Songs that sound awfully similar.

The first few notes, sure, but that song sounds like it goes off in a different direction fairly quickly.

Love Machine by Morning Musume, from 1999, 18 seconds in.

You're the One for Me by D-Train, from 1981, 15 seconds in.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Pink Floyd's Echoes VS Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Phantom of the Opera.

This one was such a big deal that Roger Waters decided to get back at Lloyd-Webber in It's a Miracle, one of his solo numbers. (5:25 mark)

Specifically this verse:
We cower in our shelters,
With our hands over our ears.
Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff,
Runs for years and years and years.
An earthquake hits the theatre,
But the operetta lingers,
Then the piano lid comes down,
And breaks his fucking fingers.
It's a miracle.

Heh. Personally, I'd say that's probably a common riff beyond those two famous examples, especially considering how simple it is—just an arpeggio going up and down, essentially. A similar example (though with a different tune) I can think of is with the tune of David Bowie/Mott The Hoople's "All the Young Dudes", Electric Light Orchestra's "Telephone Line", the Route 209 song from Pokemon Diamond And Pearl, Green Day's "21 Guns"...(seriously go listen to the chorus of all those songs, they sound almost identical).

edited 4th Dec '13 6:33:48 AM by Odd1

True, even counting the fact I don't like a lot of Lloyd-Webber's work, it could easily be coincidence.

Regardless, it pissed off Waters. It's mostly a big deal because he made it a big deal. Oh, and rabid Pink Floyd fans helped. Can't forget them.

Also, just from knowing Telephone Line in my head, they're all similar?

-looks this up-

Wow.

edited 4th Dec '13 6:40:47 AM by TopographicOcean

But of course rabid fans helped. Rabid fans of anything are always quick to shout "RIPOFF" at other artists, even if there is no conceivable way it could have been anything more than coincidence (But, then, people even shout this when songs are sampled or covered, which...no. Stop that. That's not that. You're stupid.)

I do find it amazing how easy it is for one song to sound so much like another song that is completely removed from it. I mean, there are only eight notes on a traditional scale, and most people don't tend to deviate from that, so it's only natural for it to happen from time to time, but it's still fascinating.

Four chord songs.

It's just one part from each song and not the whole song, but the first verse of U2's "Staring at the Sun" and the chorus of Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc" sound eerily similar.

First, listen to the bassline of The Killers' "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlOqXcPkUis

Now, compare it to The Smiths' earlier "Barbarism Begins at Home": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc1ObUMFWMo

I never realized this until right now when I was listening to the album the latter is from.

How about bands whose own songs sound similar? Listen to the ZZ Top song "Gimmie all your loving", then listen to "Dipping Low in the Lap of Luxury". Its pretty much the sane song with new words and a few minor changes.

If we're counting within a single act, then more or less everything Chuck Berry ever recorded. The end, he wins.

• Finch: “Register Magister”
• Finch: “Reconciling”

I guess it’s good that Finch packed it in when they did, after only three albums, considering they were already blatantly recycling chord progressions like this.

This versus this. No, the lyrics have practically nothing to do with each other.

And I brought up in the last thread how Bob Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door kind of sounds like Neil Young's Helpless.

"A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action" by Toby Keith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI7YzUKE_wI

and

"Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by the Georgia Satellites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdpAop7gp0w

Referring to my earlier post, Rick Wakeman's instrumental piece Judas Iscariot from his album Criminal Record also has the same style of riff, although he does spice it up a teeny bit. That said, it's only in a section of his piece; it's not the main melody.

@0dd1: No, Nickelback and AC/DC are the winners.

As much as I do love them, I have to second AC/DC's nomination. You could buy a single album of theirs and own every song they've ever done.

edited 31st Dec '13 8:59:46 PM by TopographicOcean

Yo La Tengo - "Moby Octopad" vs. The Velvet Underground - "European Son". But I give YLT a pass on this one because 1) Velvet Underground are such an obvious influence of theirs that it has to have been meant as a Shout-Out, and 2) they're using that bass-line in a song that otherwise sounds little like the VU song and has the exact opposite feel to it ("European Son" is frantic and noisy; "Moby Octopad" is a trance-inducing Krautrock-ish groove).

I finally learned "that Evanescence song with the verse chords that make me think of a slowed down version of 'Space Oddity'" is called "My Immortal". It's not that similar I guess, but every time I hear the beginning of that song I think "ground control to Major Tom..."

edited 25th Jan '14 11:23:22 AM by MikeK

Another one that kind of blurs the line between Suspiciously Similar Song and Shout-Out: Nirvana - "Milk It" (1994) vs. Melvins - "It's Shoved" (1991) - the verses to the Nirvana song sound different, but the chorus riff is pretty much the same. Kurt Cobain was a big Melvins fan and even failed an audition to be in the band due to nervousness, so it has to be more than coincidence.

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army (2003)

Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World) (2010)

I'm not sure about this. In the verses, all the notes Rihanna sing are almost exactly the same as the vocalist's of The White Stripes.

I'll have to completely agree there.

There's about two or three of their songs that sound really, noticeably different...

I've always thought that the Futurama theme sounds an awful lot like Smells Like Teen Spirit; It's most definitely the riff.

I definitely hear it. Also, if you didn't know, that theme song is actually an admitted Suspiciously Similar Song to "Psyche Rock" by Pierre Henry.

This is why I think AC/DC is overrated.

Oh Gosh, did I just say that? Don't kill me, please.