bands who rip off their own hits

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Ever have the experience of: -- Initially hearing a song, and thinking, "Oh, that's (hit song X) by (band Z)"; -- Then exclaiming, shortly thereafter, "No, wait, that's not hit song X...someone's ripping off band Z!" -- And then, finally, realizing: "No, it is band Z, and they're ripping *themselves* off, with a 'new' song Y that sounds almost exactly like hit song X."

Cases in point: the first time I heard "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)", I initially mistook it for "Keep 'Em Separated". Then I thought, "No, wait, it's some band ripping off the Offspring". I was not terribly impressed to discover that yes, the Offspring had so obviously cribbed from their own song. Similarly, I recently heard a Pretenders song that initially sounded almost identical to "Back on the Chain Gang"; I was genuinely surprised to find out it was something else (wish I could remember what).

Other examples?

To really qualify, it can't just be a case of "All that band's songs sound the same, I can't tell them apart." Nor do pointedly obvious/intentional repetitions/reprises really count (i.e. when the same G-string bass line shows up at least three times on Pink Floyd's 2nd and 3rd albums), and no remakes, "new versions", or self-sampling (so "Walk This Way" is out).

I'm talking about something far beyond similarity, to the point of self-plagiarism (and ideally, the earlier song would be a genuine hit song), and capable of misleading the listener (so the feel, instrumentation, etc. have to be pretty similar too).

― Nina H., Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You forgot that the Offspring then went off to, ahem, "adapt" Pretty Fly to make "Original Gangsta".

― Judd Nelson, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

60s: len barry.
90s: emf

― gareth, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Both Motown and Phil Spector hit factories made this a principle. If a band had a hit with a song, they were expected try the same formula at least twice more. You can hear this in their catalogues, in the hits that come subsequently. I suppose that other product bands still do this, although I can't think of anything obvious. What about bands not being able to abandon their images? Another lucrative thread. Snoop Doggy Dogg tried to drop the killing and murder theme (embarrassing to him, after attempted murder trial) then went back to it when his record sales declined. His successful (3rd?) album called - check it - DA GAME IS TO BE SOLD NOT TO BE TOLD - features the subtle and complex 'Kill kill kill (murder murder murder.)'

And of course, all the musicians who tried to be more serious, then gave up. Or was that actors?

Another potential thread: funniest song title including brackets. My vote: Asian version of Bread album with song title 'Soap (I use the).'

― Nina H., Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Madonna bursts into "Vogue" near the end of "Deeper and Deeper" ...

― Roy Blows, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Um, every U2 song ever?

― Vinnie, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sting

― Vinnie, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Corollary to this thread, inspired by the Sting reference above: What about instances of a band or artist electing *not even to pretend* they've created a new product, and instead re-recording a previous track with up-to-the-minute technology that will sound hideously dated in about six months?

I'm thinking, of course, of "Don't Stand So Close to Me 86'," a track whose only excuse is that it charted way higher with all the synths (although after a band's already ridden the charts for a several years, we probably shouldn't congratulate them for being able to market old tunes more effectively; that would be to assume that songs don't chart because they're "not good," which is quite clearly untrue). The last example of this phenomenon I can think of was the Violent Femmes' truly unfortunate "Blister in the Sun 2001" from the _Grosse Point Blank_ soundtrack.

― Nina H., Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

R.E.Ms modal durjezz

― a-33, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Gareth to thread!

― Robert Dush, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Serge Gainsbourg - Ford Mustang draws heavily upon Initials BB.

― Jez, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, sorry Gareth -- didn't see you there. A bit embarrassing. I've never contributed before, although I've been an avid reader of this forum for about four months. I finally plucked up the guts to say something and, as Gareth is my favourite poster ... Not a very good start.

― Robert Dush, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

60s: len barry. 90s: emf

― Nina H., Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Further to the Motown mention up the top, Holland, Dozier and Holland were certainly blatant about this when they released 'It's The Same Old Song' straight after 'I Can't Help Myself'. "It's the same old song
But with different lyrics now that you have gone"

― mms, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Or as it actually goes "...different meaning now that you have gone" Tch.

