Another Top 10 Ripoff Songs
Sometimes that song stuck in your head isn't even the original. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we'll be counting down our picks for Another Top 10 Ripoff Songs.
For this list we're looking at songs that don't just sound a bit similar, they sound so similar that in one way or another they triggered some sort of legal action. If you don't see a song you think deserves to be called out for plagiarism, be sure to check out our first list on the subject.
#9: The New Seekers “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)” (1971) vs Oasis “Shakermaker” (1994)
“Shakermaker” was bound to have some issues... but the song it borrowed from has an even more complicated history. A rework of an existing song, it began as a Coca-Cola jingle, before being fleshed out and recorded by The New Seekers. Much later, the melody and some lyrics would become part of the fabric of “Shakermaker”. Most sources claim that Gallagher was forced to change the offending “I'd like to teach the world” line, alter a few notes, and cough up $500,000. Upon losing the lawsuit, Gallagher quipped “we drink Pepsi now”.
#8: The Rubinoos “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” (1979) vs Avril Lavigne “Girlfriend” (2007)
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When the Rubinoos stepped up claiming Avril Lavigne had plagiarized them, her case was helped by a number of key facts – she'd never heard of them, and “Girlfriend” sounded nothing at all like “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”. Avril also pointed out that “Girlfriend” sounded like a bit like “Mickey”, or even “Get Off Of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones – a risky defense. She then pointed out that the Ramones also had a song titled “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”, but Rubinoos James Gangwer and Tommy Dunbar pushed on anyway, settling out of court when her manager decided it was cheaper than paying lawyers.
#7: Larrikin Music's “Kookaburra” (1932) vs Men At Work “Down Under” (1981)
“Down Under”, a backhanded anthem of all things Aussie, a monster hit in the early 1980's, became a source of legal trouble in the 2000's. Originally, the band's flutist Greg Ham would borrow a two-bar motif from “Kookaburra”, an Australian children's song. By the time “Down Under” was recorded the quote had gone through multiple reductions, but all the same, “Kookaburra” rights holders came knocking... eventually. After the hook was mentioned on game show “Spicks and Specks”, Larrikin Music demanded 60% of “Down Under”'s royalties, dating back to 1981. They instead were granted 5%, backdated to 2002 in July of 2010.
#6: Sleigh Bells “Infinity Guitars” (2010) vs Demi Lovato “Stars” (2015)
Typically only lyrics and melody are considered copyrightable. For Sleigh Bells, Demi Lovato's “Stars” sounded “virtually identical” to their “Infinity Guitars” – with a little bit of “Riot Rhythm” mixed in – but it was chiefly the hand claps and bass drum counter rhythm that was cited. It was on this basis that the duo laid a case against Lovato, UMG Recordings, and producers and co-writers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. The problem being, Falk and Yacoub claimed no samples were used in the song, and that Demi only wrote one line. The matter was settled in April 2017, with limited details emerging.
#5: Gordon Jenkins “Crescent City Blues” (1953) vs Johnny Cash “Folsom Prison Blues” (1955)
In the annals of song plagiarism there have been cases of subconscious plagiarism, outright plagiarism, uncleared samples, and downright sneakiness. This is a case of self-amusement gone awry. While stationed in West Germany in 1953, Johnny Cash wrote new lyrics to the melody of “Crescent City Blues” inspired by the film “Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison”. Cut forward a couple years and Cash is now a recording artist short on material, so he offered up his “Folsom Prison Blues” to producer Sam Phillips, who told the young JR not to worry about the legalities. Fifteen years later, Cash would pay out $75,000 in retribution.
#4: Chuck Berry “You Can't Catch Me” (1956) vs The Beatles “Come Together” (1969)
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It starts simple enough... John Lennon used an old Chuck Berry song as a starting point for a new song, triggering legal issues with Berry's publisher, Morris Levy. As a solo artist, John agreed to record three Levy-owned songs, and attempted to do so on his “Rock 'n' Roll” cover album, until procucer Phil Spector stole the tapes and went into hiding. Eventually recovered, Lennon attempted to reassure Levy by sharing a rough mix of his progress – which Levy then released himself and chased with a $42,000,000 lawsuit. This instead resulted in Levy being awarded $6,795, while having to pay out nearly $85,000 to Lennon for damages.
#3: The Hollies “The Air That I Breathe” (1974) vs Radiohead “Creep” (1992)
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This case is so open and shut it's almost dull. While writing “Creep”, Ed O'Brien pointed out to Thom Yorke that the song's bridge had the same chords as “The Air That I Breathe”, so Yorke decided to grab the song's melody too. That song's authors, Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood then sued, but were impressed by the band's honesty and settled for credits and a cut of the “Creep” royalties. It's a sharp contrast to 2018, when Lana Del Rey would allege that Radiohead's team noticed passing similarities to “Creep” in her song “Get Free” and demanded 100% of her royalties.
#2: Multiple Artists vs Mark Ronson “Uptown Funk” (2014)
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Before the song was even released, Ronson and company offered some credit to Trinidad James. After it was released, the Gap Band came knocking, claiming similarities to their “Oops Upside Your Head”, followed by the Sequence, Collage, and finally Zapp in September of 2017. Additionally, Serbian artist Viktorija has alleged that the song lifts elements one of her songs. By 2018, 17% of the track's royalties were transferred to the Gap Band, while the credits have ballooned from Ronson, Bruno Mars, Jeff Bhasker, and Philip Lawrence to include 6 additional songwriters from their respective groups..
#1: Queen & David Bowie “Under Pressure” (1981) vs Vanilla Ice “Ice Ice Baby” (1989)
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It takes about seven notes to recognize “Ice Ice Baby” for what it is. While the signature bass line amounts to a sample, Vanilla Ice never sought permission to use it, and instead said his tinkering with the riff and adding one note made it original. But in the face of legal action the rapper caved and granted Bowie and all four members of Queen due credit, and royalties. In 2013, Ice would claim to have bought “Under Pressure” outright, however, the song's publishing info shows it to be co-owned by companies representing Queen, Bowie, and EMI Music – making Ice's claim a bit dubious.
