Musicians Who Admit Some Sort Of Plagiarism/Borrowing?

Long As You Know You're Living Yours

Keith Jarrett "Long As You Know You're Living Yours" (1974) vs. Steely Dan "Gaucho" (1980) | 11 Suspiciously Sound-Alike Songs | TIME.com

 

Ozzy Osbourne's the king of "borrowed" songs. Album credits even claims he wrote every note and lyric to one album all by himself.......until questioned many years later....and you realise the Great Rock N Roll Swindle was really all about Sharon Osbourne.

 

I see what you did there

 

I think it was Lennon who said the Beatles were "Plagiarists Extraordinaire"

 

I always thought that riff was stolen from this:

But I'm not sure it was a hit in England, so that might not count.

 

I don't think Blackmore has admitted he lifted the Smoke On The Water riff from a 1967 Astrud Gilberto album arranged by Gil Evans.

 

Drama queen .

 

"Just before we go, I'd like to mention Junior Wells
We stole his thing from him, and he from someone else"

(I am not convinced that Junior Wells did steal it, though....)

 

"During this time Ramblin' Jack Elliott studied extensively under Guthrie, visiting his home and observing how he wrote and performed. Elliott, like Bob Dylan later, idolized Guthrie. He was inspired by the singer's idiomatic performance style and repertoire. Because of the decline caused by Guthrie's progressive Huntington's disease, Arlo Guthrie and Bob Dylan both later said that they had learned much of Guthrie's performance style from Elliott. When asked about this, Elliott said, "I was flattered. Dylan learned from me the same way I learned from Woody. Woody didn't teach me. He just said, If you want to learn something, just steal it—that's the way I learned from Lead Belly."[93]

 

led to
Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (Official Music Video)

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Robby even plays the melody when they played in concert. Robby would also play the vocal melody of "Eleanor Rigby"

 

KISS. In the booklet to their box set, they go through it song by song and totally admit taking a part in "borrowing" notes/themes/riffs/ideas from other bands.

 

Here's an excerpt from "Tryin' To Do Something To Get Your Attention"

a song off of Mark Twang (1976) by John Hartford

I tried real hard not to make this song sound like some other song that I might have
Written before
And if I did, that’s because it’s my style and style is based on
Limitations

I tried real hard not to make this song sound like some other song some other singer-songwriter might have
Written before
And If I did, that’s ‘cause it’s music and music’s based on
Repetition

 

........and here's where this thread goes south with people complaining about how Zep stole their entire catalog of songs.........

 

It happens when you bring it up.. The title also specifically says "Musicians Who Admit..."

 

Oh just you watch.......

 

Jim Kerr about "Belfast Child":

I first heard the melody of She Moved Through The Fair a few days after the Enneskillen Bombing, and like everybody when you see the images I was sick. In the second part of the song, I'm trying to relate to people in Northern Ireland who lost loved ones. I'm trying to talk about the madness, the sadness and the emptiness. I'm not saying I have any pearls of wisdom, but I have a few questions to ask.

The song is listed as "traditional, lyrics written by Simple Minds" in the album credits.

 

Thanks for all those who put the video comparison. I plan to listen to all of them when I can.

 

It is a traditional tune in the folk domain.

 

Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown” sparked The Ramones

 

If you deny it you are removed from reality. Are you going to abuse yourself just to protect some (dishonest) geriatric British multi-millionaires?

 

Any successful artist who doesn't admit that they borrowed or stole from earlier creations is a fool or an idiot.