Who would musicians be if they weren’t inspired by other artists? It’s hard not to give them a little bit of credit. Here are some songs that might sound a little bit familiar to your ears. Mostly because they draw inspiration from old songs. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Don’t Stop The Music” by Rihanna
Sounds Like: “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” by Michael Jackson
I was actually taking a walk the other day when I found out about this one. While I was out with my friend, a car drove past playing “Don’t Stop The Music”. I, of course, said, ‘Wait, I love this Michael Jackson song!’
Little did I know, Jackson actually has a songwriting credit on this modern pop tune.
The “mama say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa,” portion of both songs was actually originally used by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango in 1972. Apparently, in 2009, Jackson admitted to using the sound without Dibango’s permission. However, he’d already given Rihanna the go-ahead in 2007 to use the sound.
“Break My Heart” by Dua Lipa
Sounds Like: “Need You Tonight” by INXS
While crafting her record Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa accidentally copied sounds from the 1987 song “Need You Tonight”. While this wasn’t an intentional sample, Dua’s team did end up giving credit to the group.
She shared in an interview that it all worked out in the end, because the use of the INXS tune actually contributed to the project’s overall vibe.
“The guys at INXS [and] the people that are looking after [their] publishing were very nice and they really liked the song, so we gave them a publishing credit, a writing credit on the track, because it was only fair, and it just brought nostalgia even more to the forefront, you know?” She explained, “It confirmed that part for us.”
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
Sounds Like: “More Than A Feeling” by Boston
If you’re ever listening to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, and you think it sounds familiar, that’s because the song practically uses the same riff as Boston’s “More Than A Feeling”, which was released in 1976.
Kurt Cobain, who wrote “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, even admitted in the 90s that, “I take [the comparison] as a major compliment, even if it was completely accidental.”
From time to time, Nirvana would actually play into the whole situation, practically doing mashups of the two songs at festivals and shows.
Photo by: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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