U2 songs that sound like other peoples songs

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Status
Not open for further replies.

ponee

The Fly
Joined
Jan 4, 2006
Messages
68
Location
Australia
As somebody else recently pointed out in the fast cars thread, the fast cars verse is incredibly like Canary in a Coalmine by the Police. In fact, the first time I heard fast cars I started singing the Police lyrics.

But I started to realize that I couldn't think of this ever happening with another U2 song. Can you think of any other songs that sound a lot like another artist's work?

And of course I don't think similarities are intentional or plagaristic. With millions of songs in existence, its bound to happen.
 
HMTMKMKM is very like some of T-Rex's songs.

In fact I think U2 deliberately intended it as (in part) a T-Rex homage.
 
"Desire" has a Bo Diddley beat, so you could sing "Not Fade Away" or something over it if you wanted. And on that same album, "Love Rescue Me" is apparently an update of an old gospel tune.
 
typhoon said:
"Desire" has a Bo Diddley beat, so you could sing "Not Fade Away" or something over it if you wanted.

Well, that would explain why I think Bono's use of Not Fade Away as a snippet in Desire on Lovetown/ZooTV works really well. Desire to me isn't complete without the Not Fade Away and So You Wanna Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star snippets and Edge's shredding solo.
 
I always listened to the intro of Where Did It All Go Wrong before the monkey noise and thought, "I've heard this type of beat and guitar before" and I think it reminds me of that old Proclaimers song, I'm Gonna Be. I don't know why but every time that song comes on my iPod or whatever, I just start singing the 500 miles part. :lol:
 
well....I guess this could be one song soundling like a U2 song.....but sometimes when Love is Blindness comes on the random on my iTunes...I start singing the I love Technology song kip sings in Napoleon Dynamite, and then Bono starts singnig and i feel real dumb.
 
catlhere said:
I always listened to the intro of Where Did It All Go Wrong before the monkey noise and thought,
I'll have to dig my old copy of this out, I don't remember monkey noises.
 
Well the version of WDIAGW that I have sounds like a weird monkey noise in the first 5 seconds.

it sounds like oooo-woo-aaaa-a-a-a-a-a!
 
I think I posted this a while back, but you can virtually sing Seconds over Stiff Little Fingers' Johnny Was. U2 have completely stolen the riff.
 
DignityPassesBy said:
The vertigo riff was stolen from sonic youths dirty boots (i think thats what it and they are called)
Yeah, it's 'Dirty Boots'. I knew I wasn't crazy in also thinking that. Let's just say it's no coincidence The Edge named them as one of the bands he was listening to when recording HTDAAB.
 
Intro from Cerebra by hundred reasons sounds uncanny, really uncanny from I will follow. When I first heard the intro from Cerebra on my i pod i questionned myself over if i had a live version of i will follow...
 
It is obvious that Thin Lizzy's version of Whiskey In The Jar and U2's Bass Trap are perfectly identical except for the fact Bono sings in Swahili. :wink:
 
the first 25 seconds of the alternate version of sometimes is copied ditto from a spice girls tune that was on the charts a few years ago.

i hope somebody knows which spice girl tune I'm referring to, because if I get questioned on this then I'll have to look it up - which would be horrifying.

but not so horrifying as realizing U2 ripped off (intentionally/unintentionally who knows?) the Spice Girls. I prefer the alternate version of sometimes, but the first 25 seconds I mostly try to skip.
 
'Elevation' bares an uncanny resemblance to the Breeders' 'Canonball' right down to the 'chunk-chunk' bridge, while the guitars in 'Walk On' are incredibly similar to the Pixies' Here Comes Your Man'.

Chunk-chunk.
 
We've discussed that George Harrison quote to death. I think the consensus was that everything George Harrison ever did sucks because he said that.
 
when I listened to Lemon for the first time I thought that it sounded like other people song (maybe Prince or something like that) but now... nah:wink: that's just U2 being different. And I love when they're different.
 
some of the songs on War remind me of The Clash, especially Surrender

A Day Without Me reminds me of Echo & the Bunnymen
 
mickey said:
the first 25 seconds of the alternate version of sometimes is copied ditto from a spice girls tune that was on the charts a few years ago.

i hope somebody knows which spice girl tune I'm referring to, because if I get questioned on this then I'll have to look it up - which would be horrifying.

but not so horrifying as realizing U2 ripped off (intentionally/unintentionally who knows?) the Spice Girls. I prefer the alternate version of sometimes, but the first 25 seconds I mostly try to skip.
'Too Much'

You're lucky I was twelve years old the year that they were the BIGGEST thing for twelve year old girls :lol:
 
I think there are some tracks on HTDAAB that sound a lot like Tom Petty, particularly "All Because of You" and "Crumbs from Your Table." Bono has this yell in the middle of "All Because of You" that sounds just like something from "Packing Up the Plantation." Also, the opening guitar riff on "Crumbs" is classic TP and the Heartbreakers style, and you can just hear Tom drawling "I was there for you baby when you needed my help, would you deny for others what you demand for yourself."

In general though, I find that most "sound-a-likes" happen the other way around with other bands trying to imitate U2. You hear it a lot, especially in Christian rock.
 
LemonMacPhisto said:
A Day Without Me reminds me of Echo & the Bunnymen

Oh, that reminds me! When I first heard Echo And The Bunnymen's Ripeness, I thought Two Hearts Beat As One was starting.

Turns out neither band could've ripped each other off as, if I remember correctly, the songs were released at almost the same time.
 
U2 songs sounding like....each other....who doesn't hear Bad at the end of With or Without you?

And where can I find this alternate version of Sometimes...becasue I need to hear Too much in there for myself ;)
 
VERTIGO chorus is a rip off of "Keep Me Hanging On" ...and some Billy Joel song off River Of Dreams. I think it's "No Man's Land"..might be Great Wall Of China...one of those.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom