songs that sound like other songs

For the curious, here is what an expert witness for the rap artists -- musicologist Todd Decker -- testified on Friday (as reported in Law 360):

For this suit, Decker said he listened to Gray's 2008 song "Joyful Noise" and Perry's 2013 song "Dark Horse" back to back "countless times" before plunking notes out on a piano to try to figure out any similar-sounding patterns between the two songs. He eventually isolated an eight-note melodic phrase beginning with four C-notes and two B-notes that he said seemed to indicate some musical borrowing on the part of Perry's songwriters.

Decker said the melody for both phrases sits on the same note for four beats before descending in pitch. The phrases also have a similar timbre — or distinctive quality of sound — using synthesized sounds to create a "pingy," artificial sound in the beat, Decker explained.

Even the texture of the sound in the phrases, such as the number of instruments being used, is unusually "empty," Decker said, with both introducing their beats in isolation.

Despite the phrases ending with two different notes, Decker said "Dark Horse" uses a similar dip down in pitch to end the ostinato. Decker also noted that even though "Joyful Noise" is written in the key of A and "Dark Horse" is written in B-flat, that's only a difference of a half step.

Update: Dr. Luke and Henry Walter aka Cirkut, two of the Perry songwriters and defendants in this case (along with Max Martin, Sarah Hudson, and others), testified today that they had never heard the "Joyful Noise" track, and detailed the process through which they had created the "Dark Horse" beat. Meanwhile, a security guard confronted a knife-wielding man outside the courthouse, and shot him in one of his hands.

Message To My Girl by Split Enz - Wichita Lineman
The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils by Morrissey sounds like In Every Dream Home A Heartache by Roxy Music

Whoa -- the jury just ruled against Katy Perry and the "Dark Horse" songwriting team.

In the damages phase of the trial, the defendants have now been ordered to pay a combined $2.7 million (about 6.5% of the song's revenue).

Here endeth my court reporting.

Alex G - Gretel has almost the same riff as Stone Temple Pilots - Plush

R.E.M.’s “So. Central Rain” sounds like a distant cousin of “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ytoUuO-qvg

Yeah it sounds like they plan to appeal.

Dark Horse ”pingy tone” is more similar to Art of Noise - moments in love imho. That video is great.

The one maresnest posted I mean

R.E.M.’s “So. Central Rain” sounds like a distant cousin of “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

Ha, yes, the opening riffs - arpeggios around open chords. R.E.M. about 15 BPM faster.

For a long time, I've heard "Reaper" as kinda sounding like "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star."

"Driver 8" sounds like "Don't Fear The Reaper."

― Stranded In the Jungle Groove (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, February 23, 2013 2:53 PM (six years ago)

hmm, I never noticed that before. I feel like they both must descend from Zouzou's 'Puisque tu es revenu'.

― garfield drops some dank n' dirty dubz at 2am (unregistered), Sunday, February 24, 2013 3:58 PM (six years ago)

Huh... teasing out the R.E.M./BÖC nexus.

“Lady Godiva’s Operation”/“Born on the Bayou”

the verse of "rhinestone cowboy" always has me singing "hoist up the john b sail!"

For a long time, I've heard "Reaper" as kinda sounding like "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star."

― timellison, Saturday, August 3, 2019 3:35 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

ooooo otm

l’Arc~En~Ciel "Love Flies" (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEo9v2pkRMQ
(esp the solo starting at 2m37s onward)

Dinosaur Jr. "Water" (1991)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3rh8xlm228

I initially was trying to figure out what Built To Spill song I thought the l'Arc song was ripping off but then I realized that it's almost the same chord progression as the Dinosaur song.

this could be only in my head, but

catherine wheel 'black metallic' and counting crows 'hanginaround'

“Lawman” by Girl Band is the best cover of Pretty Woman.

'Rhinestone Cowboy' = 'Sloop John B'
(Glen Campbell was in the Beach Boys for a short amount of time)

'Money Money Money' = 'The Oompa Loompa Song' from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Oh... we said the first one just upthread

Brownstone - If You Love Me
=
Plaid - Manyme

Camila Cabello - "Cry for Me" and The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "All Along the Watchtower"

On Pavement's "Carrot Rope" (1999) Malkmus sings this little melodic lick on the chorus that goes "explaining that you are worthwhile" that sounds like a direct cop of:

Lilys - "Year Of The Monkey", the part that Kurt sings "I could always look a hypocrite baby... Pay no mind".

Although this could be me exposing my rather embarrassing Beatles/Lennon blind spot... sounds like it could be a Rubber Soul/Revolver nick.

Lilys song is from 1994.

also it's the Carrot Rope PRE-chorus...

Thin Lizzy - Waiting for an Alibi
Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl

Only just this week realized that Talk by Coldplay seemed so familiar somehow because I did already know it as Computer Love by Kraftwerk.

dababy - intro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce1lTmRtIkM
rick ross - apple of my eye ft raphael saadiq
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAThXmJF1ac

https://chaptermusic.bandcamp.com/track/runaway

Sounds a lot like Love Will Tear Us Apart

that's a good one, spottie

that apple of my eye beat really a whole different class than the dababy one.

The main melodic line of King Crimson's "Talk to the Wind" is a rip-off of Michelle by the Beatles.

that apple of my eye beat really a whole different class than the dababy one.

― de-mamba mentality (Spottie), Friday, November 1, 2019 1:37 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

fun fact friday, the guy who produced that beat currently plays for the cleveland browns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Thomas

the intros of R.E.M.'s "Find the River" and Nick Drake's "Northern Sky"

i'm sure people have noted the similarities between the dukes of stratosphear's 'vanishing girl' and 'the lion sleeps tonight,' but today i was also struck by the fact that the chorus melody bears striking similarity to 'seeing other people' by belle & sebastian

surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet:

Gene Clark's "Strength of Strings" is very, very similar to Neil Young's "Words"

Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW66keO8Iew

Belle and Sebastian - Sleep the Clock Around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mB8V9Lz7u0

Pretenders - I'll Stand By You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maAyfcO-X3k

Bonnie Tyler - It's a Heartache

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPOy7TPjfkE

Tom Waits' "Fish & Bird" practically quotes the melody of "Somewhere" from West Side Story (the "There's a place for us" part), which Waits had also recorded earlier.

Randy Rhoads' solo on Quiet Riot's "Slick Black Cadillac" is just the intro to "Love -> Building On Fire"!

Sister riffs: Rolling Stones, "It Must Be Hell" / Michael Jackson, "Black or White"

the theme music for the cartoon series Extreme Dinosaurs sounds like 'All She Wants to Do Is Dance' by extreme classic rock dinosaur Don Henley

Godflesh "Mothra" and Helmet "Rude" are at least similar enough to turn into a medley in my head

Christmas song 'In Dulci Jubilo' (Mike Oldfield's version) sounds like the children's nursery rhyme 'One Finger, One Thumb, Keep Moving'

DARE by the Gorillaz is just Fantasy by Mariah Carey slowed down
the chorus of Stupid horse sounds really similar to the theme tune of What's new, Scooby doo?
i dont remember what made me think this, but i feel like Never had the balls by Rex Orange County and Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush could mix real easy

DARE by the Gorillaz is just Fantasy by Mariah Carey slowed down

Can you spell this out? I'm not getting it

The chorus of CCR's "Wrote a Song for Everyone" closely echoes the chorus of "The Weight" in both melody and lyrical structure. So closely that I thought it must be commonly recognized, but I couldn't find any reference to it.

Wrote a song for everyone,
Wrote a song for truth.
Wrote a song for everyone
And I couldn't even talk to you.

Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And you put the load right on me