I just heard for the first time “Saturday Night at the Movies” by the Drifters and thought ‘wow- that sounds almost exactly like Under the Boardwalk, both musically and lyrically’, and then found that it was released a few months after “Boardwalk”. Does anyone have other examples of this?
In another thread I was asked **why ** I wanted to know the question I asked, so to prevent that here I will say I find the idea interesting and would like to hear other examples.
I’m not sure what song they released before “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, but from just overhearing it on a badly-amped car speaker as it was driving past our school while I was in the classroom, I could tell that it was Great White due to its similarities to their first released song.
Also: Soul II Soul’s single versions of their two breakthrough songs had the same ubiquitous early-90s drumbeat. (“Keep on movin’” and the one after that, whatever it is.) However, on the album the second song was a capella till the very end.
The Kinks. Although both great songs in their own right, “All Day and All of the Night” is practically a carbon copy of “You Really Got Me.”
Or the related phenomenon: Bands that abruptly changed their sound after a song way outside their normal style became a huge hit. Examples: Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray.
Nickelback. How you remind me, and that other song that was the same, only slightly worse.
It always takes me a while to determine if it’s “Give me Three Steps” or “That Smell” but pretty much all Skynyrd is pretty similar. Didn’t John Fogerty get sued by his old record label after making a song that sounded too similar to “John Fogerty”?
As none of their songs sound different, they shouldn’t count (see: ZZ Top :))
Yep, they said “Old Man Down The Road” sounded exactly like “Run Through The Jungle.” :smack:
Time for the obligatory link to the Nickelback song overlap website:
Damn, do I hate that band.
I know they’ve had other hits but don’t Weazer’s “Sweater” song and “Beverly Hills” song sound so close that you could actually make a mix of the songs.
Beverly Hills. That’s where I want to be, if you want to destroy my sweater!
Pick any two by Boston and you’ve got it nailed.
I don’t hear it. Undone (The Sweater song) is more low key with churning guitars, and intervening conversation sequences.
Beverly hills is built up around the rock “da-da-dum”, and even has large parts that are void of guitars.
Almost all of Chuck Berry’s stuff is so similar that it might as well be one long song
What about my ding-a-ling? 
No particular Place To Go, and School Days, is an excellent example, though.
The music in “Beverly Hills” is almost identical to “The Joker” by the Steve Miller Band.
Literally the same. :dubious:
edit - someone beat me to it. Awesome.
I forgot the most blatant example- “It’s the Same Old Song” by the Four Tops IS the same song as its predecessor “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch”.
Blues Traveler had a big hit with “Runaround” and then they had that other song that sounded just like it, only I can’t think of the name because now I have “Runaround” stuck in my head.
This is not meant as a put down since he is probably my favorite of all time. Stevie Ray Vaughn’s The Sky is Crying and *Texas Flood * are pretty much the same song. I love both of them.
Chubby Checker : The Twist, Lets Twist Again, *C’mon You Can Twist a Little More * and I Haven’t Squeezed Enough Money Out of You With This Twist Thing.
I’m not a big fan if Nickelback myself, but I don’t find that all their songs sound the same, except for singer Chad Croaker’s oh so angst ridden vocals.
It seems to me the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been rereleasing the same song for about 15 years now, though.