# Songs that "steal" from other songs (not sampled) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727 "2012-05-22T15:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/41 "2012-05-23T12:32:38Z")
Pink Floyd’s song “One of These Days” has a few bars of the Doctor Who theme in it. The European pop band Edelweiss’s “Bring Me Edelweiss” takes the tune of Abba’s “S.O.S.” Guns n Roses’s “Civil Wars” has the tune of “When Johnny comes marching Home” in it. Primus’s song “The Air is Getting Slippery” references Pink Floyd’s album Animals, presumably the song “Pigs on the Wing” That’s all I got for now. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/42 "2012-05-23T14:28:39Z")
_A Praise Chorus_ by Jimmy Eat World has about a half-dozen references packed into one verse: _Crimson and clover, over and over Crimson and clover, over and over Our house in the middle of our street Why did we ever meet? Started in my rock and roll fantasy Don’t don’t, don’t let’s start Why did we ever part? Kickstart my rock and rollin’ heart_ (And on preview, I see **Snooooopy** already mentioned this one…ah well.) ---
**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:** [May 23, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/43 "2012-05-23T15:40:29Z")
Harry Nilsson’s “[You Can’t Do That](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-3IH3T1DoE)” was, of course, a Beatles song originally. However, he put quotes from around 20 other Beatles songs in the background. Sly and the Family Stone’s, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” has a chorus that quotes from titles of earlier Sly and the Family Stone songs. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/44 "2012-05-23T16:17:11Z")
Beyoncé’s “Halo” and Clarkson’s “Already Gone” Not exactly a “steal” since the guy who created the track simply sold it to both. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/45 "2012-05-23T16:59:42Z")
Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” quotes Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love” as well as sampling it. Ice Cube quoted it in “Bop Gun” as well. Sting does this a lot. The end of “Oh God” is a piece of “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.” The end of “Love is the Seventh Wave” quotes “Every Breath You Take.” Hootie & The Blowfish quoted Bob Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” and mentioned other Dylan songs in “Only Wanna Be With You” and promptly got sued for it. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/46 "2012-05-23T17:41:18Z")
Life on Mars? - David Bowie: “Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow, and Lennon’s on sale again.” Everything Zen - Bush: “Minnie Mouse has grown up a cow; Dave’s on sale again.” Bush also may or may not have directly lifted “Try to see it once my way” from Alice in Chains’ song, Would?, for that same song. I had heard it was deliberate, perhaps not. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/47 "2012-05-23T17:45:28Z")
(Missed the window) Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication: Space may be the final frontier - Star Trek But it?s made in a Hollywood basement And Cobain can you hear the spheres - Kurt Cobain Singing songs off station to station - Station to Station is a Bowie album And Alderon?s not far away - Alderaan is a planet in Star Wars It?s Californication - which is the stupidest name for a song, ever. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/48 "2012-05-23T18:38:53Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Life on Mars? - David Bowie: “Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow, and Lennon’s on sale again.” It also has the same chords as My Way. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/49 "2012-05-23T18:48:21Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > In David Bowie’s “Young Americans” he clearly riffs on the Beatles “A Day in the Life” with the line “I read the news today, oh boy”. In fact it isn’t even a riff on it, it is almost exact homage. > > What other songs have lines from other songs sung in the same style as the original (not samples)? Speaking of Bowie, the Bangles’ song [“The Glitter Years”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0u9rAOx20dk#t=148s) quotes his “Better hang on to yourself.” ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/50 "2012-05-23T19:00:17Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > “Hello City” by the Barenaked Ladies directly uses lines from the Housemartins’ “Happy Hour.” The in-joke is BNL was often compared to the Housemartins. Some other Barenaked Ladies examples also come to mind. “Straw Hat & Dirty Old Hank” contains a few lyrics to Anne Murray songs (can’t remember which ones). The song is basically about a stalker and was inspired by a stalker Anne Murray had once. Also, “Grade 9” has the piano riff from Vince Guaradli’s “Charlie Brown Theme” as well as some of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” Oh yeah, and “King of Bedside Manor” breaks into Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” near the end. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/51 "2012-05-23T19:09:28Z")
