Inspiration has always been a vital component of art. But when does inspiration turn into outright theft? And how wrong is it? Pablo Picasso once said that good artists borrow, and great artists steal. And there seems to be some truth to it, because stealing is a successful – and common – practice in the music industry. What if I told you some of the most famous songs of all time may have been stolen? Judge for yourself, because in this article we’ll dive into 10 famous songs that are ripped off!
1. Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode
“Johnny B. Goode” is arguably the most iconic riff of all time. So iconic, in fact, that it is part of the exclusive Voyager Golden Record, a collection of sounds that represent humankind. But the riff isn’t entirely authentic, because Chuck Berry borrowed it from Louis Jordan’s “Ain’t That Just Like a Woman”. The song features a single-note opening solo played by guitarist Carl Hogan strikingly similar to “Johnny B. Goode”. Berry admitted to stealing the solo and cited the artists as huge inspirations.
Read more: The Story Behind “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
2. The Beach Boys – Surfin’ U.S.A.
What goes around comes around. Because The Beach Boys used Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” for their hit single “Surfin’ U.S.A.” According to Brian Wilson, he was humming Berry’s tune and was fascinated by the idea of putting surf lyrics to “Sweet Little Sixteen’s” melody. The Beach Boys considered the song a tribute to Chuck Berry, but only listed him as the songwriter after Berry threatened to sue.
Read more: The 10 Best Beach Boys Songs of All Time
3. Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby
Chances are high that you instantly thought about “Ice Ice Baby” when you read the title of this article. And it’s logical, because “Ice Ice Baby” is one of the most obvious rip-offs of all time. For the song, Vanilla Ice used a sample of Queen and David Bowie’s song “Under Pressure”. He didn’t credit the artists and claimed the bassline was different because he added a note. But after representatives of Queen and David Bowie threatened to sue, Vanilla Ice admitted he sampled the song and gave the artists a songwriting credit.
4. Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
The introduction of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” noticeably resembles the instrumental “Taurus” by Spirit. Led Zeppelin opened for the band on their first American tour, which adds to the idea that the introduction was stolen. It eventually resulted in a lawsuit in 2016, that ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin.
6. The Beatles – Come Together
Back to the star of this list, Chuck Berry, who has been a victim of plagiarism multiple times. And not by the shabbiest of artists, because after plagiarism by The Beach Boys, The Beatles decided they could do it better. For their 1969 release “Come Together”, they used Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me”. Paul McCartney even advised John Lennon to reduce the tempo of the song to make the rip-off less noticeable. John Lennon was sued for copyright infringement, but the case was settled out of court.
Read more: The 10 Best Beatles Songs of All Time
7. Radiohead – Creep
In 2018, Landa Del Rey was met with legal action by Radiohead’s publisher when she allegedly copied “Creep” for her 2017 release “Get Free”. Ironically enough, Radiohead was met with legal action over “Creep” years earlier because it copied “The Air That I Breathe” by The Hollies.
8. George Harrison – My Sweet Lord
George Harrison clearly ripped off The Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” for “My Sweet Lord”, although he denied intentional plagiarism. The lawsuit that followed was more interesting. Harrison’s manager Allen Klein negotiated with Bright Tunes Music (the owner of “He’s So Fine”) on Harrison’s behalf. By the time the case was heard, Harrison and Klein had split, and by the time the damages were assessed, Klein had bought Bright Tunes Music. The judge ruled Klein could not profit from the case, and only received the money he paid for the company.
9. Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues
For “Folsom Prison Blues”, Johnny Cash copied the melody and a big portion of the lyrics from Gordon Jenkins’ “Crescent City Blues”. Jenkins, in his turn, copied most of the melody from Little Brother Montgomery’s song with the same name. After Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” became successful, he paid Gordon Jenkins 75.000 dollars.
10. Nirvana – Come as You Are
The riff of Nirvana’s “Come as You Are” sounds strikingly similar to “Eighties” by the Killing Joke. Kurt Cobain even considered not releasing the song as a single due to the resemblance. the Killing Joke didn’t like the alleged plagiarism, but never brought it to court.
