Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m gonna leave you” sounds like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″
2. The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony sounds like the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”
3. The Offspring’s “Why don’t you get a Job?” sounds like The Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

The Beatles’ released “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” partly as a tribute to reggae’s growing popularity in Britain during 1968. The Offspring released “Why don’t you get a Job?” as a ska/punk tune from their 1998 album ‘Americana’.

I see the Offspring tune “Why don’t you get a Job?” more as a tribute to the Beatles’ hit than as a ripoff. The song is clearly inspired by the vocal melody. It’s even in the same key and tempo. The Offspring made such a little attempt to change the song that I see “Why don’t you get a Job?” as a humble nod to their musical superiors, The Beatles.

Since these songs are the same key and similar tempo, this sound-a-like is the perfect candidate for a Sounds Just Like first: Mashup! Listen to the second audio sample to hear The Offspring and The Beatles mashed together.

The Offspring: Why Don’t You Get a Job? (1998)

Mashup: “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” vs. “Why don’t you get a Job?”

“Why don’t you get a Job?” was released as the second single from Americana, right after “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)”. I can understand the view that this was a dishonorable move by The Offspring. What do you think?

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m gonna leave you” sounds like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″
2. The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony sounds like the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”
3. The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA” sounds like Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen”

Here’s a sound-a-like that came in number two on Rolling Stone’s Twenty Craziest Sound-a-like Songs list: Fergalicious vs. Supersonic.

JJ Fad: Supersonic (1988)

Fergie: Fergalicious(2006)

Great, so we found where the vocal melody came from. How about those strings? Well, those are also a sample taken from the Afro Rican’s “Give it All you Got”. Will.i.am is definitely good at what he does. I’m not trying to detract from the skillful arrangement and production of a pop song; only trying to point out the sources. However, I do prefer the lyrics from Mathmiticious.

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony sounds like the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”
2. Royksopp’s Eple sounds like Bob James’ You’re as Right as Rain
3. Will Smith’s “Switch” sounds like Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin’”

Yes, Royksopp’s use of Bob James’ melody line is clearly a sample. I’d prefer to keep the content on Sounds Just Like focused on similar sounding songs, not obvious samples. However, this particular case is important.

Royksopp’s hit “Eple” is based entirely from a 5 second portion of jazz great Bob James’ “Your as Right as Rain”. James’ version itself is a jazzy take on the Stylistics tune by the same name. In addition to the boldness of the move by Royksopp, there is also something to admire in the beauty of their execution. I heard “Eple” first, and was instantly hooked. It’s a catchy riff. Royksopp recognized the potential of 10 notes from a mid seventies jazz number and did their best to make a techno hit. I admire it.

Bob James is no stranger to sampling. Wikipedia claims that a few of James’ tunes “are among the most sampled in hip hop history“.

So take a listen. Enjoy. Decide for yourself: is Eple a creative collage worthy of it’s own praise or a mere piggyback ride? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Bob James: You’re as Right as Rain (1975)

Royksopp: Eple (2001)

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony sounds like the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”
2. Fergie’s Fergalicious sounds like JJ Fad’s Supersonic
3. Will Smith’s “Switch” sounds like Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin’”

Of all the bands to leave a melodic fingerprint on Regina Spector’s memory, The Partridge Family seems as likely as any. The similarity is brief but once heard, impossible to ignore.

Listen carefully during Regina Spektor’s phrase “That statue, that statue of baby Jesus, in a window, in a window of a 99 cent store…” and compare it to The Partridge Family’s phrase “I’m sleeping, I’m right in the middle of a good dream, like all at once I wake up, from something that keeps…”

The Partridge Family: “I think I love you” (1970)
Regina Spektor: “Baby Jesus” (2007)

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” sounds like the Jayhawk’s “Waiting for the Sun”
2. ? And the Mysterian’s “96 Tears” sounds like BS2000’s “It Feels Like”
3. Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m gonna leave you” sounds like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″

Talk about obscure! My (then) girlfriend and I were spending a lovely evening jammin’ to Fats Domino in 2007 when we noticed that “I’m Walkin’” begins with an infectious kick drum fill.

Perhaps Will Smith’s producer (is it still Jazzy Jeff?!) thought so too. Naturally, the modern version has a lot more low-end – but it’s also surprisingly slower.

Also surprising, “I’m Walkin’” made it to Number 4 on the US Charts, while “Switch” only reached number 7. You just don’t mess with Fats Domino.

Fats Domino: I’m Walkin’ (1957)

Will Smith: Switch (2005)

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony sounds like the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”
2. Royksopp’s Eple sounds like Bob James’ You’re as Right as Rain
3. Fergie’s Fergalicious sounds like JJ Fad’s Supersonic

Although the Jayhawks never brought plagiarism charges against Tom Petty for this soundalike, the similarities are unmistakable. Oh, and I should add the Jayhawks opened for Tom Petty during 1992, and Petty heard “Waiting for the Sun” every night.

Jayhawk’s “Waiting for the Sun” (1992)
versus
Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance (1993)

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m gonna leave you” sounds like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″
2. Regina Spektor’s “Baby Jesus” Sounds like The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You”
3. The Offspring’s “Why don’t you get a Job?” sounds like The Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

Okay, so this is an example of the fine line between using a sample and ripping off another artist. Here’s the story from Wikipedia:

“Although the song’s lyrics were written by Verve vocalist Richard Ashcroft, it has been credited to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger after charges by the original copyright owners that the song was plagiarized from the Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of The Rolling Stones’ 1965 song “The Last Time”.

Originally, The Verve had negotiated a licence to use a sample from the Oldham recording, but it was successfully argued that the Verve had used ‘too much’ of the sample.[5] Despite having original lyrics, the music of “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is partially based on the Oldham track (the song uses the sample as its foundation and builds layers upon it, though the prominent violin melody is Ashcroft’s creation),[citation needed] which led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Allen Klein’s company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones material of the 1960s. The matter was eventually settled, with copyright of the song reverting to ABKCO and songwriting credits to Jagger and Richards.

After losing the composer credits to the song, Richard Ashcroft commented, “This is the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years.”[7]“

So, we have
The Andrew Oldham Orchestra (covering the Stones) “The Last Time” (1966)
versus
The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)

What do you think about this one? Although Ashcroft stakes claim to “Bittersweet Symponhy’s” catchy string melody, I find it highly derivative of the bells in the Oldham version of “The Last Time”

More sound-alikes:

Flaming Lip’s “Fight Test” sounds like Cat Steven’s “Father and Son”

Walt Disney’s “Spoonful of Sugar” sounds like John William’s “Imperial March”

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA” sounds like Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen”
2. Royksopp’s Eple sounds like Bob James’ You’re as Right as Rain
3. Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m gonna leave you” sounds like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″

You’ll have to wait for 0:59 into “Babe I’m gonna leave you” to hear it’s signature riff.

Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” was recorded Oct 1968 and released in January 1969.

Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″ was recorded Aug 1969 and released June 1970, seven months after “Babe I’m gonna leave you” had radio play.

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. Green Day’s “Warning” sounds like The Kinks’s “Picture Book”
2. The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA” sounds like Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen”
3. The Offspring’s “Why don’t you get a Job?” sounds like The Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

Chuck Berry sued the Beach boys over their tune “Surfin’ USA” and won partial credit.

Chuck Berry: “Sweet Sixteen” (1958)
versus
The Beach Boys: “Surfin’ USA” (1963)

Related Sound-A-Likes:

1. Green Day’s “Warning” sounds like The Kinks’s “Picture Book”
2. The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony sounds like the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”
3. Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m gonna leave you” sounds like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″