I remember a few years ago that there used to be a thread about tracks that were rip-offs of the originals. I like to start off an all new version of that classic thread. Keep in mind that we're talking about non hip-hop/rap related genres.

I'll start this off with following.......

ORIGINAL:

SOS Band -- Just Be Good To Me (written by Jam/Lewis)


RIP-OFF:

Cindy Valentine -- In Your Midnight Hour (written by Cindy Valentine/Tony Green)

It's too obvious that Cindy copied the synth riffs from Jimmy Jam. Why Jam/Lewis never bother filing a lawsuit is still a mystery to me.

One of the best Prince ripoffs was Ready For The World's "Oh Sheila". It is hard to pinpoint it directly to a Prince song, but that song was completely biting Prince's 1999/Purple Rain sound, with the Linn and the rest of the instrumentation!

funkaholic1972 said:

One of the best Prince ripoffs was Ready For The World's "Oh Sheila". It is hard to pinpoint it directly to a Prince song, but that song was completely biting Prince's 1999/Purple Rain sound, with the Linn and the rest of the instrumentation!

Why end there? The Deele's Body Talk is guilty of biting the 1999/Purple Rain sound as well. And like I said many times before, Teena Marie's Emerald City album in its entirely was "Purple Rain part 2"!

Original

MJ - Billie Jean

Rip-off

Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen

KeithyT said:

Original

MJ - Billie Jean

Rip-off

Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen

Actually, this is the original

MJ admitted that this groove inspired Billie Jean, according to Daryl Hall

HuMpThAnG said:

KeithyT said:

Original

MJ - Billie Jean

Rip-off

Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen

Actually, this is the original

MJ admitted that this groove inspired Billie Jean, according to Daryl Hall

Inspired, cool. But, they sound nothing alike. So, this doesn't count. Caribbean Queen, however, is a COMPLETE Billie Jean rip-off.

KeithyT said:

Original

MJ - Billie Jean

Rip-off

Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen

Yup!

Tittypants said:

HuMpThAnG said:

Actually, this is the original

MJ admitted that this groove inspired Billie Jean, according to Daryl Hall

Inspired, cool. But, they sound nothing alike. So, this doesn't count. Caribbean Queen, however, is a COMPLETE Billie Jean rip-off.

Agree

just thought i mention it

HuMpThAnG said:

Tittypants said:

Inspired, cool. But, they sound nothing alike. So, this doesn't count. Caribbean Queen, however, is a COMPLETE Billie Jean rip-off.

Agree

just thought i mention it

Awesome. I never even knew that he said that.

HuMpThAnG said:

KeithyT said:

Original

MJ - Billie Jean

Rip-off

Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen

Actually, this is the original

MJ admitted that this groove inspired Billie Jean, according to Daryl Hall

There's also these:

Night Rider ~ Midnight Star

Superstar ~ Lydia Murdock (answer song)

Like A Virgin ~ Madonna

Addicted To Love ~ Robert Palmer (remove the guitar and the rhythm sounds similar)

Dirty Dancer ~ Bar Kays

ORIGINAL:

Sheila & B. Devotion -- Misery (written by Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers)

.

.

.

RIP-OFF:

Pointer Sisters -- I'm So Excited (written by Trevor Lawrence, Anita Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer)

Why go far:

Blurred Lines, Robin Thicke

Got to Give It Up, Marvin Gaye

Original

Rip off (gonna post Shit Line's instrumental to make it obvious)

This is fun lol

Shawy89 said:

Why go far:

Blurred Lines, Robin Thicke

Got to Give It Up, Marvin Gaye

Let Me Party With You ~ Bunny Sigler

the chorus of Shake Your Body by The Jacksons was also based on a line from Got To Give It Up

[Edited 1/15/14 9:51am]

How about when you ripoff from yourself?

Both are jams tho'

Daisy Jane ~ America / Let's Wait Awhile ~ Janet Jackson

Fame ~ David Bowie / Hot (I Need To Be Loved) ~ James Brown

Stand By Me ~ Ben E King / I'll Be There ~ Damita Jo

Somos Novios ~ Armando Manzanero / It's Impossible ~ Perry Como

Am I The Same Girl ~ Barbara Acklin / Soulful Strut ~ Young-Holt Unlimited

He's So Fine ~ The Chiffons / My Sweet Lord ~ George Harrison

Pour Toi ~ Loulou Gasté / Feelings ~ Morris Albert

Manhã de Carnaval ~ Breno Mello / A Day In The Life Of A Fool ~ Jack Jones

,

There's also a long tradition of taking gospel songs and giving them secular lyrics.

Original

Rip-Off

And he sued Ray Parker, Jr.????????????????? Joe Jackson, the brothers and MJ's estate oughta sue him back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

phunkdaddy said:

Original Fatback Band-I Found Lovin Ripoff Cashflow - Mine All Mine produced by Larry Blackmon Original Cameo - Single Life Ripoff Shalamar - Games produced by LA and Babyface

Excellent point! And it isn't the first time Shalamar has rip-off a few ideas........

ORIGINAL:

Prince -- 1999

RIP-OFF:

Shalamar -- Dancing In The Sheets

Some more ripoffs:

The original.



The ripoff




The original.



The ripoff.



The original.



A couple of ripoffs.



The original.



The ripoff.

JabarR74 said:

Original

Rip-Off

And he sued Ray Parker, Jr.????????????????? Joe Jackson, the brothers and MJ's estate oughta sue him back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M should've also sue Huey as well.

ORIGINAL:

M -- Pop Muzik

fatback band - i found loving http://www.youtube.com/wa...u-gYmOyRi4

vs

cashflow - mine al mine http://www.youtube.com/wa...oRZ1-lOuf0

[Edited 1/16/14 5:21am]

Parts of this song sound a lot like Erotic City, but this song came out a year before Erotic City was released.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...wATF5dnfq4

This one by T-Rex named Get It On (Bang a Gong) sounds like it inspired Prince´s hit song Cream.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...AtBrsdfnhs

Here's one not many people may have thought about

Original

Ripoff

The original came out in 1986

The ripoff came out in 1987

original:

rip off:

original:

rif off:

original:

rip off:

Whoah, it's never occurred to me that "Part-time Lover" might have been inspired "a bit too much" by "Maneater". I still think it's really the melody and especially the chorus that counts when calling something a "ripoff". Both songs have that fairly banal-sounding rhythm track and it's hardly like that alone makes the songs.

KoolEaze said:

Parts of this song sound a lot like Erotic City, but this song came out a year before Erotic City was released.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...wATF5dnfq4

I've read once that prince wrote Erotic City after visiting a Parliament/Funkadelic gig. But to me it sounds more like Prince listened to "White Horse" on repeat and then started working on something similar but even funkier. Both tunes are great though!

The albums these two songs came on were released within two months of each other. I don't think it's an "original vs. ripoff" thing, but man do they have such a similar structure.

[Edited 1/17/14 11:09am]

Is a direct ripoff of this

[Edited 1/17/14 15:28pm]