This article contains original research, observations, conjecture, and synthesis. Feel free to leave a comment if you disagree with something.
In the popular music industry, thieves "steal" from thieves,[1] and there's no end in sight. This is a list of songs that allegedly sound alike where there is no evidence of legitimate authorized reuse (such as licensed sampling, parody, or expiry). It's not necessarily that the whole song sounds like another song, but when you hear a characteristic passage or the start of a stanza or refrain on the radio, and it sounds like that of another song, you might grow suspicious. If your ear is attuned to this, then hearing one song will make you hear it in other songs. This is the frequency illusion or Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.[2] The trouble comes when this phenomenon happens to a judge.
Within the popular music industry, songwriters may settle infringement allegations out of court by agreeing to add the earlier song's author as a co-author of the later song and split the publishing royalties. This may happen before release or shortly after. But this resolution is not available in cases where a composer is trying to avoid having to pay royalties entirely, such as music for a video game intended to be released as free software. Maintaining this list may be my way of coping with the fear of accidentally writing a song that someone else already owns,[3][4] not catching it before release, being sued and losing, and having no form of revenue from which to pay damages.
In the following table, a demo is a video, recording, or other published work, whether authorized or under fair use, that plays the relevant segments simultaneously (a "mash-up") or consecutively (a "medley") to demonstrate this similarity. Notes may tell what portions of the songs are similar or may include reliable coverage of the similarity, such as if the copyright owner of one of the songs sued or threatened to sue. Intentional parodies of specific songs are not included; for those see "Weird Al" Yankovic's discography and a list of parodies by other artists.
| First | Second | Demo | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classics IV - Spooky (1968) | Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved (2004) | ||
| Cheap Trick - The Flame (1988) | |||
| Whitney Houston - So Emotional (1987) | Maroon 5 - If I Never See Your Face Again (2006) | ||
| Police - Every Breath You Take (1983) | Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You (2007) | ||
| Ritchie Valens - La Bamba (1958) Los Lobos - La Bamba |
John Fogerty - Centerfield (1985) | Listen (ogg) | |
| REM - Stand (1989) | |||
| Smash Mouth - Then the Morning Comes (1999) | |||
| Chiffons - He's So Fine | George Harrison - My Sweet Lord | Bright Tunes Music v. Harrisongs Music, listed at UCLA | |
| Isley Brothers - Love Is a Wonderful Thing | Michael Bolton - Love Is a Wonderful Thing | Three Boys Music v. Michael Bolton, listed at UCLA | |
| David Bowie and Queen - Under Pressure (1981) | Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby (1989) | YouTube Jedward song |
Settled out of court |
| Five for Fighting - 100 Years (2003) | Taylor Swift - Fifteen (2009) | YouTube YouTube |
|
| Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On (1966) | U2 - Vertigo (2004) | ||
| Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing (1992) | |||
| U2 - Vertigo (2004) | Coheed and Cambria - The Hound (Of Blood and Rank) (2007) | ||
| Sade - Smooth Operator (1984) | Madonna - Secret (1994) | ||
| Sara Bareilles - Love Song (2007) | Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling (2009) | ||
| Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet (2009) | |||
| Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape (2006) | |||
| Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not the One (2003) | David Cook - Light On (2008) | "Never really said too much" | |
| Squeeze - Tempted (1981) | "Sometimes it feels like we’ve run out of luck" | ||
| Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner (1987) | "I said to my reflection let's get out..." | ||
| OneRepublic - Apologize (2006) | Lifehouse feat. Natasha Bedingfield - Between the Raindrops (2012) | ||
| Lady A - Need You Now (2009) | |||
| MercyMe - I Can Only Imagine (2001) | |||
| Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky (1982) | YouTube | Nashville Scene story | |
| Bob Marley & the Wailers - Waiting in Vain (1977) Annie Lennox - Waiting in Vain (1995) |
