3 Musicians Who Sampled Their Own Songs (And Somehow, It Worked Perfectly)

It’s not often that a musician will sample one of their older songs in a newer track. But when it does happen, it’s typically like an Easter egg, a little secret meant for fans to find. Even if you’re a diehard fan of the following musicians, you might not have known that they sampled their songs on at least one occasion.

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“Desired Constellation” by Björk (2004) Samples “Hidden Place” (2001)

I’m a diehard Björk fan, and even I slept on the brilliance of Medúlla for far too long. After a thorough listen to the vocal-centric album recently, I hopped over to some forums and read reviews from fans. A number of people there clocked something very subtle but totally brilliant on one of Medúlla’s songs. 

In the song “Desired Constellation”, you’ll hear what sounds like Björk’s voice digitized through a synthesizer, stretched out, and slowed down. That’s basically what it is, but the vocal clip is actually Björk singing the opening of “Hidden Place” from her legendary 2001 album, Vespertine. She clearly really wanted to hide it, but the ear of a Björk fan is just too good.

“I’m Mandy Fly Me” by 10cc (1976) Samples “Clockwork Creep” (1974)

I adore 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love”, but their 1976 art rock record How Dare You! has also grown on me in recent months. “I’m Mandy Fly Me” was one single from that album, and it was quite a successful one. The song peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles chart. And on the album version of the song, you’ll hear an introduction composed of the bridge sections from 10cc’s 1974 track “Clockwork Creep”. It plays like a scene in a movie where a song is playing on the radio, tinny and a bit hard to hear, but it’s definitely there.

“I Would Have Waited Forever” by Yes (1991) Samples “Close To The Edge” (1972)

In the 1991 song “I Would Have Waited Forever” by Yes from the album Union, you’ll hear a short sample of the introduction to the 1972 song “Close To The Edge” from the album of the same name. Blink, and you’ll miss it, but it’s definitely there.

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