The 8 Most Blatantly Plagiarized Songs

These are the biggest musical rip-offs in history. I guarantee you’ll be surprised at what tune is number 1. (Please exercise caution when reading this article, it’s possible you may lose respect for artists you once loved.)

8. “Waiting”-Green Day (Warning, 2000) rips off “Downtown”-Petula Clark (Single-1964)

Green Day is known for many things, from their somewhat cheesy but determined mid-nineties releases, to their pathetic return to the music scene adorned in cliché neck ties and thick eyeliner (Ok, I may be a little biased), but one thing they are not given enough credit for is: blatant plagiarism. You might have heard English rocker Colin Merry accuse Green Day of reworking their song “Never Got the Chance” into “Warning,” or you may have been listening to “Brain Stew” and thought to yourself, “this sounds a lot like ‘25 or 6 to 4′ by Chicago!” But Green Day’s shameless swipe of “Downtown’s” catchy chorus takes the cake for their biggest rip-off ever. I don’t care if Billy Joe and company were trying for a tongue and cheek homage to Petula, or simply couldn’t come up with a catchy enough single to sell their record. Whatever the case was, the outcome sounds like Green Day just said “screw it” and thought no one would notice.

7. “Anybody Seen My Baby?”-The Rolling Stones (Bridges to Babylon, 1997) rips off “Constant Craving”-K.D. Lang (Ingénue, 1992)

The only reason I put this on the list is because I expect way more from The Rolling-Freakin’-Stones! I fully realize what happens to landmark bands as the years crawl by. If they don’t break up or off themselves at their peak like the smart ones, their music quality and originality will slowly and predictably crumble until they have no choice but to rip-off a popular song and go on a Greatest Hits tour. To be honest, “Anybody Seen My Baby?” isn’t a bad tune. Sure, it’s not as great as anything the Stones did in the 60’s or early 70’s, but it’s a solid song. Too bad it completely rips off the chorus of K.D. Lang’s angsty hit. I’m just glad they didn’t play this song on their somewhat recent Bigger Bang/Greatest Hits tour.

6. “Last Nite”-The Strokes (Is This It, 2001) rips off “American Girl”-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976)

If The Strokes didn’t put out such great music I would be a little pissed that they completely stole the riff and chord progressions to Tom Petty’s American Girl. But the fact that they openly admitted it on national television, and were condoned by Petty himself, pretty much puts them in the clear. Still, as much as I love The Strokes, their song “Last Nite” is unabashedly plagiarized.

5. “Breaking Us In Two”-Joe Jackson (Night and Day, 1982) rips off “Day after Day”-Badfinger (Straight Up, 1971)

Remember when I made that comment about bands offing themselves at their peak? Well that was just in bad taste. At least the members of Badfinger didn’t get to hear Joe Jackson make a mockery out of their classic song. If only Joe had offed himself before writing it. “Breaking Us In Two” boldly and stupidly copies the well known opening melody in Badfinger’s “Day After Day” to a T. Unbelievable Joe, unbelievable.

4. “Surfin’ USA”-The Beach Boys (Surfin’ USA, 1963) rips off “Sweet Little Sixteen”-Chuck Berry (One Dozen Berrys, 1958)

It hurts me a little when I have to accuse a band of plagiarizing Chuck Berry. Why? Because EVERYBODY plagiarizes Chuck Berry. If there was one person who could claim the title “Inventor of Rock n’ Roll” it’s Mr. Chuck Berry. This man is more revered than Jesus among rock n’ roll’s inner circle, and every aspiring rock band from the late 50’s to the late 70’s has been influenced by him. So of course there will be songs that sound like Berry’s. In fact, there’s a ton. But The Beach Boys first hit “Surfin’ USA” is one of the more popular ones, not to mention it more imitates Berry’s classic than merely “sounds like.”

3. “Beautiful Day”-U2 (All That You Can’t Leave Behind, 2000) rips off “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.”-A-Ha (Hunting High and Low, 1985)

For some unexplainable reason I despise U2’s cloying ballad about how wonderful life is, so I was delighted when I found out they based the majority of the track on A-Ha’s “The Sun Always Shines On T.V.” Of course their similarities are pretty obvious. When A-Ha’s Morten Harket sings “touch me” to the same chords and melody that Bono does, the case is pretty much closed. In fact, after a live performance of “Beautiful Day” Bono exclaimed to the audience “the sun always shines on T.V!” Maybe it was his guilt talking; maybe he thought that after years of unwarranted praise he should make an attempt to come clean. Well I’m not buying it Bono, if you’re going to write a crappy song, at least make it original.

2. “My Sweet Lord”-George Harrison (All Things Much Pass, 1970) rips off “He’s So Fine”-The Chiffons (He’s So Fine, 1963)

As much as I love George Harrison and adore this song, its immediate resemblance to “He’s So Fine” is simply uncanny. Harrison claimed to have written the tune after hearing the song “Oh Happy Day” by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, which I guess allowed him to sleep a little easier at night. However, the fact that “He’s So Fine” was a number one hit for The Chiffons and a musician like Harrison undoubtedly would have heard it, makes you wonder whether George was being completely honest. Nevertheless, George paid his dues with the multiple lawsuits and much talked about controversy that followed the songs release. Oh, and he’s still the best Beatle.

1. “Daydreamin’”-Lupe Fiasco (Food and Liquor, 2006) rips off “Daydream in Blue”-I Monster (The Ultimate Chillout Ibiza Album, 2004)

Sampling and Hip-Hop have held each other’s hands and blissfully strolled through the meadows of the music world since The Sugarhill Gang first put out “Rapper’s Delight.” A hip-hop artist using a sample in his or her song has become not just accepted, but the norm. However, there is a definite line between sampling and plagiarism, and Lupe Fiasco has pole vaulted right over it. When I first heard “Daydreamin’” I naively thought to myself “damn that is fantastic!” The colorful string-swells and the incredibly catchy chorus had me jumping for joy at the possibilities this new artist had introduced. But sadly, all that gusto quickly faded when I found out that Lupe hadn’t just sampled a song, he copied it. What’s weirder is that the song he copied (”Daydream in Blue”) was a cover of another song (”Daydream” by the Gunter Kallman Choir”), which in turn was a cover of another song dating all the way back to 1969 called “Daydream” by The Wallace Collection. Sure, Lupe recruited soul singer Jill Scott to lend her smooth vocals to the mix, but that doesn’t cut it my friend. I’m sorry Lupe, but just because your lyrics aren’t about guns and bling doesn’t make you any better than the rest.