Paula Cole - I Don't Want to Wait (1996) Written in 1991 |
||
| John Mayer - Dreaming With A Broken Heart (2007) | |||
| Third Day - You Are So Good to Me (2003) | "You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song" | ||
| John Mayer - Dreaming With A Broken Heart (2007) | Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud (2014) | ||
| Stampeders - Sweet City Woman (1971) | Rob Thomas - Her Diamonds (2009) | ||
| Matchbox Twenty - Bent (2000) | Keith Urban - You'll Think of Me (2004) | ||
| Five for Fighting - Superman (2000) | The Fray - How to Save a Life (2006) | ||
| Bad Meets Evil feat. Bruno Mars - Lighters (2011) | YouTube | ||
| Eddie Rabbitt - I Love A Rainy Night (1980) | Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet (2009) | ||
| Allstate jingle | Jingle of Federated Media's "Get Engaged" PSAs | ||
| Judy Kuhn - Colors of the Wind (1995) Vanessa Williams - Colors of the Wind (1995) |
Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance (2000) | ||
| Beyoncé - Halo (January 2009) | Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone (August 2009) | YouTube YTMND |
Released by RCA despite Clarkson's disapproval. And not "hollow" either.[5] |
| Demi Lovato - Made in the USA (2013) | YouTube | ||
| Soft Cell - Tainted Love | David Guetta and Akon - Sexy Bitch | YouTube | |
| Cornershop - Brimful of Asha (1997) | Sheryl Crow - Soak Up the Sun (2002) | ||
| Tal Bachman - She's So High (1999) | |||
| Sheryl Crow - Soak Up the Sun (2002) | Daughtry - It's Not Over (2006) | "My friend the communist"/"I try to see the good" | |
| Pink - Who Knew (May 2006) | Jojo - Too Little Too Late (August 2006) | ||
| Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love's Theme (1973) | Orleans - Dance With Me (1975) | ||
| Roxette - The Look (1989) | Trapt - Headstrong (2002) | ||
| Trapt - Headstrong (2002) | Jordin Sparks - Battlefield (2009) | ||
| Jordin Sparks - Battlefield (2009) | Chris Sligh - Only You Can Save (2010) | ||
| Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams (2015) | "Why we gotta fall for it now" vs. "this is gonna take me down" | ||
| Heart - Alone (1987) | Daughtry - What About Now (2008) | ||
| Staind - So Far Away (2003) | "Now that we're here" | ||
| Gavin Rossdale - Love Remains the Same (2008) | |||
| Bob Welch - Sentimental Lady (1977) Written in 1972 |
Bridge | ||
| Lady Gaga - Just Dance (April 2008) | Ke$ha - Tik Tok (August 2009) | YouTube[6] | "Just Dance" did not appear in a Just Dance video game until Just Dance 2014, but "Just Dance" 2 (i.e. "Tik Tok") is on Just Dance 2 |
| Ke$ha - Tik Tok (August 2009) | Katy Perry - California Gurls (May 2010) | YouTube | ...and "Just Dance" 3 (i.e. "California Gurls") is on Just Dance 3 Produced by Dr. Luke (mentioned on Wikipedia) |
| Miley Cyrus - Permanent December (June 2010) | YouTube[7] YouTube |
||
| Katy Perry - California Gurls (May 2010) | Just Dance 4 has no "Tik Tok"-alike. | ||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lookin' Out My Back Door (1970) | Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good (1978) | ||
| Tears for Fears - Shout (1984) | Nine Inch Nails - Closer (1994) | ||
| Derek and the Dominos - Layla (second movement) (1970) | Eddie Money - Two Tickets to Paradise (1977) | ||
| Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (1981) | Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (1989) | "On and on and on..." | |
| Eurythmics - Here Comes the Rain Again (1984) | Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside (2000) | "Here comes the rain again..." vs. "I heard your voice through a photograph" | |
| Keith Urban - You'll Think of Me (2004) | Daughtry - September (2010) | ||
| Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star (1979) | Tim McGraw - Felt Good on My Lips (2010) | ||
| Theme from The Adventures of Blinky Bill (1993) | Ome Henk - Opblaaskrokodil (2001) | ||
| Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama (1974) | Cracker - Low (1994) | listen (ogg) | Dropped from the set my ass |
| Selah - You Are My Hiding Place (2004) written by Michael Ledner in 1981[1] |
Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley - The Phantom of the Opera (1986) Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Someone on Yahoo! Answers agrees | |
| Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley - The Phantom of the Opera (song) (1986) | Train - 50 Ways to Say Goodbye (2012) | YouTube | Verse melody |
| Shakira feat. Wycleaf Jean - Hips Don't Lie (2006) | opening | ||
| Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie - Rockabye (2016) | |||
| Train - 50 Ways to Say Goodbye (2012) | |||
| Sly and the Family Stone - Hot Fun in the Summertime (1969) | Genesis - Misunderstanding (1980) | Even Wikipedia points this out | |
| Goo Goo Dolls - Name (1995) | EURid - The secret code of the internet (2010) [2] | ||
| Oasis - Wonderwall (1995) | Caesars - Jerk It Out (2003) | ||
| Caesars - Jerk It Out (2003) | Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko - Stay (2012) | ||
| Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (1982) | Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen (1984) | ||
| Madonna - Like a Virgin (1984) | |||
| Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation (1989) | Michael Jackson - Blood on the Dance Floor (1997) | YouTube | |
| Don Moen - Give Thanks (1986) Written by Henry Smith in 1978 |
Village People - Go West (1979) | ||
| The King Cole Trio - The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) (1946) | Don Moen - You Are My God (1986) | "They know that Santa's on his way" | |
| Carpenters - I Won't Last a Day Without You (1974) | Don Moen - My Soul Follows Hard After Thee (1986) Written in 1978 by Jeffrey Smith |
||
| Lee Greenwood - God Bless the U.S.A. (1984) | Don Moen - Like a Shepherd (1986) | ||
| Sweet - Hell Raiser (1973) | Mötley Crüe - Kickstart My Heart (1989) | ||
| Sweet - The Ballroom Blitz (1973) | Theme from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005) | ||
| Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds - Mbube (1939) The Tokens - The Lion Sleeps Tonight (1961) |
Steve Miller Band - Swingtown (1977) | ||
| Roxette - Jefferson (2001) | Groove Coverage - God is a Girl (2002) | Explained on Wikipedia | |
| Village People - Go West (1979) | Happatai - Yatta (2001) | Two obvious Canon in D-inspired songs by bands with a similar gimmick | |
| Nena - 99 Luftballons (1983) | OMD - If You Leave (1986) | Listen (ogg) | |
| Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz (1983) Written by Irving Berlin in 1929 |
The Four Lads - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (1953) They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (1990) Written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon |
Wikipedia mentions reuse by Kennedy and Simon of Berlin's material; possibly authorized | |
| Puff Daddy - It's All About the Benjamins (rock remix) (1998, sometime before 1998 VMAs in September) | Marilyn Manson - I Don't Like the Drugs (September 1998) | ||
| DragonForce - Through the Fire and Flames (2005) | Riyu Kosaka - Honey Punch (2006) | Others have commented | |
| Spandau Ballet - True (1983) | Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way (1999) | ||
| Genesis - Jesus He Knows Me (1991) | Owl City - Fireflies (2009) | Similarity starts immediately after "that man is me" | |
| Jason Mraz - The Remedy (I Won't Worry) (2002) | The opening | ||
| The Beatles - The Ballad of John and Yoko (1969) | ABBA - Ring Ring (1973) | Bass line; similar bass lines occur in other Elvis songs | |
| The Offspring - Come Out and Play (1994) | Rob Zombie - Superbeast (1999) | Chorus | |
| Marilyn Manson - 1996 (1996) | "Anti-people" after the latter's second chorus | ||
| Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (1975) | Grover Washington, Jr. feat. Bill Withers - Just the Two of Us (1981) | ||
| Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon (1976) | Blondie - Call Me (theme from American Gigolo) (1980) | ||
| Blondie - Call Me (1980) | Ray Lynch - Celestial Soda Pop (1984) | An NESdev BBS member is by far not the only one to notice | |
| Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box (1993) | Other "Heart-Shaped Box" similarities | ||
| t.A.T.u. - Я сошла с ума (2000) t.A.T.u. - All the Things She Said (2002) |
Katy Perry - E.T. (2010) | YouTube; more YouTube; YTMND | Matthew Cole of Slant agrees [8] |
| TLC - Waterfalls (1995) | Lady Gaga - Born This Way (2011) | Three lines sound the same[9] | |
| Madonna - Express Yourself (1989) | YouTube | Weird Al's parody "Perform This Way" mentions this one | |
| Madonna - Vogue (1990) | Felix da Housecat - Silver Screen Shower Scene (2001) | "magazine" | |
| Suzanne Vega and Joe Jackson - Left of Center (1986) | Maurizio De Jorio (as Max Coveri) - Running in the 90s (1999) | ||
| Frank Sinatra - Fly Me to the Moon (1964) Written by Bart Howard in 1954 |
Andy Williams - Happy Heart (1969) Petula Clark - Happy Heart (1969) |
||
| The Everly Brothers - Let It Be Me (1960) Gilbert Bécaud in 1955 |
Second half of verses in "Happy Heart" | ||
| Elmer Bernstein - Theme from The Magnificent Seven (1960) | Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles (2001) | ||
| The Four Lads - Standing on the Corner (1956) | John Barry Orchestra - James Bond Theme (1962) | A famous chord progression occurs about 0:47 into the song (and others) | |
| John Barry Orchestra - James Bond Theme (1962) | ? - Theme from Furuhata Ninzaburō (1994) | ||
| Michael Jackson - Is It Scary (1998) Written by Jackson, Harris, and Lewis in 1993 |
|||
| Bruce Hornsby and the Range - The Way It Is (1986) | End to end: MJ then Bruce | ||
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded by the Light (1976) Written by Bruce Springsteen in 1972 |
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Good Old Days (1988). | I imagine that Yankovic's intended targets were "That's Why I'm Here" and "Only One" from the album That's Why I'm Here (1985) by James Taylor | |
| Maria Muldaur - Midnight at the Oasis (1974) | Heart - Magic Man (1976) | Same melody used for "Come on" in both songs | |
| Pin-Occhio - Tu Tatuta Tuta Ta (1993) | Unabomber - 6Etero 6Gay (2001) | Both might be copying Living on Video by Trans-X | |
| Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977) | Ron Wasserman - Go Go Power Rangers (1994) | Listen (ogg) | Start after the slow part |
| Pin-Occhio - Zero G (1995) | Rammstein - Du hast (1997) | Listen (ogg) | Play Zero G at 112% speed |
| Ministry - Just One Fix (1992) | |||
| Genesis - Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (1986) | Everclear - Everything to Everyone (1997) | Listen (ogg) | Compare the overtones of the xylophone part of "Tonight" to the ostinato of "Everything" |
| Garbage - When I Grow Up (1998) | Faith Hill - The Joy of Cola (1999) | Baa. | |
| Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) | Brad Kane - One Jump Ahead (reprise) (1992) | "...to me." | |
| Spice Girls - Wannabe (1996) | Chumbawamba - Amnesia (1997) | ||
| Genesis - Land of Confusion (1986) | Michael Boyd and Gary Remal Malkin - Theme from Unsolved Mysteries (1987) | ||
| Pure Prairie League - Amie (1972) | Eric Clapton - Lay Down Sally (1977) | verses | |
| Jim Croce - I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song (1974) | "Weird Al" Yankovic - Since You've Been Gone (1996) | Doesn't sound like a style parody | |
| Berlin - Take My Breath Away (1986) | Lady Gaga - Paparazzi (2008) | YouTube | |
| Benny Mardones - Into the Night (1980) | Phil Collins - One More Night (1984) | Refrains | |
| Don McLean - And I Love You So (1970) | Billy Joel - The Longest Time (1983) | "I don't let the evening get me down" | |
| John Mellencamp - Cherry Bomb (1987) | James Otto - Just Got Started Lovin' You (2007) | ||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic - Callin' In Sick (1996) | The Offspring - Gone Away (1997) | ||
| The Offspring - Gone Away (1997) | Linkin Park - New Divide (2009) | YouTube YouTube |
|
| Ke$ha - Your Love Is My Drug (2010) | Rihanna - We Found Love | YouTube | "The way I'm feeling" |
| America - Daisy Jane (1975) | Janet Jackson - Let's Wait Awhile (1986) | ||
| Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World (1985) | XTC - King for a Day (1989) | ||
| Gracie Films ident (1987) | Go West - King of Wishful Thinking (1990) | ||
| Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away (1998) | Peeping Tom - Getaway (2006) | ||
| Switchfoot - Dark Horses (2011) | |||
| Katy Perry - Wide Awake (2012) | YouTube YouTube YouTube |
||
| Flame feat. Lecrae, John Reilly - Joyful Noise (2008) | Katy Perry feat. Juicy J - Dark Horse (2013) | Jury returned verdict in Flame's favor, reversed on appeal[10] | |
| AC/DC - Highway to Hell (1979) | Randy Houser - How Country Feels (2012) | ||
| Raymond Scott - Powerhouse B (1937) | Marius Constant - Milieu 2 (1960) | Bass lines in the second part of each | |
| Marius Constant - Etrange 3 (1960) | The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (1971) | ||
| Whitney Houston - One Moment in Time (1988) | Rascal Flatts - I Won't Let Go (2011) | ||
| Oompa Loompas - Oompa-Loompa-Doompa-Dee-Doo (1971) | Killer Tracks - Family & Friends (1990) | Lexus has used "Family & Friends" in its "December to Remember" campaign | |
| Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes (2005) | Fefe Dobson - Stuttering (2010) | YouTube (cover) YouTube |
|
| Ace of Base - Don't Turn Around (1986) | The Wreckers - Leave the Pieces (2006) | ||
| Lady Gaga - Alejandro (2010) | Gaga melody with Wreckers lyrics = bridge of Ace of Base song | ||
| Nicolette Larson - Lotta Love (1978) | MoZella - Thank You (2009) | ||
| Sly and the Family Stone - Thank You (1969) | Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music (1976) | Bass, and 1's chorus vs. 2's bridge | |
| Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Refugee (1979) | Bryan Adams - Run to You (1984) | ||
| Starship - Sara (September 1985) | The Jets - Make It Real (1988) | bridge | |
| The Who - Sparks (1969) | Bad Company - Feel Like Makin' Love (1975) | ||
| Bad Company - Feel Like Makin' Love (1975) | Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait (2012) | YouTube | |
| Bob Seger - Still the Same (1978) | |||
| ABBA - Lay All Your Love on Me (1980) | Vengaboys - Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom (June 1999) | ||
| Daddy DJ - Daddy DJ (November 1999) | |||
| Des'ree - You Gotta Be (1994) | Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (2004) Written by Avril Lavigne et al. in 2002 |
Verses are the same thing in different time signatures | |
| ABBA - Mamma Mia (1975) | The Cars - You Might Think (1984) | Someone else noticed that YMT's opening sounds like Mamma's chorus | |
| Supremes - Back in My Arms Again (1965) | Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam - Head to Toe (1987) | Both songs in "first" are by Holland-Dozier-Holland | |
| Isley Brothers - This Old Heart of Mine (1966) | |||
| White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin' (1969) | |||
| Neil Diamond - Cherry, Cherry (1966) | John Mellencamp - Authority Song (1983) | ||
| The Romantics - What I Like About You (1979) John Cafferty - On the Dark Side (1984) |
YouTube medley | Mellencamp reportedly admitted cribbing from Diamond[unreliable source?] | |
| Neil Diamond - Thank the Lord for the Night Time (1967) | |||
| John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band (as Eddie and the Cruisers) - On the Dark Side (1983) | Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire (1985) | ||
| Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time (1984) | New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle (1986) The Speaks - Bizarre Love Triangle |
YouTube | |
| Bob Dylan - Blowin' in the Wind (1963) | Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling (1972) | ||
| Stephen Bishop - On and On (1977) | Maxwell - Gravity: Pushing To Pull (1998) | ||
| Michael Bolton - Time, Love and Tenderness (April 1991) | Color Me Badd - All 4 Love (November 1991) | ||
| Paul McCartney and Wings - Jet (1974) | Jackson Browne - Running on Empty (1977) | ||
| Killing Joke - Eighties (1984) | Nirvana - Come as You Are (1992) | YouTube YouTube |
|
| Bee Gees - Tragedy (1979) | Laura Branigan - Self Control (1984) | ||
| Laura Branigan - Self Control (1984) | Carrie Underwood - See You Again (2012) | ||
| Perry Como - Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1951) Written by Coots and Gillespie in 1934 |
John Addison - Theme from Murder, She Wrote (1984) | ||
| Marc Cohn - Walking in Memphis (1991) | Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment (2000) | ||
| D-Side - Invisible (2003) | Compare the choruses | ||
| Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line (1976) | Green Day - 21 Guns (2009) | ||
| Judy Garland - Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart (1938) | Theme from Caillou (1997) | ||
| Avril Lavigne - I'm With You (2002) | The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved (2008) | ||
| Adele - Someone Like You (2011) | |||
| Delirious? - I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (1995) | Pink - Blow Me (One Last Kiss) (2012) | ||
| Sevyn Streeter feat. Chris Brown - It Won't Stop (2013) | Others are a-twitter about this and other songs that begin a 1-measure descent from dominant to tonic an eighth note after the downbeat. | ||
| James Arthur - Say You Won't Let Go (2016) | |||
| Katy Perry - Roar (August 2013) | Perry had originally planned to sing Christian pop like Amy Grant[11] | ||
| The Lumineers - Ho Hey (June 2012) | "Roar" stanzas have two of these descents from dominant to tonic, followed by two shorter ascents to mediant (AABB). "Ho Hey" has the same thing rearranged as ABAB. | ||
| Filter - Take a Picture (1999) | Phillip Phillips - Gone, Gone, Gone (2012) | ||
| Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton - Islands in the Stream (1983) | Michael Buble - Everything (2007) | ||
| Helen Reddy - I Don't Know How to Love Him (1971) | The Pretenders - I'll Stand by You (1994) | ||
| Switchfoot - Dare You to Move (2000) | Jason Mraz - I Won't Give Up (2012) | "Welcome to the planet..." | |
| Stephanie Mills - Never Knew Love Like This Before (1979) | Madonna - Borderline (1983) | Mostly the opening | |
| Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People (1996) | Gin Wigmore - Kill of the Night (2011) | ||
| Elton John - Bennie and the Jets (1973) | Billy Joel - Big Shot (1978) | ||
| Randy Travis - I Told You So (1988) | Don Moen - I Worship You, Almighty God (1992) | ||
| Wynonna Judd - No One Else On Earth (1992) | Always Coca-Cola jingle (1993) | ||
| Ben E. King - Spanish Harlem (1960) | OMC - How Bizarre (1995) | ||
| Herman's Hermits - I'm into Something Good (1964) | The Judds - Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain (1986) | ||
| Doobie Brothers - Listen To The Music (1972) | Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow (1976) | ||
| Tom McFaul feat. Linda November - Meow Mix jingle (1970) Written by Shelley Palmer |
Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof (2007) | ||
| Blink 182 - Dammit (1997) | Sweet Thing - Change of Seasons (~2010) | ||
| The Knack - My Sharona (1979) | Victoria Justice - Freak the Freak Out (2011) | ||
| Mac McAnally - Back Where I Come From (1990) | Travis Tritt - It's a Great Day to Be Alive (2000) | ||
| Melissa Manchester - You Should Hear How She Talks About You (1982) | Madonna - Material Girl (1984) | ||
| Cobra Starship feat. Sabi - You Make Me Feel... (2011) | Katy Perry - Birthday (2013) | ||
| Aerosmith - Jaded (2000) | Bruno Mars - Young Girls (2012) | Choruses | |
| Kenny Loggins - Footloose (1984) | Rooney - When Did Your Heart Go Missing? (2007) | Drum break is identical | |
| Newsboys - In the Belly of the Whale (2002) | Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song (2010) | ||
| Michael Jackson - Jam (1991) | Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk (2014) | SoundCloud | The horns |
| Them - Gloria (1964) | Cobra Starship feat. Icona Pop - Never Been In Love (2014) | Not the background which is a sample of "Praise You" but the "i knoooow now" part | |
| Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down (1989) | Sam Smith - Stay With Me (2014) | Settled out of court[12] | |
| Da Buzz - Alive (2003) | Craig Bryant - Adverlife jingle (2010) | ||
| The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go (1981) | One Direction - Live While We're Young (2012) | 1D admitted copying | |
| Rod Stewart - Young Turks (1981) | Echosmith - Cool Kids (2013) | Instrumental parts | |
| Paul McCartney - Coming Up (1980) | Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight (1986) | ||
| Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam (1989) | Psy - Gangnam Style (2013) | Damn Halen@YouTube | iv - v Synth stabs |
| Benny Benassi - Satisfaction (2002) | Tyree Dawson@YouTube | Bass line is practically the same thing upside down | |
| Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street (1978) | Kim Hill - Satisfied (1991) | ||
| Bobby Brown - Every Little Step (1989) | DC Talk - Nu Thang (1990) | ||
| Prince - 1999 (1982) | Shalamar - Dancing in the Sheets (1984) | ||
| Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes (1986) | Collective Soul - The World I Know (1995) | Intro bass line | |
| Collective Soul - The World I Know (1995) | Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts (2010) | Chorus | |
| Phillip Phillips - Home (2012) | Jake Reese - Day to Feel Alive (2015) | ||
| Captain & Tennille - Do That to Me One More Time (1979) | R. City feat. Adam Levine - Locked Away (2015) | Toni Tennille listed as co-writer;[13] it's likely they settled prior to release | |
| Jessie J - Domino (2011) | Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer (2015) | ||
| Tommy James and the Shondells - Crimson and Clover (1968) | Adam Sandler - The Chanukah Song (1994) | ||
| Lipps Inc. - Funkytown (1980) | Jess Glynne - Hold My Hand (2015) | Ascending melody in verses | |
| Ginuwine - Pony (1996) | One Direction - Drag Me Down (2015) | Cover by Tania Nguyen Capital FM mash-up |
Chorus |
| Miley Cyrus - Party in the U.S.A. (2009) | Rachel Platten - Fight Song (2015) | "my hands up, they're playin' my song" vs. "I don't really care if nobody else" | |
| Taylor Swift - Style (2014) | One Direction - Perfect (2015) | Vimeo | Because Styles of 1D used to date Swift, media thought it was a parody; Styles and bandmate Liam Payne denied it |
| Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me (1993) | Lonestar - Amazed (1999) | ||
| Gnarls Barkley - Crazy (2006) | Adele - Rolling in the Deep (2010) | ||
| Ain't We Got Fun (1921) | Gene Autry - Here Comes Santa Claus (1947) | ||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival - Up Around the Bend (1970) | Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme Three Steps (1973) | The opening of "Gimme" | |
| Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love (1977) | Justin Bieber - Love Yourself (2015) | YouTube | The Bee Gees were themselves sued |
| Justin Bieber - Love Yourself (2015) | Sam Hunt - Body Like a Back Road (2017) | Bieber - Bee Gees = Hunt | |
| Steve Miller Band - Rock'n Me (1976) | Weezer - Dope Nose (2002) | Sabi | |
| Tamara Drasin - I'll Be Seeing You (1938) Music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Irving Kahal |
Nat King Cole - L-O-V-E (1965) | ||
| Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (January 1969) Written by Anne Bredon in the late 1950s |
Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4 (1970) Recorded in August 1969 |
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| The Temptations - The Way You Do the Things You Do (1964) | Janet Jackson - Miss You Much (1989) | Everything before "I'll tell your mama" | |
| Jessie J - Domino (2011) | |||
| Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia (1970) | Styx - Fooling Yourself (1977) | ||
| Styx - Fooling Yourself (1977) | Mike + The Mechanics - Taken In (1985) | "Don't believe it" | |
| Heart - What About Love (1985) | Roxette - Listen to Your Heart (1988) | ||
| Billy Joel - The Downeaster Alexa (1990) | Arcade Fire - Wake Up (2005) | ||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival - Down on the Corner (1969) | Alabama Shakes - Hold On (2012) | Bass line | |
| Maroon 5 - Maps (June 2014) | Martin Garrix vs Matisse & Sadko - Break Through the Silence (July 2015) | ||
| James Gang - Funk #49 (1970) | Kenny Loggins - Footloose (1984) | ||
| Lindsey Buckingham - Holiday Road (1983) | KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See (2005) | ||
| Imagine Dragons - Demons (2013) | Bon Jovi - Roller Coaster (2016) | Verses | |
| Jimmy Eat World - The Middle (2001) | Chorus | ||
| Kelly Clarkson - Heartbeat Song (2015) | Wikipedia says JEW were credited "later", implying settlement | ||
| Roy Orbison - Dream Baby (1962) | Tommy James and the Shondells - Hanky Panky (1966) Written by Barry and Greenwich in 1963 |
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| The Clash - Spanish Bombs (1979) | Tomas Guinan - Great Big Poop (2008) | Acknowledged as "eerily similar" | |
| Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975) | Phil Collins feat. Eric Clapton - I Wish It Would Rain Down (1989) | ||
| Roy Orbison - Oh (1964) | Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Crossfire (1989) | ||
| JoJo - Too Little Too Late (2006) | Shawn Mendes - Mercy (2016) | ||
| JoJo - Leave (Get Out) (2004) | |||
| Tim Hughes - Here I Am to Worship (2001) | Charlie Puth - Attention (2017) | Chorus rhythm and contours match, as if written as a just-different-enough rework | |
| Real McCoy - One More Time (1997) | Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland - Dilemma (2002) | ||
| Spencer Wiggins - Double Lovin' (1970) | Band-Aid jingle Written by Barry Manilow in 1975[14] |
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| Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy (1982) | Lovelytheband - Broken (2017) | ||
| Katy Perry - Hot n Cold (2008) | |||
| Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft (2017) | "You change your mind" vs. "Let me in" | ||
| Gertrude Lawrence - Someone to Watch Over Me (1926) | Duke Ellington - In a Sentimental Mood (1935) | ||
| Darrell Glenn - Crying in the Chapel (1953) | |||
| Patsy Cline - Leavin' on Your Mind (1963) | |||
| Beatles - Birthday (1968) | Van Halen - Finish What Ya Started (1988) | ||
| The Offspring - Self Esteem (April 1994) | DC Talk - Jesus Freak (August 1995) | ||
| Malo - Suavecito (1972) | Bruno Mars - 24K Magic (2016) | Around lyric "in the air" in "24K", via "Every Morning" by Sugar Ray | |
| Larry Carlton & Michel Colombier - The Search (1984) | Train - Call Me Sir (2018) | ||
