Sound-a-likes

[YI]

Something always struck me weird about "Sun Goes Down"...like I recognised the vocal line/chord progression a bit too much...and then reading through the comments on the youtube video, someone said it, and it all came flooding back to me;

"Sun Goes Down" by David Jordan = The Theme From Wizbit

A quick search brings up it's already been pointed out by Radio 1...but I'm going to thank the random girl on youtube.

So share other songs that sound like other, preferably as cheesy as possible, songs.

Edited March 4, 2008 by YI

[Benji]

The infamous one is RHCP's "Dani California" and Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance".

[Cactus Drags]

(around 2.24 and again at 2.34) has a riff that would sound awesome live if they segued it into a short cover of Jenny (867)-5309 by Tommy Tutone (not the intro bit, I mean the main verse riff that starts about ten seconds in).

On a sidenote, researching Halifax on youtube has suggested to me that they're fucking awful live, which is a great shame. Also, Jenny is one of the best one-hit wonders ever, if not just for the song, then for the fact that it has ruined the lives of numerous Jennys and people with the specific phone number. And whoever did the punk cover of it that cropped up on KaZaA and the like a few years back is genius (my copy was credited to blink 182, but it blatantly isn't).

[YI]

There's a number of examples of bands ripping off themselves as well.

Pennywise have basically been doing it for 15 years.

Rise Against did it. "Anywhere But Here" and "Broken English" are horifically similar in verse. I can't remember how exactly similar, as "Anywhere But Here" is shite, so I generally refuse to listen to it.

Strung Out ripped off the opening to "Mission Statement" (before the main riff comes in) from their early days demo track "Damned"...which isn't as bad as 'ripping off' a song on a proper album. Also, I seem to recall an interview with Jake, where he hinted that it was done 'on purpose'. He could just be covering their tracks, but given the nature of the song and what it's about, it would actually make a lot of sense.

And of course there's the Nickelback/Nickelback thing everyone always uses.

"Everything's Magic" by Angels & Airwaves sees Tom rehash the riff from "Anthem Pt.2", which is total sacrilege.

[Cactus Drags]

THAT'S where I recognised Everything's Magic from. Thank you, bastard Tom.

The Nickelback thing is bullshit, they don't sound that similar, and I'm pretty sure one of them has been sped up or slowed down. The Linkin Park 'formula' thing with the soundwaves is far more damning, and actually stands up as the tracks weren't doctored.

Edited March 4, 2008 by Dragsy

[Skummy]

The infamous one is RHCP's "Dani California" and Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance".

Another RHCP one is "Can't Stop", the opening riff is pretty much identical to Jeff Buckley's "Eternal Life".

Nirvana's "Come As You Are" riff is an only slightly altered "Eighties" by Killing Joke.

I'm sure I know a few others, but they're the obvious ones off the top of my head.

Oh, and The Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" apparently borrows liberally from the Rolling Stones' cover of a Marvin Gaye song, but I can't say for sure, as I've never heard the cover in question - Johnny Marr says it was intentional, though.

Other than that, there's a ton of obvious Oasis ones, and Led Zeppelin had a fair few.

Edited March 4, 2008 by Skummy

[MalaCloudy Black]

(around 2.24 and again at 2.34) has a riff that would sound awesome live if they segued it into a short cover of Jenny (867)-5309 by Tommy Tutone (not the intro bit, I mean the main verse riff that starts about ten seconds in).

On a sidenote, researching Halifax on youtube has suggested to me that they're fucking awful live, which is a great shame. Also, Jenny is one of the best one-hit wonders ever, if not just for the song, then for the fact that it has ruined the lives of numerous Jennys and people with the specific phone number. And whoever did the punk cover of it that cropped up on KaZaA and the like a few years back is genius (my copy was credited to blink 182, but it blatantly isn't).

It may have been, or it could've been Less Than Jake.

[Cactus Drags]

Yeah, I looked on Soulseek and there's a ton of Less Than Jake ones, I assume they actually did cover it, then. Can never be sure with the volume of misattributed shite on P2P, like I'm pretty sure No Doubt didn't cover Come On Eileen, but that's what my mp3 file says (quality ska-punk cover though).

[MalaCloudy Black]

Yeah, I looked on Soulseek and there's a ton of Less Than Jake ones, I assume they actually did cover it, then. Can never be sure with the volume of misattributed shite on P2P, like I'm pretty sure No Doubt didn't cover Come On Eileen, but that's what my mp3 file says (quality ska-punk cover though).

Is there a horn section in the cover? If there is, it's Save Ferris.

[Cactus Drags]

Yeah, there is, hence me claling it ska-punk. Do Save Ferris have a female vocalist then? I'm not sure I've ever heard them.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Yeah, there is, hence me claling it ska-punk. Do Save Ferris have a female vocalist then? I'm not sure I've ever heard them.

Yup, girl is the lead singer.

[Cactus Drags]

Bollocks, that's another band I've got to check out now then.

[Kaney]

Apparently the main riff from Audioslave's Cochise was first used in this song by Tom Morello:

I know it's technically not a sound a like but damn was it weird finding that out >_>

[Synjynpsychobitch]

Cloudy beat me to it. Yeah Save Ferris did a covered and there are alot of mislabled files out there saying it's No Doubt or Reel Big Fish. I can almost understand the Reel Big Fish thing, since Monique Powell sang on their She Has a Girl Friend Now song, but she sounds nothing like Gwen.

[Redefine Sick]

Enter Sandman's riff is a ripoff of some other song, but I forgot what it was.

Godsmack's Time Bomb is a ripoff of Nine Inch Nails' Last. Including the cadence of the vocals.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Oasis' "Don't Look Back In Anger" copied the piano part of John Lennon's "Imagine".

R.E.M.'s "End Of The World As We Know It" and "Bad Day" sound very similar, they were originally the same song.

[Katsuya]

One of MIKA's songs on Life in Cartoon Motion has the same entrance virtually as Laura by Scissor Sisters >_>

[Cactus Drags]

Enter Sandman's riff is a ripoff of some other song, but I forgot what it was.

[Skummy]

Although it wasn't so much a rip-off, as Metallica granted him the permission, so it was more of a live sample. Still lazy songwriting, though.

[Cactus Drags]

Eh, figure of speech. Vanilla Ice definitely ripped off Queen and David Bowie though.