Music is full of surprises, and sometimes, those surprises come from the artists themselves. Many famous musicians have openly admitted to taking inspiration from other songs or even outright copying them. This blog post highlights 13 well-known musicians who came clean about stealing their biggest hits.
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin’s iconic song Stairway to Heaven faced controversy when people noticed similarities to Spirit’s song Taurus. The band was taken to court over the issue. While they didn’t admit to stealing, they acknowledged the influence of Spirit’s work. The case ended with Led Zeppelin winning but sparked debates about music copyright.
Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby
Vanilla Ice’s hit Ice Ice Baby clearly used the bass line from Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure. At first, Ice denied it but later admitted to sampling the song. He ended up paying royalties to Queen and Bowie. This case became a famous example of sampling issues in hip-hop music.
Sam Smith – Stay With Me
Sam Smith’s Stay With Me sounded very similar to Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down. Smith said they had never heard Petty’s song before writing theirs. However, they admitted the similarities and agreed to give Petty co-writing credit. This showed how artists can resolve these issues without going to court.
The Beach Boys – Surfin’ USA
The Beach Boys’ Surfin’ USA had a melody almost exactly like Chuck Berry’s Sweet Little Sixteen. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys later admitted to using Berry’s song as a template. Berry was given writing credit for Surfin’ USA, which shows how influential his work was on early rock music.
George Harrison – My Sweet Lord
George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord was found to be very similar to The Chiffons’ He’s So Fine. Harrison said he didn’t copy intentionally but admitted he might have done it subconsciously. The court case that followed was long and complicated, showing how tricky music copyright can be.
Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines was accused of copying Marvin Gaye’s Got to Give It Up. Thicke and co-writer Pharrell Williams initially denied stealing but lost a big court case. They had to pay millions to Gaye’s family. This case changed how people think about music copyright and inspiration.
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Coldplay’s Viva La Vida was said to be similar to Joe Satriani’s If I Could Fly. The band denied copying but settled the case out of court. This situation showed how hard it can be to prove where musical ideas come from, especially when dealing with similar chord progressions.
The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony
The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony used a sample from an orchestral version of The Rolling Stones’ The Last Time. The band had permission to use a small sample but used more than agreed. This led to The Verve losing all royalties for their biggest hit, showing the importance of clear sampling agreements.
Radiohead – Creep
Radiohead’s Creep was found to be very similar to The Hollies’ The Air That I Breathe. The band admitted to the influence and gave credit to the original songwriters. This case is interesting because Creep became much more famous than the song it borrowed from.
Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend
Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend was accused of copying The Rubinoos’ I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend. Lavigne denied stealing but settled the case out of court. This showed how even pop-punk, a genre built on simple chord progressions, can face copyright issues.
Rod Stewart – Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?
Rod Stewart admitted that his hit ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ borrowed heavily from Brazilian artist Jorge Ben Jor’s Taj Mahal. Stewart settled the case by giving royalties to UNICEF. This case is unique because it involved songs from different countries and musical traditions.
Nirvana – Come As You Are
Nirvana’s Come As You Are had a guitar riff that was very similar to Killing Joke’s Eighties. Kurt Cobain admitted to being influenced by the band but said he didn’t copy on purpose. The bands later became friends, showing how these situations don’t always end badly.
Oasis – Shakermaker
Oasis had to pay a lot of money for their song Shakermaker, which sounded very much like The New Seekers‘ I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing. Noel Gallagher openly admitted to the similarity, joking about it in interviews. This case shows how some bands handle these situations with humor and honesty.
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