| Chicago - Just You 'n' Me (1973) | Diana Ross and Lionel Richie - Endless Love (1981) | ||
| Freddie Jackson - You Are My Lady (1985) | |||
| Al Jarreau - Mornin' (1983) | Tony! Toni! Toné! - It Never Rains (In Southern California) (1990) | Albert Hammond's similarly titled song is unrelated | |
| Gloria Estefan - Here We Are (1989) | Jussie Smollett – Ha Ha (I Love You) (2018) | ||
| Irène Joachim - Autumn Leaves (1945) | Dean Martin - Sway (1954) | ||
| Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (1966) | |||
| Jennifer Lopez - Waiting for Tonight (1999) | Queen Naija - Karma (2018) | After the chorus vs. ending | |
| Johnny Gill - Rub You the Right Way (1990) | Michael Jackson - Why You Wanna Trip On Me (1991) | ||
| Glenn Frey - The One You Love (1982) | Taylor Dayne - Tell It to My Heart (1987) | ||
| Marvin Gaye - Got to Give It Up (1977) | Taylor Dayne - With Every Beat of My Heart (1989) | ||
| Bananarama - Cruel Summer (June 1983; US July 1984) | Shannon - Let the Music Play (October 1983) | ||
| Al Green - You Ought to Be with Me (1972) | Alan Silvestri - I'm Forrest...Forrest Gump (1994) | ||
| Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over (1986) | Johnny Gill feat. New Edition - This One's for Me and You (2014) | Start of verse | |
| O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei (2003) | Ava Max - Sweet but Psycho (2018) | YouTube | Cut out two rounds of Mai-ia-hi at the start and one before the last chorus and they line up line for line |
| Collective Soul - Shine (1993) | Blake Shelton - My Eyes (2013) | Intro | |
| Nikka Costa - Everybody Got Their Something (May 2001) | Garbage - Cherry Lips (September 2001) | Covers by Edoardo Reali & Francesca Di Silvio | JPMorgan Chase's 2020 TV commercial "Wherever You Want To Go, Autosave Your Way There" samples instrumental portions of "EGTS", but viewers who'd played Amplitude may have thought it was "CL". |
| Pointer Sisters - Neutron Dance (1983) | KT Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree (2004) | ||
| Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah (2006) | Zac Brown Band - As She's Walking Away (2010) | ||
| Genesis - I Can't Dance (October 1991) | U2 - Mysterious Ways (November 1991) | bVII-I guitar motif | |
| Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Coming Home) (1983) | Piano Fantasia - Song for Denise (1985) | ||
| Fun - Some Nights (2012) | Kygo and Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me (2017) | YouTube | |
| Madonna - Crazy for You (1985) | Debbie Cavalier - Three Pigs and a Wolf (2014) YouTube |
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| Van Halen - Panama (January 1984) | Glenn Frey - The Heat Is On (December 1984) | ||
| 20 Fingers feat. Roula - Lick It (1995) | Flo Rida feat. T-Pain - Low (2007) | ||
| The Beatles - Lady Madonna (1968) | Sublime - What I Got (1996) | ||
| Kylie Minogue - I Should Be So Lucky (1988) | Jacek Skubikowski - Lizak (1991) | ||
| Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine (1971) | Budka Suflera - Sen o dolinie (1984) | This and other translated cover songs were produced before Poland joined copyright treaties, with authorship concealed under influence from Russia.[15] | |
| Britney Spears - Oops!... I Did It Again (2000) | H.E.A.T - Mannequin Show (2014) | ||
| Bee Gees - More Than a Woman (1977) | All-4-One - I Can Love You Like That (1995) | Verses | |
| Doris Day - I've Never Been in Love Before Written by Frank Loesser in 1950 |
Diana Ross - It's My Turn (1980) | ||
| Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Refugee (1980) | Billy Ocean - Loverboy (1984) | ||
| INXS - Need You Tonight (1987) | Dua Lipa - Break My Heart (2020) | Caught and rights secured at last minute | |
| B.B. Queens - Odoru Pompokolin (1990) | Danny Jacob - Gitchee Gitchee Goo (2009) | Listen (ogg) | |
| OneRepublic - Secrets (2009) | Banners - Someone To You (2017) | ||
| Madonna - La Isla Bonita (1986) | Bebe Rexha feat. Travis Barker - Break My Heart Myself (2021) | ||
| Creed - My Own Prison (1997) | Starbenders - Angel (2021) | "So I held my head up high" vs. "I lay here broken on the floor" | |
| Paul Robeson - Song of the Plains (1942) Composed by Lev Knipper in 1933 |
Powerwolf - Werewolves of Armenia (2009) | ||
| Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man (1966) | Puffy AmiYumi - Teen Titans Theme (2003) |
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Categories: Original research