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OT: My Girl, Thinking Out Loud....Let's Get it On!

RutgersMO

RutgersMO

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Ed Sheeran's "Thinking out Loud" / Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On"....sound similar.

Maybe....but so does "My Girl" which preceded Gaye's work.

Point is that lyrically Sheeran's work is fantastic (love Boyce Avenue's rendition). Gaye's work may have been plagiarized a 2nd time (remember Blurred Lines)....but it also draws new audiences to the song....brings in royalties for plays etc.

Not sure I agree that this is a rip off- but then again try listening to 80% of music produced from 1955-early 60's (do wa). How many 3 / 4 chord songs were created...how many sound like something you've heard before?

And that's not even including 12 bar blues riffs or country music....just pop.

MO

 
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As an amateur musician and a practicing lawyer I think these gold-digging copyright infringement suits are getting out of hand. There are only so many chords and progressions, so that at some level MANY songs have similarities. It should not be left to a jury to decide between two paid experts whether similarities are sufficient to bespeak unlawful copying. There should have to be some clear independent evidence of copying, IMHO. Otherwise, there's two great a risk to writers who have created a unique work that merely shares some similarities to a prior work.
 
RU-ROCS said:
As an amateur musician and a practicing lawyer I think these gold-digging copyright infringement suits are getting out of hand. There are only so many chords and progressions, so that at some level MANY songs have similarities. It should not be left to a jury to decide between two paid experts whether similarities are sufficient to bespeak unlawful copying. There should have to be some clear independent evidence of copying, IMHO. Otherwise, there's two great a risk to writers who have created a unique work that merely shares some similarities to a prior work.
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As an amateur musician myself...agree.

My Sweet Lord....stolen from the Chiffons "He's So Fine" ?

Gaye's family has found a way to make money from a dead soul singer-songwriter. On the other hand listen to Joe Satriani's "Fly Away" / "La Vida" by Coldplay (then listen to Cat Stevens / a band out of So. America... lot's of similarities out there).

What's next, McD's will have to sue Burger King / Wendy's?

A music theory professor from Princeton (around 2011) said that music was too predictable- since there were a finite # of individual tones ...discounting cacophony.

MO
 
Maybe most of the good music that's ever going to be written has already been written.....
 
There are thousands and thousands of songs that are based on a I, IV, V (tonic, subdominant, dominant or dominant seventh) progression. Throw in the relative minor and you get thousands more. Many, many rock, blues, folk and country songs share this progression in various keys. In my view, this wouldn't constitute stealing a song in most cases. Now, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" was a copy (in my opinion) of "He's so Fine" but these were virtually the same chord progression and melody line. By the way, I don't think "My Girl" and "Let's Get it On" are particularly close musically.
 
RutgersMO said:
As an amateur musician myself...agree.

My Sweet Lord....stolen from the Chiffons "He's So Fine" ?

Gaye's family has found a way to make money from a dead soul singer-songwriter. On the other hand listen to Joe Satriani's "Fly Away" / "La Vida" by Coldplay (then listen to Cat Stevens / a band out of So. America... lot's of similarities out there).

What's next, McD's will have to sue Burger King / Wendy's?

A music theory professor from Princeton (around 2011) said that music was too predictable- since there were a finite # of individual tones ...discounting cacophony.

MO
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Mo- I see it (or should I say hear it) exactly the same way!
 
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RU-ROCS said:
Mo- I see it (or should I say hear it) exactly the same way!
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Rocs....I'm on a mission.

Here's another song that may have been the inspiration for Coldplay's La Vida> Satriani>Cat Steves (Foreigner) > ???

Too bad I'm either in CA or OR....play guitar / accordion (have some songs on Soundcloud).

Let me know if you'd like to chat: rugersmo at roadrunner dot com!
 
phs73rc77gsm83 said:
There are thousands and thousands of songs that are based on a I, IV, V (tonic, subdominant, dominant or dominant seventh) progression. Throw in the relative minor and you get thousands more. Many, many rock, blues, folk and country songs share this progression in various keys. In my view, this wouldn't constitute stealing a song in most cases. Now, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" was a copy (in my opinion) of "He's so Fine" but these were virtually the same chord progression and melody line. By the way, I don't think "My Girl" and "Let's Get it On" are particularly close musically.
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Back in the 50's it was I,IV, VI minor, V (variation is I,IV,III minor, V....) but the root is really
I, IV, V rock n roll.

Ask Bob Seeger! LOL

MO
 
This thread has to have Stairway to Heaven in it...



Cut to the 45 second mark. This band toured with Led Zepplin...
 
RUBubba said:
This thread has to have Stairway to Heaven in it...

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Cut to the 45 second mark. This band toured with Led Zepplin...
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Yup, Randy California. Led Z opened for Spirit at least 3 times...and Taurus was a staple.

But I'm past that.

Listen to 12 bar blues songs(especially Chicago style, with Harp). Similar....yes.

But the little nuiances, inflections/ words make a difference. Don't forget Baroque was a highly stylized (trills / all) genre....bet there are many fugues, opuses that confuse the musicians as much as the listener.

MO
PS e.g. I've always felt that Bach converts to Rock...easily- and love his music.
 
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Which makes one appreciate the giant catalogues of unique songs by Dylan, the Beatles, and The Stones. Hundreds of great songs, and in the Beatles case (McCartney &Lennon mainly) most of their songs were written in a short period.
Dylan as a singer/songwriter IMO is incomparable. Voice..not so much, lol.
 
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phs73rc77gsm83 said:
There are thousands and thousands of songs that are based on a I, IV, V (tonic, subdominant, dominant or dominant seventh) progression. Throw in the relative minor and you get thousands more. Many, many rock, blues, folk and country songs share this progression in various keys. In my view, this wouldn't constitute stealing a song in most cases. Now, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" was a copy (in my opinion) of "He's so Fine" but these were virtually the same chord progression and melody line. By the way, I don't think "My Girl" and "Let's Get it On" are particularly close musically.
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Thought that decision was and still is a travesty and opened the door to this mess
 
And while we are at it if you want to hear Chuck Berry riffs listen to Robert Johnson from the '30s ("I believe I'll Dust My Broom" or "Photograph Blues" come to mind), Charlie Patten or many other delta blues masters.
 
phs73rc77gsm83 said:
And while we are at it if you want to hear Chuck Berry riffs listen to Robert Johnson from the '30s ("I believe I'll Dust My Broom" or "Photograph Blues" come to mind), Charlie Patten or many other delta blues masters.
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Exactly and then he had the nerve to go after Brian Wilson who wrote a song as a tribute. Hypocrit Much Chuck?
 
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin. Honestly, it's easier for White People to just steal from Black People. That's the unfortunate history.

Zappa is the only White Guy that I can think of that was actually an original.

Btw, Sheeran is a mutant.
 
G- RUnit said:
Exactly and then he had the nerve to go after Brian Wilson who wrote a song as a tribute. Hypocrit Much Chuck?
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Some of the Beach Boys songs borrowed from traditional progressions (e.g. Help Me Rhonda) but a lot of their songs were relatively unique and well beyond I IV V (e.g., God Only Knows is pretty unique).
 
RutgersMO said:
Rocs....I'm on a mission.

Here's another song that may have been the inspiration for Coldplay's La Vida> Satriani>Cat Steves (Foreigner) >
View embedded media
???

Too bad I'm either in CA or OR....play guitar / accordion (have some songs on Soundcloud).

Let me know if you'd like to chat: rugersmo at roadrunner dot com!
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Good stuff! I play the drums and guitar.
 
El Curioso Impertinente said:
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin. Honestly, it's easier for White People to just steal from Black People. That's the unfortunate history.

Zappa is the only White Guy that I can think of that was actually an original.

Btw, Sheeran is a mutant.
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Zzzzzz. And those Blues musicians evolved from folk and Irish/British folk. Full circle. Country was evolving same time frame as well. Music transcends silly dogma.
 
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El Curioso Impertinente said:
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin. Honestly, it's easier for White People to just steal from Black People. That's the unfortunate history.

Zappa is the only White Guy that I can think of that was actually an original.

Btw, Sheeran is a mutant.
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Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Chopin - you know the dead WHITE guys were pretty popular / didn't steal from some other culture or races. They WERE the culture of their times.

As for White guys stealing Black Music - there were covers of Black Artists (e.g. Elvis' cover of Big Mama Thornton's "You Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dog", Ricky Nelson's cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin" etc.).

Don't know about you, but I listen to music because it MOVES me- not because it's produced or sung by somebody from my race. If the song makes me happy, sad or sends a bolt of electricity up my spine - I like it. If not...pass.

That goes for Michael Jackson, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Stanley Clarke to Daryl Hall, Chicago, Eric Clapton, Allman Bros., NY Rock N Roll Ensemble, Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, James Taylor to Santana, Sergio Mendez, Walter Wanderly, Sade, Everything but the Girl, The Gipsy Kings, Paco, Dylan, Todd Rundgren .... etc.

MO
PS What about Captain Beefheart - wasn't he original enough for you?
 
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Slaytanic Wermacht.
Metal Militia.
NOT
Peace Sells But Who's Buying
THE BIG 4

If you know these words this was a unique genre of music.

Speaking of stealing music, my wife just saw a ton of 80's/90's bands in Camden with Vanilla Ice on the bill who stole David Bowie's bass line from Pressure.
 
phs73rc77gsm83 said:
There are thousands and thousands of songs that are based on a I, IV, V (tonic, subdominant, dominant or dominant seventh) progression. Throw in the relative minor and you get thousands more. Many, many rock, blues, folk and country songs share this progression in various keys. In my view, this wouldn't constitute stealing a song in most cases. Now, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" was a copy (in my opinion) of "He's so Fine" but these were virtually the same chord progression and melody line. By the way, I don't think "My Girl" and "Let's Get it On" are particularly close musically.
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Harrison claimed those were the only 3 chords he knew.
 
phs73rc77gsm83 said:
Some of the Beach Boys songs borrowed from traditional progressions (e.g. Help Me Rhonda) but a lot of their songs were relatively unique and well beyond I IV V (e.g., God Only Knows is pretty unique).
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Funny thing...I was a member of a blues group in 1969 called "God Only Knows". We played in So. Cal. / had one set with Taj Majhal. Also had a chance to open for Deep Purple....but that's another story.

MO
 
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I think it is tough for any musician to not produce something at some point that sounds similar to things they have been influenced by.

It's like watching athletes. They often add parts to their games of their idols, or try to.
 
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