THIS WEEK, THE issue of songs sounding alike was all over news.
If you were Robin Thicke, it was also very, very costly.
The court case came just two months after Tom Petty claimed royalties from Sam Smith, saying that the English singer’s Stay With Me sounded too much like his I Won’t Back Down.
Anyone who writes songs will tell you how frustrating it is to be told a song sounds like something else because, in the vast majority of cases, it is completely accidental and down to the fact that there are only so many noises you can make.
In Petty’s case, and other cases he has brought, it’s down to the fact that his songs are largely very straightforward (I Won’t Back Down is E-minor, D, G through the verses and choruses, which is hardly revolutionary).
But there are other songs that sound somewhat alike that may not have jumped out at you. Here are some contenders:
Fun ‘Some Nights’ and Simon and Garfunkel ‘Cecelia’
Granted, woah-ohing your way through a song isn’t unique.
Radiohead ‘Karma Police’ and The Beatles ‘Sexy Sadie’
Slightly more subtle, but Radiohead were known to ape 60s UK bands, famously paying The Hollies royalties for Creep after a court found it was too similar to The Air That I Breathe.
Kelly Clarkson ‘Heartbreak Song’ and Jimmy Eat World ‘The Middle’
Nobody’s saying that Kelly Clarkson isn’t amazing. But THEY’RE PRACTICALLY THE SAME SONG.
The Strokes ‘Razorblade’ and Barry Manilow ‘Mandy’
The last place you expect Julian Casablancas and the lads to be borrowing from is Manilow, but compare the choruses.
One Direction ‘Night Changes’ and Whitney Houston ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’
Both tunes, of course. Both very similar.
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