# Similar Sounding Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 21, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986 "2021-07-21T16:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/102 "2022-11-08T23:48:29Z")
Rick Springfield’s cover of Sammy Hagar’s “I’ve Done Everything For You” came up on an 80s mix. I was struck by how the up-down notes of the chorus was almost identical to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “The Impression That I Get,” specifically the latter’s lyrics “never had to knock on wood.” ---
**Author:** ![EnolaStraight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/103 "2022-11-09T00:17:14Z")
[​ ​ ​ ​Craig David - Walking Away (Official Video) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbb7xeZGR-U) [​ ​ ​ ​U2 - One - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFWPeVfWB9o) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/104 "2022-11-10T20:09:12Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r46YZJSfxks/maxresdefault.jpg "Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - Suppertime") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r46YZJSfxks) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/83_ceLoMDsE/hqdefault.jpg "Shock Treatment - Looking For Trade") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83_ceLoMDsE) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/105 "2022-11-10T20:17:24Z")
Awhile back I was listening to the old REO Speedwagon Live album, and there’s this piano intro to “157 Riverside Ave” that it suddenly occurred to me was a shameless ripoff of the piano intro to “Locomotive Breath”. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2022, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/106 "2022-11-13T13:38:07Z")
Speaking of Little Shop… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YIvpOIUqKKA/hqdefault.jpg "Somewhere that's Green") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIvpOIUqKKA) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SXKlJuO07eM/maxresdefault.jpg "Jodi Benson - Part of Your World (Official Video From "The Little Mermaid")") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKlJuO07eM) ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2022, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/107 "2022-11-14T07:19:53Z")
Not being an ass, just curious. How do you know which came first? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2022, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/108 "2022-11-14T12:00:35Z")
Jethro Tull composed Locomotive Breath in 1971. And…REO Speedwagon composed their song the same year! Good point. Probably a coincidence, then (there’s only so much piano noodling you can do on a bluesy 7th chord and scale, to build tension leading into a guitar riff). I had no idea the boys from Illinois were around that long. I assumed they came into being with MTV in 1981. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/109 "2022-11-14T14:08:14Z")
Huh - today I learned that lawyers for Bowie and Queen sued (or threatened to sue) Vanilla Ice for copyright infringement, and as a result the former were given songwriting credit and royalties. Until now I had assumed it was an acknowledged sample from the outset. I mean, it’s so blatant I don’t know how Vanilla Ice thought they might get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/110 "2022-11-14T18:05:52Z")
Wow, I didn’t realize REO had been around since '71. (I would have guessed '73 or maybe '74). Or that “157 Riverside Ave” was written the same year as “Locomotive Breath”. So yeah, let’s call that one a toss up. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/111 "2022-11-14T20:14:08Z")
Toss up sounds good. Both songs were supposedly composed in 1970 and released the following year. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/112 "2022-11-16T01:00:42Z")
Are you talking about the bluesy parts? I’m not familiar with the Speedwagon song, but just listening to it, it’s just standard blues riffing. I don’t hear anything specificly related to the Tull song there. Or is it a specific live album or another part or something? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/113 "2022-11-16T02:02:53Z")
Both songs have a soo\lo piano intro, with similar scales and feel. REO Speedwagon’s is 30 seconds long in the studio version. It’s pretty standard stuff. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8UGPp3yPe1s/maxresdefault.jpg "Reo Speedwagon - 157 Riverside Avenue") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UGPp3yPe1s) ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/114 "2022-11-16T15:53:49Z")
The Escape Club’s “Wild Wild West” is musically just a rewrite of Elvis Costello’s “Pump it Up.” I remember it being noted in Rolling Stone’s one-star review of the Escape Club album. No idea if there was any legal pursuit, though. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/115 "2022-11-16T21:51:56Z")
A lot of ‘I Want’ songs end up sounding similar, but those two were written by the same pair of songwriters. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/116 "2022-11-17T18:58:32Z")
Compare “I Know” by Barbara George (1962) and “Everybody Loves a Lover” by the Shirelles (1963). Are the identical intros and bridges (start at about 1:05 on both) intentional? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Co0FWi4OBkc/hqdefault.jpg "Barbara George i know") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co0FWi4OBkc) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/a8dT-UulBwQ/hqdefault.jpg "1963 HITS ARCHIVE: Everybody Loves A Lover - Shirelles") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8dT-UulBwQ) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/117 "2022-11-17T19:08:35Z")
“Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette)” is pretty much the same song as “Mother-in-Law” by Ernie K-Doe. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/118 "2022-11-17T19:26:57Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > A lot of ‘I Want’ songs end up sounding similar, but those two were written by the same pair of songwriters. The Ramones were legendary at this. When they were cranking out songs in the beginning, “I Don’t Want to Walk Around With You” and “I Don’t Want to Get Involved With You” were two different songs. They’d also reuse melodies: “I’m Affected” off of _End of the Century_ was recylced as “We Want the Airwaves” off of _Pleasant Dreams_. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/119 "2022-11-20T13:26:32Z")
Another one that sounds like “Where Did Our Love Go” - by the same songwriters, no less: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4ZShJG5N050/maxresdefault.jpg "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZShJG5N050) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/120 "2022-11-20T14:57:23Z")
It may be intentional or subconscious, but maybe many songs are _supposed_ to sound “similar”. It is not too surprising once artists choose to use identical musical traditions (scales and grammar and vocabulary…) and influences, popular riffs, “recycled” melodies, and standard chord loops. If there is no actual plagiarism talking place, what’s the problem? If someone wants to sound _completely_ different they can (and, in practice, do) do that too, but even squeezing in a Bohlen–Pierce scale or something is hardly uncharted territory. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986/121 "2022-11-21T00:38:11Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > If there is no actual plagiarism talking place, what’s the problem? Well, there may not be a problem, but that doesn’t mean an enterprising lawyer can’t create one… > **[The Time John Fogerty Was Sued for Ripping Off John Fogerty](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/27501/time-john-fogerty-was-sued-ripping-john-fogerty)** > > In 1993, former Creedence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty found himself at the center of a case being argued before the United States Supreme Court. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/similar-sounding-songs/946986.md?page=7)