15
Aug
2

Green Day’s “Waiting” sounds like Petula Clark’s “Downtown”

As one of the most frequently ousted bands recycling old melodies & riffs, I must say Green Day has good taste; Petula Clark’s “Downtown” has always been a favorite of mine. Green Day has also been found to cop a pleasant ascending guitar riff from the Kinks.

For “Waiting” Green Day used the catchy melody of the Chorus in “Downtown” for the verse. This sound-a-like comes across more as a conscious homage than a ripoff, most clearly when Billie Joe begins the second stanza with “Downtown, lights will be shining…”

Green Day: “Waiting” (2001)

sounds like chuck berry

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Petula Clark: “Downtown” (’65)

sounds like the beach boys surfin USA

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2 Comments:
  1. a.fox 16 Aug, 2010

    yawn. old discussion. boring and -2 for adam wagner.

  2. alex 16 Aug, 2010

    Avril Lavigne’s “Underground” kind of sounds the same too :)

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