3 Hit Songs From Different Generations That Sound Just Alike

In any artistic field, imitation is inevitable. Now, we aren’t saying it’s purposeful. Rather, we are saying that sometimes inspiration can lead to an accidental lifting or imitation of a certain hit song. If you are an artist, particularly, a musician, you know exactly what we are talking about.

That being so, musicians have been lifting, reimagining, and reconstructing preexisting songs for generations. And frankly, fans aren’t all that mad about it, as the predecessor just inspired the successor to make a phenomenal song. All that being said, here are three songs from different generations that sound just alike.

“Look What You Made Me Do” and “I’m Too Sexy”

From the looming bass drum, high-tempo melody, and general tonal vibe of the sound, Taylor Swift has seemingly eerily mimicked Right Said Fred’s 1991 Alternative hit. Even though Swift does in fact put her own stamp on “Look What You Made Me Do,” the similarities between the two songs are quite apparent and do raise some eyebrows.

However, there is no need to question the comparisons as there is an exact and lawful correlation between the two songs. Matter of fact, the writers of “I’m Too Sexy,” Fred Fairbrass, Richard Fairbrass, and Rob Manzoli were all gifted a co-writing credit on Swift’s hit single.

“Best Song Ever” and “Baba O’Riley”

One Direction and The Who have more in common than just their nationality, as One Direction’s “Best Song Ever” almost verbatim matches the intro to The Who’s classic “Baba O’Riley.” Other than being in a different key, One Direction’s song starts with a synth and piano introduction and then breaks into a guitar riff that sets the rhythm. Frankly, it’s pretty absurd there was never a legal controversy over this song.

Producer, Julian Bunetta, acknowledged the similarities stating, “At a certain point we recognized it had the same type of intro where there’s a synth and a piano.” “But we really tried to make sure that there was no intellectual property stolen or anything like that,” per the LA Times.

“Locked Out Of Heaven” and “Roxanne”

Bruno Mars is one of the most imaginative songwriters of the 21st century. So, to see a reported form of mimicking in “Locked Out Of Heaven” is surprising. Often compared to The Police’s hit “Roxanne,” the comparisons between Mars and The Polic seemingly derive from the rhythmic and extensive use of the hi-hat drum. Additionally, one might believe the chop-style guitar riff is also a lifted facet.

Mars never sampled Sting’s hit and Sting didn’t care, as he actually didn’t see any direct correlation. “Bruno says [The Police] were an influence, but I don’t really hear it.” “I didn’t reach for my phone and call my lawyer” and “I was flattered that people think that,” Sting told iHeart Radio. Despite the shared attributes, the man said it himself, there is zero correlation.

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