― mms, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

This was the common practice among Euro-dance acts of the early to mid-90s: Ace of Base's "All That She Wants" beget "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Sign", while Rednex's "Cotton Eye Joe" beget "Old Pop In An Oak". And then of course Culture Beat copied their own "Mr Vain" for "Got To Get It", but I actually far preferred "Got To Get It" at the time. Not that anyone could remember it, surely, it's been discarded as one of those "soundalike Euro-dance follow-up hits" ...

― Vinnie, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Not a very good start.

Hey, no need to apologize there Robert, I've likely done worse myself. Welcome from lurkerdom. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thanks. What embarrassing things have you done, Ned?

― Robert Dush, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Lloyd Cole refers back to his own earlier songs, in later work like the tremendous 'Past Imperfect'.

Sting - of all people - quotes himself, doesn't he? Isn't there a song where he sings lyrics from 'Every Breath You Take' - yes, I know, it was 'Love Is The Seventh Wave'.

cf also McCartney, Harrison.

Still, this is getting off the point. The question is a good one.

― Limiter Garner, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nobayasu Sakonda claimed that when he was a small boy in 1972, he was visited in the night by the ghost of Alf Hurum who said (translation): 'chop eternally, novice'. Likewise, Leonard Cohen bangs on about his chops. Perhaps a good musician's chops surface in every song?

― Robert Dush, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Aeroshit's "Cryin'," "Crazy," and "Amazin'" make a horrific medley of sameness

― Marber, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

wait this is funny! tho it would be even funnier if all our answers were exactly the same too.

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

bands who rip off their own hits
Are the cleverest bands around. Certainly the ones that can fool us into thinking they evolve. Would we really want have our bands do a radical departure from their previous record? I think not.

― cuba libre (nathalie), Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The first that comes to mind is John Fogerty more or less lifting most of the structure of CCR's "Run Through the Jungle" for "Old Man Down the Road".
Deltron 3030's "Memory Loss" uses Del's "tryin' to get over/I'm'a go for mine" line from "Catch A Bad One" as a sample.
And, of course, there is the "She loves you, yeah yeah yeah" refrain at the end of "All You Need is Love".

― Nate Patrin, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What embarrassing things have you done, Ned?

Too many to name. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Melle Melle rapped his "A child is born..." verse at least three times.

― Colin Meeder, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wait this is funny! tho it would be even funnier if all our answers were exactly the same too.

― Vinnie, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

don't forget britney's pepsi song. that sounds like all her other songs too

― Marber, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Men at Work- "Who Can It Be Now?" followed by "Overkill"

― Joe, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

All of Blink 182's recent hits sound very same-y.

― mr. sparkle, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Roni Size: "Railing, pt. 2". (Which I like better than the original for some reason.)

― Nate Patrin, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My very first LP purchase was a band called The Outsiders (95 cents from a friend of my brother, this is in the 60s) who had a hit called "Time Won't Let Me." They had another song called "Lost In My World" that was similar in both verse and chorus sections. I don't know which was first, in fact, they may have even been on the same LP.

― nickn, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Greatest ever example: Otis Redding & Steve Cropper ripped off their own Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) as Happy Song. Everybody needs to have both!

― Martin Skidmore, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wooga wooga wooga.

― Phil, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ramones play the same guitar solos on a couple different songs, and Spiritualized/Spacemen 3 do this for some songs too.

― A Nairn, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Everclear will destroy all who oppose them! They shall rule this thread!

― static, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Vengaboys.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the seeds - "pushing too hard" / the seeds - "no escape". they're on the same album, they were both singles, they have the same pretty much everything except words (keyboard player even re- creates his solo)

― , Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I remember on the Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie" album the songs "Porcelina" and "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" sounding very similar in parts.

― dog latin, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The finest example of an artist ripping off his own material is the parallels between Juvenile's "Back That Ass Up" and "She Get it From her Mama," obviously. Or perhaps it is more of an allusion? He is so refined that it's hard to tell.

― Perfecto, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Although most of the Psychedelic Fur's songs sound fairly dissimilar (especially between albums), I've noticed that a lot of the same lyrics are re-used or paraphrased. The word "stupid" has to be in at least 50% of their tracks. That said, though, they've done some fine songs.

― JameZ, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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