I often read snarky comments saying Alicia Keys rips off older songs... and to be honest her hooks do sound "familiar".

DOes anyone know some direct links? LIke what is Falling based on, what is Woman's worth based on, etc.?

Fallin=James Brown(This Is A Mans World)
You Don't Know My Name=The Main Ingredients(Let Me Prove My Love To You)
If I Ain't Got You="supposedly" the structure of Aretha's "Call Me"
Slow Down-Isley Brothers(Summer Breeze)
So Simple=Betty Wrights(Tonight Is The Night)

Really Songs In A Minor seemed to all be not necessarily sampled, but influenced by or contained an interpolation of SOMETHING. So it would take me forever to find all the pieces of that album.
[Edited 12/3/07 23:59pm]

dragondayz said:

Does she actually credit/pay the original writers? Or is it blatant rip off?

GaryMF said:

I'm assuming she pays them or there is some kind of clearance(whatever that means). The only credits that I've seen was for You Don't Know My Name.

I honestly don't know how that stuff works. I was listening to Mary's "My Life" album the other day and I heard tons of samples through-out that disk, but not a single credit was mentioned. I don't know how these artists do it.

Like you'll never see me again" "is" the last 3 mins of Purple Rain, whats up with that? I thought it was a sample for sure, but its not listed on the CD..is that sample or a rip?

.
[Edited 12/4/07 0:58am]

don't forget the one she released using intimate friends. I mean she either remakes or samples.

when mary was queen of hip hop soul sampling for her songs was and still is her image.

It´s not just the melodies that always remind me of someone elses music but also the lyrics. Somehow, you´ve heard it all before. Sometimes it can be just a line, a sentence or phrase, like that line " No one can get in the way of how I´m feeling", which reminds me of Jill Scott´s "(You´re Getting In "The Way" Of How I´m Feeling". This really irritates me because she´s surely talented, a good singer and decent musician and she doesn´t really need to lift lyrics, melodies or whole choruses from other people. Doing a cover version is one thing, but creating something that you´ve heard before and that constantly reminds you of someone else is not so cool.
But a lot of Prince´s work is also heavily influenced by old hits I was too young to have know, like Cream, which borrows a bit from T-Rex or Marc Bolan´s hit, especially the "get on top, sha boogie pop " or whatever.

Her cover version of "How To Save A Life" is the only thing of hers I've ever listened to more than once or twice. Wasn't there some Eddie Kendricks song she ripped off too?

double post
[Edited 12/4/07 12:06pm]

midnightmover said:

exactly--intimte friends

Lovin You is clearly Aretha "Natural Woman"

Sorry, I just heard that song a min ago & looked it up.