# THIS song sound just like THAT song. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106 "2013-10-24T13:16:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oedipus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/1 "2013-10-24T13:16:27Z")
As a music producer, I spend so much more time focusing on the instrumentation behind songs. I like to find the tiny little hidden sounds that you wouldn’t normally hear if you weren’t looking for them. As a result, I usually notice when songs sound really similar, even if they are 50-some years apart and in the back of my mind. Most of my examples won’t be the classic rock you guys love, but I’ll start it off. [Suuns - Armed for Peace](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9AT6EnciR_8#t=7) sounds just like a 2010s update of [Marcy Playground - Sex and Candy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-KT-r2vHeMM#t=66) [Chief Keef - Hate Bein’ Sober](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNMuIPsz6lE&feature=player_detailpage#t=27) sounds just like [Chief Keef - Love Sosa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YWyHZNBz6FE#t=32) (quick edit: as much as I’d love to have a “hunt for the sample” kind of thread, samples don’t count.) ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/2 "2013-10-24T14:00:51Z")
Check out www.soundsjustlike.com. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/3 "2013-10-24T14:06:54Z")
I remember there were two or more Offspring songs that had the same music. I can’t remember what the songs were though. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/4 "2013-10-24T14:26:06Z")
I can’t link to them from here, but What’s Up? (4 Non Blondes, 1992) is the same song as Don’t Worry, Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin, 1988). I like the former but despise the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/5 "2013-10-24T16:00:00Z")
The Offspring’s “Get a Job” and the Beatles “Obla-di Obla-da”? ---
**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:** [October 24, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/6 "2013-10-24T16:03:05Z")
**The Strokes** ’ “Last Night” and **Tom Petty’s** “American Girl.” ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/7 "2013-10-24T16:15:56Z")
George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” and the Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine.” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/8 "2013-10-24T16:17:53Z")
I just noticed this yesterday, actually. Ray Charles’ “Look What They’ve Done To My Song” and ELO’s “Hold On Tight” are remarkably similar, right down to a 3rd verse in French. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/9 "2013-10-24T17:50:54Z")
“[Young Girl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn0ZJHVH17I)” vs. “[Woman Woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nNXi66N2oc)” vs. “[Lady Willpower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1CLjF8Q8xo)” by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. As Lillian Roxon pointed out, it’s the same song sung sideways. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/10 "2013-10-24T18:01:54Z")
Iron Butterfly’s [Inna-gadda-da-vida](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urGHap53sgA) and Cream’s [Sunshine of Your Love](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16h6vLy6n4A). Cole Porter’s [My Heart Belongs to Daddy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD9_hnDJiGA) [Ella Fitzgerald version is the one I like] Some female singer had a rockish song out in the late 80s with the refrain of my heart belongs to you sung pretty much exactly like my heart belongs to daddy. Can’t find it in a quick run through youtube though. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/11 "2013-10-24T18:22:20Z")
George Strait [Run](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK34jEe58yo) and The Police [Every Little Thing She Does is Magic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aENX1Sf3fgQ). On the verses only. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/12 "2013-10-24T18:26:32Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Iron Butterfly’s [Inna-gadda-da-vida](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urGHap53sgA) and Cream’s [Sunshine of Your Love](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16h6vLy6n4A). And the theme to the A Team. I frequently confuse the three when humming. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/13 "2013-10-24T18:26:52Z")
_Be A Clown_ and _Make 'Em Laugh_. It’s a wonder Cole Porter didn’t sue. Oh, and Gordon Lightfoot. Pick any two. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/14 "2013-10-24T18:53:45Z")
A few that prompted plagiarism lawsuits: John Fogerty’s “The Old Man Down the Road” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Run Through the Jungle.” Despite the fact that Fogerty wrote both songs, Saul Zaenz, the owner of Fogerty’s former record label, who also owned Fogerty’s copyrights on his Creedence songs, sued Fogerty for plagiarizing himself. The judge found in Fogerty’s favor, and in a precedent-setting decision, ordered Fantasy Records to pay the cost of his defense. Huey Lewis and the News’ “I Want A New Drug” and Ray Parker, Jr.'s “Ghostbusters.” Lewis won a suit against Parker for plagiarism for an undisclosed sum. “The Kookaburra Song” and “Down Under” by Men At Work. Larrikin Music, the owner of “Kookaburra” sued Men At Work, charging that Greg Ham lifted the flute part of “Down Under” from “Kookaburra.” Larrikin won a portion of the song’s royalties. Greg Ham is reported to have been despondent at the decision, saying that the lawsuit is the only thing he would be remembered for. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/15 "2013-10-24T18:57:33Z")
There was a singer in the 1970s whose name escapes me. She had a good-sized hit called “I’m Not Lisa,” and a couple of other minor hits with different lyrics but pretty much the same melody as “Lisa.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/16 "2013-10-24T19:03:01Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > There was a singer in the 1970s whose name escapes me. She had a good-sized hit called “I’m Not Lisa,” and a couple of other minor hits with different lyrics but pretty much the same melody as “Lisa.” [Jessi Colter.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Not_Lisa) And thanks for the earworm. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/17 "2013-10-24T19:45:38Z")
> [@The Severed Head of Prof. P](#): > > _Be A Clown_ and _Make 'Em Laugh_. It’s a wonder Cole Porter didn’t sue. I don’t have a cite for it, but I remember hearing/reading that Alan Freed (who “wrote” Make 'Em Laugh) showed up at Cole Porter’s house with a checkbook in one hand and a job offer in the other, and that’s the reason Porter didn’t sue. Warren Zevon’s _Werewolf of London_ and Kid Rock’s _All Summer Long_. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/18 "2013-10-24T19:45:51Z")
Part of Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” borrows identical tune and words from “Scarborough Fair” sung by Simon and Garfunkel. “She once was a true love of mine.” Edited for clarity: I’m not sure if he borrowed it from them. But they adapted it from a nineteenth century English folk song. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/19 "2013-10-24T19:57:37Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > The Offspring’s “Get a Job” and the Beatles “Obla-di Obla-da”? Ah, that was mine. Back to work. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106/20 "2013-10-24T19:59:13Z")
> [@Oedipus](#): > > [Suuns - Armed for Peace](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9AT6EnciR_8#t=7) sounds just like a 2010s update of [Marcy Playground - Sex and Candy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-KT-r2vHeMM#t=66) Is this one a whoosh or did you make some mistake? I can’t find any similarity at all between those two songs. Care to give a hint? What sounds similar to you? BTW, I’m a professional musician, but, regardless, we both have ears. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-sound-just-like-that-song/672106.md?page=2)