**April Wine** ’s _I Like to Rock_ has the guitar riffs from both _Satisfaction_ and _DayTripper_ playing over each other at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/52 "2012-05-23T19:50:14Z")
Early Led Zeppelin has lots of lines stolen from Robert Johnson; I’m thinking particularly of the “squeeze my lemons till the juice runs down my leg” line. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/53 "2012-05-23T22:38:15Z")
> [@punch\_line\_loser](#): > > Noel Gallagher is the Crown Prince of Quotation - Oasis’s live versions of “Whatever” frequently ended with the Brothers G. singing the “all the young dudes” refrain written by David Bowie for Mott the Hoople. There’s also the melody for “Shakermaker” that was lifted almost entirely from the “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” Coke ads from the '70s, “Cigarettes and Alcohol” lifts the riff from T. Rex’s “Bang A Gong” almost note for note… they even went as far as to quote themselves (cf. “come on, come on, yeah yeah yeah” from “Columbia” reappearing a scant three years later in “Be Here Now”). Even more so than that, if you listen to ‘How Sweet to be an idiot’ by Neil Innes, knowing what Oasis’s Whatever sounds like, it is quite a shock. Its the same song different lyrics… ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/54 "2012-05-23T23:12:46Z")
“It’s Ice” by Phish uses “Yakety Sax” (the Benny Hill show theme) as a bass line. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/55 "2012-05-24T00:27:29Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > **April Wine** ’s _I Like to Rock_ has the guitar riffs from both _Satisfaction_ and _DayTripper_ playing over each other at the end. Great example, and it’s amazing how well these two riffs blend together. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/56 "2012-05-24T04:06:25Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > If you want a sampled or borrowed piece of music, Sugarloaf’s “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” uses the main guitar riff fro mthe Beatles’ “I Feel Fine.” To be fair, “I Feel Fine” bears a not-coincidental resemblance to [“Watch Your Step”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvtabNAb_wE) by Bobby Parker. The bridge of John’s “Sexy Sadie” on the White Album deliberately copies the chords from the verse of Paul’s “Here There and Everywhere.” And one more Beatles example: “Sun King” was acknowledged by the Fabs as an out-and-out ripoff of Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross.” Many of Bob Dylan’s songs are reworkings of traditional folk songs: “Blowin’ in the Wind” came from a spiritual called “No More Auction Block,” while “A Hard Rain’s a’Gonna Fall” comes from “Lord Ronald.” Talking Heads and Counting Crows both wrote songs called “Mr. Jones,” in reference to the protagonist/victim in Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man.” Gillian Welch’s “Revelator” has a verse that almost-but-not-quite quotes Dylan’s “Desolation Row.” ---
**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:** [May 24, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/57 "2012-05-24T08:51:24Z")
Two from the Pogues’ last album, “Hell’s Ditch”: one song starts by playing the intro to the Beach Boys’ “You Still Believe in Me” (but with Irish instruments), while another song’s lyric steals a line from Bo Diddley’s “Who do you Love?”. Oh, someone mentioned “Sexy Sadie”… the author of the 33 1/3-series booklet on “OK Computer” noticed how Radiohead borrowed (not necessarily consciously) the key chord sequence from that song’s verse for the verse of “Karma Police”. I never noticed the “Here, There…” thing, though – good catch. For all their differences in style, John really appreciated Paul’s creativity most of the time (and vice versa) – John specifically referred (not sarcastically) to “H, T…” as one of Paul’s “masterpieces” in a 1970 interview. ---
**Author:** ![Themenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Themenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themenin)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/58 "2012-05-24T12:11:18Z")
It’s kind of hard to pin it down - but, “I Want You” by Elvis Costello from “I Want You” by the Beatles. Musically very similar, especially the coda, same choppy/smooth loud/soft dynamic, repetition etc. Like I said, hard to pin down, but EC was very clearly “inspired” by the Beatles, although the lyrics are all his. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/59 "2012-05-24T13:04:55Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > In David Bowie’s “Young Americans” he clearly riffs on the Beatles “A Day in the Life” with the line “I read the news today, oh boy”. In fact it isn’t even a riff on it, it is almost exact homage. > > What other songs have lines from other songs sung in the same style as the original (not samples)? Please explain the difference between songs that “have lines from other songs sung in the same style as the original” vs “samples”?😕 ---
**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:** [May 24, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727/60 "2012-05-24T13:14:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Please explain the difference between songs that “have lines from other songs sung in the same style as the original” vs “samples”?😕 A sample is a snippet of the original recording. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-steal-from-other-songs-not-sampled/622727.md?page=4)