# Erik Satie and Sunshine of Your Love **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erik-satie-and-sunshine-of-your-love/372296 "2006-09-11T15:23:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erik-satie-and-sunshine-of-your-love/372296/1 "2006-09-11T15:23:19Z")
On the second Blood, Sweat and Tears album, the first one with David Clayton Thomas, the first and last tracks are called “Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie”. The riff on which they perform the variations is, as I recall, the signature riff of Sunshine of Your Love, by Cream. I was intrigued by this when I was a teenager, but never pursued it. Can anyone who is familiar with Satie’s music tell me: Did Jack Bruce, Peter Brown and Eric Clapton steal this famous riff from Erik Satie? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erik-satie-and-sunshine-of-your-love/372296/2 "2006-09-11T15:40:11Z")
The Satie piece is “Trois Gymnopedies,” and I really don’t hear any similarity to Cream. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erik-satie-and-sunshine-of-your-love/372296/3 "2006-09-11T16:24:32Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] The Satie piece is “Trois Gymnopedies,” and I really don’t hear any similarity to Cream. [/QUOTE] So was Blood, Sweat and Tears yanking our collective chains way back when? I can’t listen to the song now, because I can’t access the MP3 site from Amazon while I’m at work, but my memory tells me that the first cut on [Blood, Sweat and Tears](http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Sweat-Tears/dp/B00004XSVH) started out note for note like Sunshine of Your Love. Can anyone else listen and verify my memory? Does the BS & T track sound like anything by Satie? ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erik-satie-and-sunshine-of-your-love/372296/4 "2006-09-11T17:56:15Z")
The “Sunshine Of Your Love” riff is in the song “Blues Part II”. Nothing to do with Satie (first and last tracks). ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erik-satie-and-sunshine-of-your-love/372296/5 "2006-09-11T18:25:43Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] The Satie piece is “Trois Gymnopedies,” and I really don’t hear any similarity to Cream. [/QUOTE] Specifically, [Gymnopedie No. 1.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnop%C3%A9dies) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erik-satie-and-sunshine-of-your-love/372296/6 "2006-09-11T19:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=Algernon] The “Sunshine Of Your Love” riff is in the song “Blues Part II”. Nothing to do with Satie (first and last tracks). [/QUOTE] Thanks. I’ve apparently carried a very clear erroneous memory around for over thirty years. Not the first or last time, I’m sure.