Pop music: I had a "ah, that's where they got that from" moment today

[mikeymikec]

I thought I'd keep the thread title generic in case people wanted to add similar moments they've experienced.

The two tracks in question for me:

Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers: Islands In The Stream
Pras, ODB and Mýa: Ghetto Supastar

It's just the chorus AFAIK:

Islands In The Stream	Ghetto Supastar
Islands In The Stream That is what we are No one in between How can we be wrong? Sail away with me To another world And we rely on each other, ah-ah From one lover to another, ah-ah	Ghetto supastar That is what you are Coming from afar Reaching for the stars Run away with me to another place We can rely on each other, uh-huh From one corner to another, uh-huh

Today's the first time I've heard 'Islands In The Stream'.

 

[WelshBloke]

Today's the first time I've heard 'Islands In The Stream'.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?!

How have you never heard that before?

 

[mikeymikec]

What. The. Actual. Fuck?!

How have you never heard that before?

I agree insofar as British FM radio stations mostly play a small selection of dull / "unoffensive" stuff repeatedly, like getting stuck in a lift ('elevator' for the yanks).

 

[nakedfrog]

What. The. Actual. Fuck?!

How have you never heard that before?

I'm not sure if I've ever heard it in full myself, I've only heard it in some video I watched talking about this very connection between the songs.

 

[nakedfrog]

I only listened to Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" for the first time last year, had not realized that Gangsta's Paradise was basically just Pastime Paradise with Coolio rapping and different words in the chorus.

 

[brianmanahan]

i've heard islands in the stream, but it doesn't play as often as i'd expect on country stations.

i think i heard it for the first time like 20 years ago and have only heard it once or twice since then.

 

[Chaotic42]

The bass line from Hypnotize is from Herb Alpert's "Rise"

 

[pmv]

If we're doing that "belated realisation" thing, only recently noticed that Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad sounds a lot like Little Richard's Slipping & Sliding - is it a direct influence, or is it one of those things where there's a particular "riff" that's been around for donkey's years, that gets used in multiple songs?

 

[WelshBloke]

I would just like to say that....

THIS FUCKING SONG HAS BEEN STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR THE LAST THREE FUCKING HOURS!

 

[mikeymikec]

I only listened to Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" for the first time last year, had not realized that Gangsta's Paradise was basically just Pastime Paradise with Coolio rapping and different words in the chorus.

I love the latter. Stevie Wonder has written/made some amazing songs, like his cover of The Beatles - 'We Can Work It Out'.

 

[mikeymikec]

I would just like to say that....

THIS FUCKING SONG HAS BEEN STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR THE LAST THREE FUCKING HOURS!

Ghetto Supastar?

 

[WelshBloke]

Ghetto Supastar?

Islands. I've even been doing the harmonies!

 

[nakedfrog]

If we're doing that "belated realisation" thing, only recently noticed that Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad sounds a lot like Little Richard's Slipping & Sliding - is it a direct influence, or is it one of those things where there's a particular "riff" that's been around for donkey's years, that gets used in multiple songs?

Might just be that a lot of 12 bar blues on piano can have a pretty similar flavor?
Examples:

 

[pmv]

^^^^^

Yeah, I know _nothing_ about music theory/song-construction, but I've heard "Julie..." described as "12 bar blues" so I assume there's only a limited number of possible constructs available in that genre, and there's going to be similarities.

Maybe the same with Surfing USA vs Chuck Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen. (More-or-less the same tune, but minus the icky lyrical implications with the Beach Boys take on it.)

 

[nakedfrog]

^^^^^

Yeah, I know _nothing_ about music theory/song-construction, but I've heard "Julie..." described as "12 bar blues" so I assume there's only a limited number of possible constructs available in that genre, and there's going to be similarities.

Maybe the same with Surfing USA vs Chuck Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen. (More-or-less the same tune, but minus the icky lyrical implications with the Beach Boys take on it.)

Yeah, any musicians with adequate experience with the form will be able to follow along to a 12 bar blues progression if you tell them what key it's in, hence the scene in Back to the Future when Marty plays Johnny B Goode ("this is a blues riff in B, watch me for the changes, and try to keep up"). A huge swath of Berry's catalog is based on the 12 bar blues. Most popular/common country music is too.

 

[esquared]

I only listened to Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" for the first time last year, had not realized that Gangsta's Paradise was basically just Pastime Paradise with Coolio rapping and different words in the chorus.

Surprising since it is one of Stevie Wonder's best run of Grammy winners from Talking Book, Innervisions, Fullfillingness First Finale and Songs in the Key of life.
I quickly looked and I think those 4 albums won 18 Grammy's total
Of course I grew up in that era and these albums are about 50 years old. and you probably weren't born.

 

[esquared]

What. The. Actual. Fuck?!

How have you never heard that before?

Yeah but its a terrible song.
I would rather listen to Louie, Louie or My Sharona.

Just read it was written by the Bee Gees, which really doesn't make it any better.

 

[nakedfrog]

Surprising since it is one of Stevie Wonder's best run of Grammy winners from Talking Book, Innervisions, Fullfillingness First Finale and Songs in the Key of life.
I quickly looked and I think those 4 albums won 18 Grammy's total
Of course I grew up in that era and these albums are about 50 years old. and you probably weren't born.

Other than Superstition and Higher Ground I hadn't really heard much from him that made me want to check out an album, but finally gave it a spin after continuing to hear it praised over the years. Broadly speaking, seems like he's not my cup of tea, his funky stuff is decent, but if I'm in the mood for funk I'll usually go straight for Parliament.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah but its a terrible song.

It is but it general background FM radio music plus also drunken wedding sing along music!
It's just weird to me to have never heard it!