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It's The Same Old Song

GooseOnTheLoose

GooseOnTheLoose

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Ug Bugs
They say that there's nothing new under the sun and music is definitely no exception.

There are plenty of songs that share the same musical DNA, usually in chord progressions, but that's a bit boring. I'm interested in songs which share similar melodic elements.

Have you ever heard a song and gone "THIS SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE..."? If you have then please share away.

Quick Thread Guides:​

  • Please only share one musical soundalike per post.
  • You CAN have more than two songs in the same post, that all sound similar to each other.
  • The whole song doesn't have to sound similar or identical, bits like the intro or the middle 8, or chorus can.
  • Please identify which bits of each song you think sound similar to the other, use a time code if necessary.
  • Do include a musical embed of your choices, if you can find one.
  • Samples don't count.
  • The first person to share "Four Chords' by Axis of Awesome isn't funny and will be pecked to death by my goosey cousins, on the lawns of Towers, during opening weekend.

My first picks​

The intros to both of these are almost indistinguishable at times and it used to drive me mad at times, hearing Billy Ocean coming on the radio and expecting The Four Tops.

"I Can't Help Myself" - The Four Tops

​



"Love Really Hurts Without You" - Billy Ocean
 
She's Electric and While My Guitar Gently Weeps...





"And I want you to know..." And "I don't know why...".

The melody on these parts are very similar. And Noel Gallagher is a huge Beatles fan.
 
RicketyCricket said:
She's Electric and While My Guitar Gently Weeps...





"And I want you to know..." And "I don't know why...".

The melody on these parts are very similar. And Noel Gallagher is a huge Beatles fan.
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I'd never made the connection before, but now I can't un-hear it!

I'm surprised that this one never ended up in court...

"Maneater" - Daryl Hall & John Oates


"Part Time Lover" - Stevie Wonder


No specific part to this one, generally the melody is pretty damn similar from the intro throughout both songs.
 
MattyH said:
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star


From: https://youtu.be/yCjJyiqpAuU?si=jRFwG80QS-E2f3-d


Somebody that I used to Know


From: https://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY


Sounds familiar.
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Also "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and the alphabet song!
John_P said:

From: https://youtu.be/gNi_6U5Pm_o?si=Hk82vs_loO1DDLOp



From: https://youtu.be/aCyGvGEtOwc?si=XHSvUWzY6eAESP1r


So much so that Olivia Rodrigo ended up adding the two members of Paramore who wrote Misery Business onto the credits for Good 4 U
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Definitely a good way to avoid a lawsuit. I had considered including a rule about not including songs which have led to legal challenges, but decided better of it.
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers.


From: https://youtu.be/Sb5aq5HcS1A?si=n59Dp0MU2WOtE5FT


Sounds a hell of a lot like Mary Jane’s Last Dance by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers.


From: https://youtu.be/aowSGxim_O8?si=kPu0rol1Y_0UFduk



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Yes it does!

Sticking with Tom Petty for a moment.

The acoustic guitar in "Freefallin'" by Tom Petty


The acoustic guitar in "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" by Ronnie Spector
 
Separated at birth.

The Gene Genie by David Bowie (Released November 1972)

https://youtu.be/BLbi6y4ktgc?si=bKOYzwy-1g2PiL_K

Blockbuster by The Sweet (Released January 1973)

https://youtu.be/nCH8fsJ7Ggc?si=pL_Ogqs37r6Lrafi

Nobody seems to know which one of those two was recorded first, but they are both heavily based on The Yardbirds’ 1965 cover of I’m A Man by Bo Diddly (1955).

https://youtu.be/JAdCePtwoW4?si=hA-6km-erJIXU5L3

Also see Oh Yeah by Shadows Of Knight. Originally released in 1966 it was little heard until it was included on the iconic Nuggets compilation album of 60’s garage rock singles in 1972 which might help explain why that riff was fresh in the minds of Bowie and The Sweet that same year.

https://youtu.be/GHjEvIFQ7zk?si=v_YhnxNkMBdgeRnl
 
I'll let y'all decide on the contentiousness of this one.

The introductions for these two are IDENTICAL.

"Stark Raving Love" - Jim Steinman


"Holding Out for a Hero" - Bonnie Tyler


And so begins a subgame, songwriters that rip themselves off, or repeat the same melody. Both of these were written by the often overlooked maestro Jim Steinman (RIP). "Stark Raving Love" was featured on Jim's only solo album, which was originally written as Bat Out of Hell II for Meat Loaf, until the latter turned it down. A few years later when working on a new song for Bonnie Tyler, Jim decided to recycle the high energy and intense urgent intro from "Stark Raving Love" and use it for his new composition "Holding Out for a Hero"; the rest, as they say, is history!
 
Just When You’re Thinking Things Over by The Charlatans, 1995.

https://youtu.be/Ej_KmgcY9Ik?si=OO3tt6mYhHGfMUxl

Bring On The Lucie (Freda People) by John Lennon, 1973.

https://youtu.be/q90TEF-Ph3g?si=X1wQpLw-DmchSYBA

But The Charlatans didn’t stop with just ripping that track off once…

Just Lookin’ by The Charlatans, 1995
(Listen to the part at 1:10)
https://youtu.be/5QibOCbzeIY?si=6AfZiY8yx6HKneey

Bring On The Lucie again (specifically the part at 1:25)

https://youtu.be/q90TEF-Ph3g?si=iUjkkJ1MI0zIX7lp

Absolutely shameless, surprised they didn’t get done over that!
 
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
Just When You’re Thinking Things Over by The Charlatans, 1995.


From: https://youtu.be/Ej_KmgcY9Ik?si=OO3tt6mYhHGfMUxl
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Something about this is bugging me... it's also very "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Sympathy for the Devil" (at least the percussion) both by The Rolling Stones. It may come to me later. Definitely borrowing a lot of elements from all over the place.

"Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones


"You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones
 
Ok, so I'm breaking 2 rules by posting this, but my justification is.... well there isn't any so take it as a "by the way, this is interesting" kind of post and they can be broken down into individual posts as all tracks featured are readily available in full online. Please don't peck me to death.

But inspired by this thread, I had a quick look when I had a spare few moments tonight in to tunes I've been hearing for decades that have always reminded me of 2 of my favourite game soundtracks of all time and I came across the below video.

Some of this is hardly surprising as it's all pretty much in keeping with the styles of the time (what an era). But genius composer Yuzo Koshiro churned magic out of that Yamaha YM2612 sound chip when he did Streets of Rage, and particularly Streets of Rage 2, and he used to DJ these in Japanese clubs. Before he went mental of course when he did Streets of Rage 3. The 3 best tracks he did for SoR2 (S.O.R. Super Mix, Blue moon and Never Return Alive) aren't here but are worth looking up and listening to.

From: https://youtu.be/OXhUMSDmhds?si=6m9VCCKyOYZ7Kjdm
 
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Matt.GC said:
Ok, so I'm breaking 2 rules by posting this, but my justification is.... well there isn't any so take it as a "by the way, this is interesting" kind of post and they can be broken down into individual posts as all tracks featured are readily available in full online. Please don't peck me to death.
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It is interesting, pecking avoided.

Mix these two (or three if you include The Four Tops from my very first submission):

"Love Really Hurts Without You" - Billy Ocean


"Baby Love" The Supremes


And you get this!

"Always Have, Always Will" - Ace of Base
 
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