After an hour’s worth of Taylor Swift songs, courtesy of my co-worker, I have concluded that “You Belong With Me” is just the female version of Bowling for Soup’s “Girl All the Bad Guys Want.”
For a recent one, Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” sounds an awful lot like Beyonce’s “Halo.”
Tangentially related video:
Weirdly enough, Hanson’s “Mmm Bop” and TLC’s “Unpretty.”
Miley Cyrus “See you again” starts off eerily similar to Corey Hart “Sunglasses at night”
I have no idea what the song was, but I was listening to the local “Modern RAWK!!!” station the other day and after a couple of bars I started singing along to the tune of “Save a Prayer” by Duran Duran - and the ONLY note which didn’t fit was the modulation on the last note of each chorus.
It was halfway to awesome.
The beginning of “Veronica Sawyer Smokes” from AFI’s newest album reminds me very strongly of another song (I believe something 80s, quite possibly The Cure) and it’s been driving me nuts for days. If anybody can help me out on that one, I’d appreciate it. 
AFI-Veronica Sawyer Smokes
The Cure-Boys Don’t Cry
or
The Buzzcocks-Everbody’s Happy Nowadays
Argh, you got my contribution. I would typically sing the Beatles lyrics when the Offspring song would come on the radio.
…OK, I have to know what song this is now. 
I’m pleasantly surprised how many of you listened past the first few bars. Among vintage jazz & pop fans, almost nobody does this. They’ll just blurt, “Song A sounds like Song B!” right after the “reckud” starts spinning. Then again, most of them are musical near-illiterates.
That is great. I’ve noticed over the past year or so, on the radio stations my 15yo daughter listens to, that about every third song seems to employ that same chord progression. Aaarrrgghhh!!!
Can I ask for help on one? The first time I heard Papa Roach’s Last Resort (which is beyond terrible, IMO) I knew the riff was a ripoff of something. But for the life of me, like 10 years later, I still can’t figure out what it is.
I know “The Water’s Wide” from a version done by Bob Dylan, but I never made the connection. :smack:
But to my excuse, the source is never mentioned in the credits to “Mother Earth” and “Van Diemen’s Land”.
Anyway, I got one more: “Pot Kettle Black” by Wilco sounds very similar to “In Between Days” by the Cure.
Ray Parker, Jr. had a hit with the theme from the film “Ghostbusters.” Huey Lewis sued him because he thought “Ghostbusters” sounded to similar to Huey Lewis and the News’ hit “I want A New Drug.” Parker settled with him out of court. In return, Parker sued Lewis for revealing the settlement in an episode of “Behind the Music.”
Then there was the case of Fantasy Records vs John Fogerty. Fogerty released the single “The Old Man Down the Road.” Saul Zaenz, the president of Fantasy records, which owned the rights to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s back catalogue, sued Fogerty for plagiarism, claiming that “The Old Man Down the Road” sounded too much like an earlier Creedence song, “Run Through the Jungle.” That case was settled in Fogerty’s favor when the judge ruled that an artist can have a consistent, recognizable style though their body of work.
And then that debacle gave us Zaenz…I mean Vanz…Can’t Dance.
No, both songs were from the same album, Centerfield. Fogerty originally called “Vanz Can’t Dance” by the title “Zanz Can’t Dance.” He was forced to change the title and to re-dub the song, but that happened before the plagiarism trial for “The Old Man Down the Road.” There was a third song Zaenz objected to also, “Mr. Greed.” But those songs were all released before the civil trial for TOMDTR ever occured.
Oops, sorry. I thought he was pissed over that lawsuit.
Could it be Green Day Brain Stew or AC/DC Back in Black? Both have that sort of halting guitar riff.
That riff always sort of reminded me of Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne.
My contributions:
One part of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” (the “you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles” part) is the same as the verse from the Records’ “Starry Eyes”.
“Sleep Now in the Fire” by Rage Against the Machine has a similar riff to Nirvana’s “Breed”.
The opening riff to Green Day’s “American Idiot” is pretty similar to some Superchunk song off their second album (I forget which, I think it’s Creek, Sidewalk, or maybe Press).
Do you mean the composition by Ravel? Because frankly, I don’ t hear any similarities. Although I do have to admit, I’m a bit more familiar with the works of Billy Joel than I am with Ravel’s.