Music news: Famous songs that you didn’t know were originally sampled
Have you ever listened to a new song and wondered why it sounded so familiar? Most likely, you have heard it before, but through another artist.
Sampling is quite common within the music industry. Many artists draw inspiration from other artists' work and add their own style and flair, creating the hit songs we love and know today, writes Music News Blitz’s Tyler Lai Sai.
What is sampling?
Sampling is the reuse of a portion of a sound recording in another recording. Samples can be used with different elements of a song, such as rhythm, melody, speech or sound effects, in the new recording.
In this article, Lai Sai shares some songs that you probably didn’t know were sampled.
‘Ms Jackson’ - Outkast
The infamous song, ‘Ms Jackson,’ about the public split between Erykah Badu and Andre 3000, sampled two different songs.
The guitar and melody of ‘Strawberry Letter 23’ by the Brothers Johnson are woven into the song, contributing to the song’s laid-back feel.
Throughout the song, you can hear the iconic chords of ‘The Bridal March’ by Richard Wagner.
Although it doesn’t use the traditional organ throughout the song. The track uses a more modernised and sped-up version.
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‘BREAK MY SOUL’ - Beyonce
Hit song ‘BREAK MY SOUL’ from Beyonce’s RENAISSANCE album primarily samples two main songs. This includes the iconic house track of the 90s, ‘Show Me love’ and ‘Explode’ released in 2014.
‘BREAK MY SOUL’ incorporates the famous bassline and organ house chords of ‘Show Me Love’ by Robin S.
The song includes different vocal interpolations and samples from popular New Orleans bounce anthem ‘Explode’ by Big Feedia. This includes the lyrics “Release your wiggle” and “Release your anger.”
‘Hotline Bling’ - Drake
Drake's 'Hotline Bling' sample of Timmy Thomas's 'Why Can't We Live Together,' which was released in 1972.
Before the song was released, Timmy Thomas had stated that he was very excited to have his song used in Drake’s music.
At the time the song came out, Timmy Thomas was already 71 years old.
He had praised the song and Drake for its overwhelming success and encouraged him to keep on making music.
‘Hollaback Girl’ - Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’ had actually featured a variety of songs.
The famous 2000s anthem directly sampled ‘Double Dutch Bus’ by Frankie Smith, released in 1981.
Hollaback Girls also incorporates the various drum/bass elements from ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ by Queen, released in 1980.
The song also incorporates elements from ‘Nasty Boy’ by The Notorious B.I.G released in 1997. Parts of the vocal delivery and phrasing were inspired by Nasty Boy.
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‘Paper Planes’ - M.I.A
‘Paper Planes’ is an iconic song by M.I.A that became a late 2000’s hit sampled ‘Straight to Hell’ by the Clash.
The intro and guitar riff in The Clash’s song are used throughout ‘Paper Planes,’ making it the melodic foundation of the song.
The song was also featured in the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, where it became part of the official soundtrack of the film.
Due to the prominent sample in the song, the band members of The Clash are also listed as songwriters. This includes Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon.
‘Toxic’ - Britney Spears
The beginning of ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears is almost instantly recognisable.
The strong string riffs at the beginning are actually sampled from ‘Tere Mere Beech Mein’ by Lata Mangeshkar and S.P. Balasubramanyam from the 1981 Bollywood movie Ek Duuje Ke Liye.
This is a great example of how the same piece of work can be transformed for different purposes. What started out as a Bollywood soundtrack became a song that helped define the 2000s music era.
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