Top Ten Popular Songs that are Rip-Offs

The Top Ten
1 Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

This should be higher cause I heard both lyrics and music are ripped off.

Half the songs on this list are from Led Zeppelin

Saw the theremin solo now. Is it was ripped off too?

2 Surfin' USA - The Beach Boys

Yes, it's the same song start to finish, just with different lyrics. Eventually it was credited to Chuck Berry.

Chuck Berry-Sweet Little Sixteen (1958)

3 Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

Marvin Gaye-Go to Give it Up (1977)

Robin Thicke is a creep

4 Come Together - The Beatles

"You Can't Catch Me, just played it slower" Maria Quiet, Deep Purple Just Played it faster

@Commenter It seems you are a Beatles fan, but I'm sorry, even John Lennon admit he took this song from the You Can't Catch Me, just played it slower...

All right, I do love this song. but it has a rip off part of You Can't Catch Me by Chuck Berry

@zxm yeah, it's a slower version of the You Can't Catch Me.

5 Dazed and Confused - Led Zeppelin

Original: Dazed and Confused by Jake Holmes.

6 Best Song Ever - One Direction

They let this slide because, "There are only so many chords out there."

7 Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice

Pretty obvious which song it ripped off. Gosh, I remember when I wasn't very observant, I couldn't tell if "Under Pressure" or this song was playing on the radio XD

Ripped off of Under Pressure and he didn't credit Queen or David Bowie until years later for using the beat.

A rip off of under pressure by bowie and queen. and that's not even the worst thing about this song

Why is it popular? It ripped off an awesome song.

8 I Can't Quit You Baby - Led Zeppelin

Original: I Can't Quit You, Baby - Willie Dixon. Led Zeppelin song was an uncredited cover that was credited back to Willie Dixon. Unlike several items on this list that probably aren't ripoffs, Led Zeppelin songs are. Led Zeppelin stole entire songs with music, lyrics and song titles.

9 Come as You Are - Nirvana

Yup. It ripped off a riff (forgot what the riff was from) I still enjoy this song tho.

10 Funkytown - Lipps Inc.

What song did it sample

The Contenders
11 Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin

Original: Babe I'm Gonna Leave You by Anne Bredon recorded with The Plebs. This is another uncredited cover and a lawsuit credited the song back to Anne Bredon. However, I personally think that Led Zeppelin probably ripped off the Joan Baez cover version because there are more similarities.

12 Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
13 You Shook Me - Led Zeppelin

Original: You Shook Me - Willie Dixon. Led Zeppelin song was an uncredited cover that was credited back to Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir.

14 Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
15 Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Established in court that it was not plagiarism. Both songs use similar chords in the intros, but one uses the notes in ascending sequence, the other in descending sequence. Affirmed by a panel of expert witnesses.

Alright, just because it uses a similar riff, doesn't mean it should be immediately a "ripoff." If that were so, then pretty much every mainstream song would be considered a rip off.

Hmm, the verdict isn't final yet and the story isn't over - in July 2016 this dispute was returned to Court but it is unlikely to start again before 2017.

Adding things from internet hoaxes. "What is Reality" Your Favourite Band Do Not Rip Off. Your Disliked Bands Only Rip Off This is Reality

16 The Lemon Song - Led Zeppelin

Original: Killing Floor by Howlin' Wolf. Howlin' Wolf's publisher sued Led Zeppelin but Led Zeppelin preferred to settle this out of court.

17 Rock Me - One Direction

We Will Rock You - Queen

18 Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve

Actually, it was a sample. If I recall correctly, they got permission from The Rolling Stones to sample a part of one of their songs. However, some controversy happened when the song got "demonetized" (if that's the correct word), which I thought was ridiculous considering The Verve got permission. However, I have heard that The Rolling Stones gave the royalties to The Verve about a year ago (?), which is great news.

In fairness, they sampled the original song, so you might as well put sing for the moment by eminem on the list, if you are gonna put bittersweet symphony on

The Last Time by The Rolling Stones.
@VaticanCameos - it is a ripoff because Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were added to the songwriting credits after a lawsuit. Eminem case is different - he did it correctly.

Not to mention how this song is only its chorus for around 5 minutes.

19 This Means War - Avenged Sevenfold

Sad but True by Metallica.

20 Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry

Louis Jordan-Ain't That Just Like a Woman (1946)

21 Viva la Vida - Coldplay

Creaky boards - the songs I didn't write

What I like this

Again, don't care

22 In My Time of Dying - Led Zeppelin

"In My Time of Dying" is a well-known traditional gospel song but Led Zeppelin didn't say their song is a cover - they credited the song to all 4 band members. The original song has been covered many times, including by Bob Dylan in 1962 and other artists before Led Zeppelin.

When a song is "traditional," which is to say, when it is legally in the public domain and authorship cannot be unquestionably attributed, there is no requirement to label it a "cover." It is traditional, however, to acknowledge the work as "traditional."

23 Stay with Me - Sam Smith

Rip-off of "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty (1989)

24 Revolution - The Beatles

This is so foolish. While the licks at the beginning are quite similar, no one owns them. They've been around since Elmore James, Robert Johnson, and before that, too. Otherwise, both songs are boogie-woogie. No one owns those chord progressions.

25 Tear in My Heart - Twenty One Pilots

Uses similar riff from Should I Stay Or Should I Go by The Clash.

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