Popular songs that remind you of another artist

[TheMonk]

I'm in a cafe and Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) is on. I can always imagine Stevie Nicks singing this one. It would suit her delivery. If Fleetwood Mac had gone a bit disco this would fit the bill.
Not The Girl You Think You Are by Crowded House and the Beatles obviously.
Tear It Up by Queen sounds like Billy Squier or summink.

What other songs kind of remind you of another artist for some reason?

[famethrowa]

ooo thanks, I was going to start a thread about "songs that sound like the Bee Gees" but I ran out of puff pretty quick. Anyway, I really believe that Stars by Simply Red sounds like a Barry Gibb song, the rising verse melody especially, simple form with short instrumental section.

[non capisco]

I can really hear Mike Patton singing both 'Travels In Nihilon' and 'Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her' by XTC, especially the latter.

[bobloblaw]

Talking Heads - Swamp > '80s Tom Waits
Eels - Stars Shine in the Sky Tonight > '70s Tom Waits
Deacon Blue - Twist & Shout > Talking Heads
Wilco - Candyfloss > Elvis Costello
Wilco - Jesus Etc > Crowded House

[jamiefairlie]

A Horse with No Name > Neil Young

[Clatty McCutcheon]

Talking Heads - The Overload (the last track on Remain in Light)

This sounds more like Joy Division than Joy Division themselves. Supposedly none of Talking Heads had heard Joy Division at the time and this was based on what they thought JD must sound like. The phrase 'chinny' springs to mind.

[Utter Shit]

I've always thought That Girl by McFly sounds like a lost Beach Boys track.

[jamiefairlie]

Talking Heads - The Overload (the last track on Remain in Light)

This sounds more like Joy Division than Joy Division themselves. Supposedly none of Talking Heads had heard Joy Division at the time and this was based on what they thought JD must sound like. The phrase 'chinny' springs to mind.

Always thought it was more like Section 25 myself.

It's like how all of those 2000s post punk  copyists were compared to JD but actually sounded like The Chameleons. JD don't sound like how people imagine they do.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Talking Heads - The Overload (the last track on Remain in Light)

This sounds more like Joy Division than Joy Division themselves. Supposedly none of Talking Heads had heard Joy Division at the time and this was based on what they thought JD must sound like. The phrase 'chinny' springs to mind.

100% they were lying

[Video Game Fan 2000]

100% they were lying

last two times this came up i asserted that they certainly stole anecdote this from Johnny Marr writing the Queen is Dead based on his imaginings of how great the MC5 were based on the album covers and reviews. its too much of a coincidence and Byrne nicks peoples turns of phrase and observations a lot, innocently enough. he's autistic so he might not have a conventional sense of ownership over ideas and phrases. so its probably that. there is no way they didn't hear I Remember Nothing with Eno actually being in the band at that point. more interesting coincidence is them rewriting Memories Can't Wait, a bouncy Devo sounding thing with a pretty upbeat chorus, into a goth dirge of Fear of Music which has the same "duet" with a distorted version of the lead vocals trick as I Remember Nothing when Unknown Pleasures wasn't even out yet. the end of Memories Can't Wait sounds like ironically upbeat JD tracks like These Days or DONT HURT mE BUZBY

The Overload rules, really underrated. one of the best infamously bad or boring tracks on a classic album that actually rules

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Wait, nobody thinks The Overload is bad or boring, do they? Just that the story behind it is clearly bollocks?

[Video Game Fan 2000]

actually memories cant wait is the first grunge song, the ending could be Nirvana or Crash Test Dummies

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Wait, nobody thinks The Overload is bad or boring, do they? Just that the story behind it is clearly bollocks?

i remember people disliking it a lot, or liking it but hating it was the last track on RiL

[Video Game Fan 2000]

i used to think Mr Big Stuff was by Lyn Collins

[BJBMK2]

This cracking little oddity from Twin Peaks FWWM, which is so alike to the music of also cracking, 90s band Soul Coughing, that I'm shocked Angelo didn't give the lawyers a call.

[bobloblaw]

Belle and Sebastian — Song for Sunshine. A blatant Sly & the Family Stone steal.

they've also lifted tunes from Cliff (Wrapped up in Books' chorus is basically In the Country) and of course Thin Lizzy(-o)

[markburgle]

Belinda Carlisle - Circle In the Sand - Stevie Nicks
Primal Scream - Rocks Off - Rolling Stones
Beady Eye - The Roller - John Lennon (or more specifically, Instant Karma)
Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar - Bill Withers
The Knickerbockers - Lies - The [early] Beatles

[Norton Canes]

Bit of an obvious one, but Sam Sparro's Black and Gold - any track from Luke Slater's album Alright On Top with ex-Aloof singer Ricky Barrow (their names even rhyme!)

[her?]

Wilco - Jesus Etc > Crowded House

My wife thought the new Crowded House single was Wilco. I'm not sure what that proves.

[The Culture Bunker]

100% they were lying

Given Talking Heads did some shows over here with A Certain Ratio and Section 25 as support in 1979, it's certainly hard to believe they hadn't heard any of Joy Division's stuff.

Simon Topping has claimed David Byrne decided to take Talking Heads in a funk direction for 'Remain in Light' based on watching ACR from the side of the stage. Not sure if he was taking the piss or not.

[beanheadmcginty]

Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean sounds like it should be a Johnny Cash song

[Natnar]

Blind Vision by Blancmange is basically them trying to be Talking Heads isn't it ?

[TheMonk]

its too much of a coincidence and Byrne nicks peoples turns of phrase and observations a lot, innocently enough. he's autistic so he might not have a conventional sense of ownership over ideas and phrases.

I think in recent times he's been saying he's not autistic. I don't think it's been diagnosed or anything. I love how his songs are full of borrowed phrases out of context. Like "I know you want to leave me" from The Four Tops for no apparent reason in the middle of Stay Up Late.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Belle and Sebastian — Song for Sunshine. A blatant Sly & the Family Stone steal.

they've also lifted tunes from Cliff (Wrapped up in Books' chorus is basically In the Country) and of course Thin Lizzy(-o)

Murdoch also unconsciously ripped off I've Never Been to Me by Charlene.

[Clatty McCutcheon]

Paul McCartney's 'My Brave Face' always reminds of me of XTC, especially in the verses, although it's not as though they occupy completely different musical universes so it's not that surprising. Possibly Elvis Costello as co-writer had something to do with the XTC-ish feel too.

[bobloblaw]

The Bowie impression at the end of Whole of the Moon often makes me wish he'd had a go at covering it

[Video Game Fan 2000]

I think in recent times he's been saying he's not autistic. I don't think it's been diagnosed or anything. I love how his songs are full of borrowed phrases out of context. Like "I know you want to leave me" from The Four Tops for no apparent reason in the middle of Stay Up Late.

that's strange, i remember seeing interviews with him as recently as five years ago where he was getting pretty emotional talking about being autistic and how it influenced the subject matter of his work and his methods

[Natnar]

Jim Kerr does seem to be doing his best Russell Mael impression on Simple Mind's The American.

[TheMonk]

that's strange, i remember seeing interviews with him as recently as five years ago where he was getting pretty emotional talking about being autistic and how it influenced the subject matter of his work and his methods

Would be interested to see. It might have been Colbert or something where he recently said he wasn't sure he was. Sorry, can't quite remember. Maybe he's just sick of talking about it.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Would be interested to see. It might have been Colbert or something where he recently said he wasn't sure he was. Sorry, can't quite remember. Maybe he's just sick of talking about it.