season 7 theme song sounds like "Rock Steady" by The Whispers. |
| 244 | * The theme tune to the Creator/CBeebies show ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTc2TqyzN94 Topsy and Tim]]'' sounds exceptionally like Music/CarlyRaeJepsen's "Call Me Maybe", right down to the instruments. |
| 245 | * ''Series/TheAmandaShow'': In the first Melody and Thad sketch, the song they sing about the nasty restaurant sounds similar to "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. |
| 246 | * The ''Series/ZoobileeZoo'' [[https://youtu.be/oowOsEOTApA theme]] sounds like [[https://youtu.be/6bWyhj7siEY "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"]] from ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'' crossed with the [[https://youtu.be/IgncJgSbbck "Raiders March"]] from the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' series. |
| 247 | * The main theme of ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' has a beat similar to Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons." |
| 248 | * The theme song of ''Series/BetweenTheLions'' sounds an awful lot like "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 The Lion King]]''. Since both are about lions and the former began airing six years after the release of the latter, the similarity is probably not accidental. |
| 249 | * The title song from the ''Series/WimziesHouse'' episode "Achoo!" sounds quite a bit like the "Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!" song from ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}} Madeline's Christmas]]''. Especially since both songs feature Sonja Ball, who voices Wimzie here and Nicole in the ''Madeline'' special. They were also both produced by Cinar. |
| 250 | * ''Series/{{LazyTown}}'': |
| 251 | ** "Bing Bang" sounds like a mashup of the Music/SpiceGirls' "Wannabe" and Music/TheHumanLeague's "Don't You Want Me". |
| 252 | ** "No One's Lazy in [=LazyTown=]" sounds like an awful lot like Music/RickyMartin's "Livin' La Vida Loca". |
| 253 | ** The main riff to "Cooking By The Book" sounds similar to the opening riff for Music/{{TLC}}'s "No Scrubs". |
| 254 | ** "I Am A Prince", while mostly a pastiche of the late-90s Cheiron Studios style, has similarities to "Larger Than Life" by the Music/BackstreetBoys. |
| 255 | * The opening theme to ''Series/DonkeyHodie'' sounds like the one to the 2003 ''WesternAnimation/TheBerenstainBears'' animated series. |
| 256 | ** "Blow Your Troubles Away" sounds like "It's All Right" from ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}''. |
| 257 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waMkFIzvDpE "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher"]] from ''[[Series/TheWitcher2019 The Witcher]]'' sounds slightly similar to [[https://youtu.be/hMw-DUnR10s "City Ruins"]] from ''VideoGame/NierAutomata''. |
| 258 | * The theme song for ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' sounds very similar to "[=Sk8er=] Boi" by Music/AvrilLavigne. |
| 259 | * The theme used by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp-ICI-9gXs National Geographic from 1964 to 1987]] is almost but not quite [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu77Vtja30c Jupiter]] from Gustav Holst's "The Planets" symphony. |
| 260 | * ''Series/WandaVision'': The four-note RecurringRiff uses nearly the ''exact same'' note structure as the first few notes for Music/DannyElfman's ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' theme. And then Elfman's score for ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'' arguably made it full circle, as he works in the ''[=WandaVision=]'' riff into one of the tracks. |
| 261 | * ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'': Music/JohnWilliams's leitmotif for Kenobi sounds like John Paesano's theme for ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4''. |
| 262 | * The ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'' episode, "[[Recap/DinosaursLostE06IntoTheWoods Into the Woods]]" features [[https://twitter.com/zool_te/status/1371083665631940609 a scene]] where Baby plays a FictionalVideoGame called ''Tarpit Idiots'', which reminds him that he should be saving Earl, Robbie, and Roy, who really are sinking into a tarpit (just to drive the point home, the characters in ''Tarpit Idiots'' closely resemble Earl, Robbie, and Roy). The BGM for ''Tarpit Idiots'' sounds like an off-key rendition of the BGM for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXukwNQG0uA Marble Zone]] from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1''. |
| 263 | * In the ''Series/{{Kindergarten|2001}}'' episode "Movin' Up", an offbeat version of Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" plays as the class recalls past memories. Given that the piece is public domain, it's unknown why they did this. |
| 264 | * The ''Series/DaysOfOurLives'' theme was modeled on "Sunrise, Sunset" from ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof''. |
| 265 | * The InstrumentalThemeTune that ''Series/GeneralHospital'' used for their famous "ambulance" opening in TheEighties (called "Autumn Breeze", complete with ForgottenThemeTuneLyrics), is an obvious pastiche of Music/BurtBacharach's musical style (the horns, the syncopation, the big buildup toward the end). |
| 266 | * The second part of the [[https://youtu.be/Om2QfPpgOLo?list=PLO6S2qKFLclow0V9KlkpEwWqjq6pUg86b&t=167 "True Creation Requires Sacrifice"]] from ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' sounds suspiciously similar to the second half of [[https://youtu.be/pS-gbqbVd8c?t=284 "Light Of the Seven]] from ''Series/GameOfThrones''. The ominous solo violin with the "impeding doom" crescendo and the epic climax of the cello toward the end have almost same chord progression as those heard in "Light of the Seven". |
| 267 | * The ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' episode "Murder Among Friends", which is set during the filming of [[Series/{{Friends}} a popular sitcom about "a group of twentysomethings sitting around discussing their sex lives]]" opens with some music that is almost, but not quite, the outro of "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts. |
| 268 | * The theme song to ''Series/TheNoddyShop'' sounds similar to the theme song for ''Series/PeppermintPark'', the infamous ''Series/SesameStreet'' ripoff from The80s. |
| 269 | * One episode of ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'' sees Rita imagining herself as part of a glamorous crime-fighting duo with Vic called "[[https://youtu.be/afydaQcxaGQ Beekeeper & Borg]]". The theme song sounds incredibly similar to the classic theme from ''Series/{{The Avengers|1960s}}''. |
| 270 | * ''{{Series/Sherlock}}'': In "[[Recap/SherlockS03E01TheEmptyHearse The Empty Hearse]]", the track that plays during the ColdOpening seems to owe a lot to "The Heist" from ''Film/{{Trance}}''. |
| 271 | * The opening credits theme of ''Series/TheOrville'', especially the third-season remix, derives from "Life Is a Dream," the main theme of the first and fifth Star Trek films and ''The Next Generation''. |
| 272 | * The theme song to ''[[Series/BigBrother Pinoy Big Brother]]'', "Pinoy Ako", is clearly derived from the new wave song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frxl-xONLHk "Chandeliers"]] by The Care. Orange & Lemons frontman Clem Castro later admitted in an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUPqDYG0O18 interview]] that he cites The Care as one of the band's influences, subconsciously deriving "Pinoy Ako"'s main riffs from "Chandeliers", though he also maintains that the song's chord progression is a common musical trope across genres such as blues and reggae. |
| 273 | * ''Series/TotsTV''[='=]s intro has a repeating line ("I'm a tot / Je suis une tot / Tilly, Tom and Tiny") whose melody sounds very similar to a repeating line from The Paragons' 1967 song "The Tide is High" ("I'm not the kind of man who gives up just like that"). |
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