This 2008 Earworm Is the Millennial “My Sharona” (And 4 Other 2000s Tracks That Sound Like 1970s Remakes)

When I first read The Ting Tings’ 2025 interview with The Guardian, I assumed I would learn some new tidbits about a band that enjoyed regular replay on my hot pink iPod nano. But what I wasn’t expecting was a comparison to the pop duo’s biggest hit, “That’s Not My Name”, and The Knacks’ 1979 earworm, “My Sharona”. Katie White said the two songs were similar in that they were “evergreen,” but in this writer’s humble opinion, that’s not what makes these songs so similar.

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Sure, they’re both insanely catchy. But they also share a similar feel linguistically and rhythmically. And while I see White’s point in calling the songs evergreen, they’re also distinctly evocative of the decade in which the artists released them. “That’s Not My Name” just sounds like the late 2000s. “My Sharona” just sounds like the late 1970s and early 1980s.

All of this decade-spanning comparison got me thinking: what other songs from the 1970s have a “sister song” in the 2000s?

“Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Bleeding Love”

First up on our list of 2000s songs that sound like they could have been from the 1970s (or vice versa) is Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” from 1983 and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” from 2007. Before you tune out, hear me out.

Dramatic notions about love? Check. A chorus that’s so catchy it lodges itself into your brain for at least a week at a time? Check. Wonderful vocal delivery that’s fun to imitate? Check. And finally, evocative of their respective decades? Quadruple check.

“Ring My Bell” and “Bed Chem”

Sabrina Carpenter is one of the leading figures of the pop-goes-disco movement that seems to be taking over the mainstream world in the 2020s. These songs are coquettish, flirty, and fun, three things that Carpenter has definitely leaned into since her first massive hit, “Espresso”, took off.

I’d argue that her cheeky number “Bed Chem” is the 2000s version of Anita Ward’s 1970s disco hit, “Ring My Bell”. Sexual innuendos, memorable grooves, a distinct soprano vocal tone, need I go on?

“Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Thinking Out Loud”

I’m prepared to receive flak for saying this, but “Thinking Out Loud” is just the 2000s version of the 1970s hit single, “Maybe I’m Amazed”. Both of these sentimental ballads share a common thread of singing to the subject of their affection with a humble bit of “wow, and you love me too?!” mixed in.

I don’t have hard data to compare how many times either song has been played at weddings. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it has to be pretty close.

“I Will Survive” and “New Rules”

Everyone loves a good “bouncing back from a breakup” song, no matter the decade. The last 1970s-to-2000s song on our list is Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Dua Lipa’s “New Rules”. Both tracks are empowering anthems for people recovering from a nasty breakup, and both are incredibly catchy.

“I should’ve changed that stupid lock, I should’ve made you leave your key” has the same exact energy as “Don’t pick up the phone, you know he’s only calling ‘cause he’s drunk and alone.”

Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns