10 Songs That Totally Ripped Off Other Songs

A lot of times the pop music industry resembles a real factory with highly questionable labor rules. Overworked underage stars, greedy producers, never-ending supply of future hits ready for export and mass consumption. No wonder sometimes the factory workers (ie: producers, writers and singers themselves) come up with less-than-unique goods. And on some occasions, plagiarism becomes transparent when it’s already too late: the product has been shipped and no returns are possible. Here are 10 songs that totally ripped off other songs.

 

Kyrah – "Uh Oh"

Sounds Like: Kesha – "Tik Tok"

 

 

Think Kesha was abusing the LOL-party-girl image hard in her pre-lawsuit heyday? Wait ‘til you see her British knock-off named Kyrah, who took drinking until you collapse naked to a whole new level. Just like “Tik Tok,” “Uh Oh” opened with the graphic description of the morning after. Unfortunately, production-wise Kyrah’s efforts took a few steps back and sounded like something even Kesha herself would deem too kitschy. Our favorite line though? “Dance, sex, bed, floor, back to where I was before.” We’re not entirely sure where exactly Kyrah is back to: her “fame” lasted less than our recent hangover. Uh oh indeed.

 

Little Mix – "Shout Out To My Ex"

Sounds Like: GRL – "Ugly Heart"

When the British quartet unleashed their recent bad-boyfriends-bashing anthem, the pop-adoring part of humanity split in two. While some praised the sing-along-friendly banger, others couldn’t see past the fact that the chorus was a blatant rip-off of another girlband’s not-so-ancient song. American band GRL’s “Ugly Heart” was a hit in Little Mix’s native UK back in 2014, making it hard to believe that they could have missed the catchy tune. You bet we talked about this during our recent chat with GRL. Who doesn’t love some girlband-related drama?!

 

Clean Bandit – "Rockabye"

Sounds Like: Mr. President – "Coco Jambo"

Clean Bandit’s “Rockabye” is one of those scientifically created pop songs with the destructive force of a nuclear weapon — all it takes is just one play to get deep into your brain and turn you into a willing chorus-chanting zombie. Funnily enough, the song came out exactly 20 years after the arrival of another coconut-flavored party staple: Mr. President’s “Coco Jambo.” Can this be part of some top secret government conspiracy? Probably the same one that resulted in Sean Paul’s surprising career resurrection.

 

Kelly Clarkson – "Already Gone"

Sounds Like: Beyoncé – "Halo"

The problem with hot writers and producers is that nobody’s immune to the inspiration-draining power of an impending deadline. Once you prove your place in pop’s behind-the-scenes higher echelon, everyone wants a piece of that paper you’re scribbling on. But there are only so many unique hooks you can chuck out in order to bring your clients to the tops of the charts.  One of the most scandalous moments in the pop factory occurred back in 2009, when OneRepublic’s go-to-hitmaker Ryan Tedder was asked to pen power ballads for both Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson.

Thematically, the two songs couldn’t have been more different — Beyoncé’s one was a haunting love letter while Clarkson’s song was equally beautiful post scriptum to dying romance — yet musically, they were basically the same song. “Halo” came out earlier and upon hearing it, Clarkson was very vocal about trying to get “Already Gone” off her album, yet her label not only made the singer include it but demanded it to be released as a single, too. Ryan Tedder called two songs “entirely different,” which raises a very important question: How is this man allowed to work in the music industry in the first place?

 

 

Kelly Clarkson – "Heartbeat Song"

Sounds Like: Jimmy Eat World – "The Middle"

 

Poor, Clarkso. Why does this keep happening to her? Her 2015 big comeback was overshadowed by rightful accusation that “Heartbeat Song” sounded very much like Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 hit. Clarkson went on record to state that she actually loved Jimmy Eat World, but didn’t think her song sounded similar while recording it. The band itself didn’t sue her either, which is the music industry’s equivalent of seeing a unicorn on February 29.

 

 

 

Katy Perry – "Roar"

Sounds Like: Sara Bareilles – "Brave"

No amount of jungle-print underwear could distract from the fact that Katy Perry’s 2013 self-empowerment anthem “Roar” was not just a sequel, but basically a remake of Sara Bareilles’ equally themed therapeutic song. But what could have turned into a messy legal drama, eventually worked in everyone’s favor: “Roar” topped the Billboard Hot 100 while “Brave” landed on #23, which was still a big success for Bareilles.

 

Rihanna – "Only Girl (In The World)"

Sounds Like: David Guetta ft. Akon – "Sexy Bitch"

Long before she was trying hard to convert into an ANTI popstar and become the Grammy’s hardest flask abuser, Rihanna was on her quest to earn the badge of pop’s next savior — a task impossible without a string of buzzing pop hits courtesy of top European producers. If Rihanna indeed was “the only girl in the world,” then nobody would hear the similarities between her 2010 hit and David Guetta’s “Sexy Bitch,” which came out one year prior and sent every pop star on the planet to the holy grounds of “the club.” RiRi left the battle unscratched, which marked the rise of generic clubby pop.

 

Ashley Tisdale – "It’s Alright It’s OK"

Sounds Like: Pink – "So What"

Just like 10 out of 10 Disney graduates, Ashley Tisdale decided to use her High School Musical teen-sized fame to launch a proper music career and released two albums. For some reason she opted for the fading power pop approach when making her second LP Guilty Pleasure and clearly set her eyes on the likes of Pink and Kelly Clarkson when coming up with a string of faux guitar-heavy bubblegum pop numbers. “It’s Alright, It’s OK” in particular sounded painfully similar to Pink’s stomper “So What,” which came out a year before. But hey, it still works as a guilty pleasure.

 

Fifth Harmony – "Worth It"

Sounds Like: Jason Derulo – "Talk Dirty"

Was it worth it for Fifth Harmony to cannibalize Jason Derulo’s horny (in more than one way) hit? Since their attempt at sexing up Balkan music brought them their first international banger, we have to say it surely was. To be honest, Derulo’s tune wasn’t that original in the first place — it did feature re-worked parts of Balkan Beat Box’s “Hermetico.” And since Fifth Harmony clearly lack a fifth member these days, we pitch an unconventional gender-bending solution: Jason Derulo would make a perfect addition to their extended horns-playing family.

 

Avril Lavigne – "Girlfriend"

Sounds Like: Toni Basil – Mickey / The Rubinoos  - "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"

Avril Lavigne’s mid-00s transformation from gritty pop underdog into a bubblegum-chewing cheerleader didn’t just piss off her original fans. Fellow artists were quick to point out plagiarism, too. The Rubinoos even sued the Canadian singer’s team over the similarities to their late-70s tune “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” (although we still doubt that Lavigne herself even knew who the band was). Lavigne’s producers didn’t seem to learn their lesson though: her 2010’s single “What The Hell” sounded a lot like “Mickey", too. No wonder Avril starts singing “Mickey” at her own shows these days, probably by accident.

 

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