# Songs knowingly done in the style of another artist **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587 "2008-01-30T14:54:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/41 "2008-01-31T02:07:08Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] I’m going to nominate Todd Rundgren’s “Good Vibrations,” a note-for note cover of the Beach Boys’ original, complete with Rundgren’s channeling of Brian Wilson. [/QUOTE] I agree. It is a very [Faithful](http://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Todd-Rundgren/dp/B0000032P5/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1201745018&sr=8-2) rendition. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/42 "2008-01-31T05:34:54Z")
I’ve heard a couple of songs on the radio that I think must be deliberate attempts to copy the style of Squeeze, but the only one that comes to mind right now is “Pop Song 89” by R.E.M. Every song I’ve heard from the recent Airborne album presents an amazingly good impersonation of AC/DC. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/43 "2008-01-31T06:04:46Z")
Dylan and the The Beatles traded shots across the bow. This Amazon review of Blonde on Blonde covers the situation pretty much as I understand it. > [@](#): > > From the iconic cover shot to the Lennon-baiting ‘Fourth Time Around’ the album projects this like nothing else. The dig at Lennon was playful : Dylan suggesting that as John had ripped him off for three earlier Beatles songs (‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’, ‘I’m A Loser’ and ‘Norwegian Wood’), Dylan may as well write the fourth one for him there and then…The similarity to ‘Norwegian Wood’ is absolutely intentional. Paul Simon’s “A Simple Desultory Philippic” is decidedly Dylanesque as well and is usually interpreted as a bit of nastiness in his direction. In the 60s, both the southern California scene and the San Francisco scene were totally incestuous, with band members sitting in with one another, helping write songs, commenting on each others songs, and sounding like one another all the time. It started early. How many Jan and Dean songs did people mistake for Beach Boy songs just because Brian Wilson wrote them or they thought he wrote them even when he didn’t? After that you could point to any album and find a song that seemed to be someone else’s. Except for America’s Horse with No Name, which never sounded like Neil Young. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/44 "2008-01-31T06:15:35Z")
An obvious and intentional Elvis ripoff was Conway Twitty’s 1958 #1 (Billboard Pop) Song _It’s Only Make Believe_! ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/45 "2008-01-31T06:33:28Z")
The most obvious , and perhaps the best, of the Elvis early 60’s imitators was Ral Donner. He also narrated the Elvis movie _This Is Elvis_. Anyone out there in Straight Dope land remember him? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/46 "2008-01-31T18:03:43Z")
So, who was Led Zep trying to mimic in their rockabilly _Hot Dog_? ---
**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:** [January 31, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/47 "2008-01-31T18:24:34Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] So, who was Led Zep trying to mimic in their rockabilly _Hot Dog_? [/QUOTE] Speaking of Zep, the drum intro (and perhaps the beginning of the verses) of Rock & Roll is an obvious nod to Little Richard’s “Keep a-Knockin’.” ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/48 "2008-01-31T18:48:49Z")
The album Get Happy! by Elvis Costello has many a homage to the Stax/Volt sound. The song “1000 Umbrellas” off of XTC’s Skylarking could have fit right in on any mid to late Beatles recording. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren as well, and that contributes to the overall Beatles feel. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/49 "2008-01-31T18:52:49Z")
The Rolling Stones’ “We Love You” is self-consciously Beatles-esque. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/50 "2008-01-31T22:00:18Z")
Oooh. Made the first page by a whisper, with the one I came in post about. Chris Issak’s ‘Wicked Game’ is pure Roy Orbison. I thought it was Roy for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/51 "2008-01-31T22:19:40Z")
It’s amazing to me how well the songwriters for “The Dewey Cox Story” nailed the styles of various performers (though I realize that it’s probably not what the OP is looking for). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/52 "2008-01-31T22:41:05Z")
[QUOTE=The Sonoran Lizard King] Oooh. Made the first page by a whisper, with the one I came in post about. Chris Issak’s ‘Wicked Game’ is pure Roy Orbison. I thought it was Roy for a long time. [/QUOTE] Which reminds me of “You’re Only Lonely” by J.D. Souther, also done in Orbison’s style. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587/53 "2008-02-01T05:06:00Z")
[QUOTE=Ponch8] “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai sounds very similar to Stevie Wonder. [/QUOTE] Which seemed obvious to me, but my friends acted like they had no idea what I was on about! I nominate Regina Belle’s “So Many Tears”, in which she seemed to be trying to do her best Billy Holiday, but didn’t really pull that off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-knowingly-done-in-the-style-of-another-artist/435587.md?page=2)