ECHOES OF GENIUS

Plagiarism or Coincidence? 10 Songs that Sound VERY Similar.

Image: Clem Onojeghuo

They say that bad artists imitate, but it takes a great artist to make something new out of the work of others. In the world of music, the thin line between inspiration and plagiarism is often full of controversy, even when the similarities were not intended.

Whether it's a coincidence or something more deliberate, these 10 hit songs bear striking resemblances to each other, making us wonder if imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery.

Image: Christopher Hopper

Is a sample plagiarism? Well, this iconic case brought the discussion to the mainstream in the early 90s, when there still wasn’t any legal protocol established to let artists reuse portions of others' recordings. To the bemusement of Queen members, Vanilla Ice lifted the entire bass line from Queen’s hit "Under Pressure" for his single "Ice Ice Baby." After the ensuing legal battle settled, Brian May declared that the whole thing might actually have been good in the end for the band, as it exposed them to a younger audience.

Image: Danny Lechanteur, CC BY-SA 3.0

Another early case of sampling gone wrong, The Verve brought the ire of the Rolling Stones on themselves after using a part of an orchestral rendition of The Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" for their hit song "Bitter Sweet Symphony." The songwriter was actually denied any royalties for two decades due to the dispute. Kind of a tragic outcome since the band turned out to be a one-hit-wonder.

Image: Jim Summaria, CC BY-SA 3.0

This one was mostly hyped by the media, but the similarities between the two songs got fans wondering if the legendary rock band would take legal action against the popular boy band. Both songs feature the same chords and a prominent synthesizer riff that drives the melody, creating an anthemic feel. But the Who were quick to dismiss the drama, arguing that all pop music sounds similar since its beginnings, and even joked on their website:

"It’s unlikely that die-hard Who fans will consider ‘Best Song Ever’ to be the best song ever, even if it is. Nor, though, is it likely that many will cry or raise an eye at this story. It is, after all, only Tweet Age Wasteland."

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Bruno Mars's "Locked Out of Heaven" is more a case of channeling the spirit of a beloved band than of plagiarism. Critics were quick to notice the similarities, and Bruno Mars outright admitted to being a fan of Sting’s electrifying songwriting, but stated that he didn’t intend to sound like him. And being influenced, at least in part, by the same musical genres - reggae, pop rock, new wave, and funk - comparisons were natural.

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Sublime's "What I Got" quite obviously draws inspiration from The Beatles' 1968 single "Lady Madonna," particularly in its rhythm-driven structure and main melody. However, while The Beatles' track exudes a vintage rock 'n' roll charm, Sublime infuses their ska punk sensibilities into the mix, resulting in a fresh yet familiar sound. In any case, they weren’t the first nor the last band to be heavily influenced by the legendary Fab Four.

Image: Leeann Cafferata from Washington DC and Akershus, Norway, CC BY 2.0

Though it may come as a surprise to many, Dolly Parton is actually a big fan of Led Zeppelin.

The lead chord progression of her 1975 hit "We Used To" mirrors Zeppelin’s most famous song, "Stairway to Heaven", even sharing some of the melancholic themes of the original song. Fortunately for Parton’s fans, the band never took legal action against her, and in 2002 she received the band’s blessing to record a cover of the song, showing that they are on good terms.

Image: Takahiro Kyono from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0

While Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California" differ in lyrical content and vocal style, both tracks share a gritty, bluesy rock sound. But what raised some eyebrows is the fact that Frusciante’s guitar part sounds highly similar to the Heartbreakers piece. However, Tom Petty himself put the matter to bed soon after the song was released, doubting that there was any malicious intent behind the similarities, and pointing out that a lot of great rock songs sound alike.

Image: Frank Schwichtenberg, CC BY-SA 4.0

Right after release, Coldplay's anthemic "Viva la Vida" drew comparisons to Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly," leading to much speculation and a subsequent lawsuit. The case received a lot of attention in the media, and Coldplay straight out denied any intentional plagiarism, going as far as to say that Satriani’s song was the one that lacked originality. Ultimately, the demand was settled under an unknown arrangement, with Coldplay not having to acknowledge Satriani’s song as an influence, suggesting that the similarities were likely just a coincidence.

Image: chrisweger, CC BY-SA 2.0

Both Madonna's "Express Yourself" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" are anthems of empowerment and self-expression. Gaga's track, however, drew criticism for its similarities to Madonna's hit, both in terms of musical structure and thematic content, sparking heated online debates about the difference between a homage and a ripoff. While the Queen of Pop teased Gaga for the similarities on a few occasions, she eventually recognized that it was likely more of a loving nod to her work than any form of plagiarism.

Image: Kåre Eide, CC0

Shania Twain's "C'est la Vie" quite clearly echoes the infectious disco groove of ABBA's "Dancing Queen," with both songs featuring an almost identical hook. However, this was hardly concealed by the artist, a huge ABBA fan herself. As a matter of fact, she even reached out to Björn Ulvaeus, one of ABBA’s original members, to co-produce a musical out of her songs.

Hungry for knowledge?

Who was Fettuccine Alfredo? 10 dishes with people-inspired names

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Most of the food we eat is aptly named after the main ingredients that compose it, the place where it was first prepared, or some process involved in its creation. But some dishes are named after people. Sometimes done in honor of certain figures, sometimes the food carries the proud names of the women and men who imagined and first created them. Did you ever wonder who Fettuccine Alfredo was? Or the Cesar who created the salad with his name? Scroll down and learn about the stories of ten dishes named after people. We guarantee that you will think of them the next time you eat their dishes!

Image: Inna Gurina

Everybody knows Margherita Pizza, right? It’s the one with basil leaves and tomato. It’s been around for a very long time now, but not many people know the reason for its name. Did you ever notice that the colors of this pizza, red, white, and green, are the same as the Italian flag?

This particular pizza was supposedly named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, to commemorate her visit to Naples. And as Italy was undergoing unification at the time, it helped unite everyone.

Image: Coffeefy Workafe

Aside from being the name of this delicious crispy treat, in Spanish-speaking countries, at least, "Nacho" is a nickname for Ignacio. This Tex-Mex dish was named after Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Anaya, the Maître d’ at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Mexico.

Supposedly, Anaya created the dish for a group of US military wives who were visiting from nearby Fort Duncan, Texas. He cut tortillas into triangles, fried them, and topped them off with cheese and jalapenos.

Image: Correen

There is a minor controversy about who the Stroganoff Beef was named after. This dish of filet steak strips in a cream and paprika sauce was named after either Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov, or Count Grigory Dmitriyevich Stroganov, both Russians.

Image: Raphael Nogueira

Not many salads are as famous as this one. Well, maybe the Cobb salad, which we will be discussing soon. This healthy dish was created by Italian immigrant Cesar Cardini or one of his colleagues at the Hotel Caesar in Tijuana, Mexico.

The original Hotel Caesar is still there and, yes, you can order an original Caesar’s salad, dressed at your table.

Image: Douglas Lopez

Granted, not everybody likes raw meat. But, for the ones that do, Carpaccio is delicious. This dish was invented in 1950 by the owner of the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice, Guiseppe Cipriani. He created a dish of thinly sliced raw beef served with a dressing and named it after a Venetian painter called Vittore Carpaccio, who was famed for using deep reds in his works.

Image: Raphael Nogueira

Perhaps the most known story in this list is the origin of the sandwich. This marvelous food item is credited to the fourth Earl of Sandwich (great name, indeed), John Montagu.

Even if all this man did was put some filling between two slices of bread, his invention was met with enthusiasm all over the world and remained a kitchen staple ever since.

Image: Nadin Sh

Another famous beef, the Wellington one, has two possible name origins: Some say that it was named after Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington who led the British forces to victory over Napoleon. The other version says that it was possibly invented for a civic reception in Wellington, New Zealand. Both make sense, right?

Image: Patricio Ledeill

A Cobb Salad is typically made with chicken or turkey, tomatoes, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, and lettuce, and dressed with a vinaigrette.

And if it seems like an odd mix of ingredients is because it was made with whatever Robert Howard Cobb, the owner of the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, could find in the freezer after having spent the entire day without eating. Apparently, the resulting salad was well-liked and the rest is history.

Image: Veganamente

This thick white sauce was invented by, and named after, Louis de Béchamel, a French courtier who served in the court of Louis XIV. While Béchamel died in 1703, his sauce has since become an integral part of our culinary and linguistic landscape.

Image: Jorge Zapata

And last but not least, we come to the name that many have been waiting for, right? This delicious recipe has very few ingredients, other than the pasta itself: butter, Parmesan cheese, and pepper.

A man named Alfredo di Lelio came up with this famous dish right in 1908 in Rome. Legend says that his wife had lost her appetite after giving birth, so he came up with this simple pasta recipe.