These artists were accused of plagiarism

Sometimes someone lacks creativity. I have that too, and in the spirit of ‘celebs are just like us’: they struggle with it too. At least, I hope that's the excuse. Some celebs (musicians in particular) have made a lot of money with something that isn't entirely authentic. A number-one hit while you know very well that you've drawn inspiration very literally from another song. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say, but if that imitator benefits with a few million in their bank account, then I wouldn't feel so flattered anymore.

So it's no surprise that quite a few lawsuits are being filed against various musicians, with varying success. Maybe it's just me, but I see a lot of similarities in many of these songs.

1. Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines vs. Marvin Gaye – Got to Give it Up
Let's start with a success story. Well, a success story for the heirs of Marvin Gaye, because they were right after a year and a half of litigation: Blurred Lines indeed seemed a bit too much like Got to Give it Up, and that didn't align with copyright. Robin Thicke and Pharrell had to pay; T.I. didn't, because he took care of the rap part, which wasn't in Marvin Gaye's song. The end of the appeal didn't help either, as the Gaye family was right again.

2. Katy Perry – Dark Horse vs. Flame – Joyful Noise
This is another one where the judge ruled in favor of the ‘original’. In this case, that was Joyful Noise, by the Christian rapper Flame. Specifically, the singer was said to have stolen the underlying beat of the song. And well, listen for yourself: it does sound exactly the same but at a different tempo (although I think the songs really have hardly any other similarities). Katy didn't agree, appealed, and won. So she didn't have to pay Flame 2.78 million. That's a nice saving.

3. Olivia Rodrigo – Good 4 U vs. Paramore – Misery Business
Honestly, this was the inspiration for this post, because I think these two songs really sound so alike and I was curious if I was the only one. The whole feel of the song, the way of singing; everything. Good 4 U is really on repeat for me, and I occasionally switch back to Misery Business. My teenage self really felt that song.

4. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk vs. many artists
Okay, this is a bit of a mindfuck. Check out the video below. Don't all those songs sound alike? Bruno Mars was sued by four different artists who all recognized their own music in it. But the thing is: I also recognize all their music in each other. Is Uptown Funk just a kind of universal, popular beat?

5. The Beach Boys – Surfin’ USA vs. Chuck Berry – Sweet Little Sixteen
Whaaaat: these sound exactly the same. Well, that's absolutely undeniable, and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys could insist at the top of his lungs that he really made it ‘his own’, Chuck Berry still got the credits as the writer. Rightly so, because I hear nothing else in the songs except the lyrics.

6. Ed Sheeran – Photograph vs. Matt Cardle – Amazing
I'm not a guitarist, so I don't really know if the chords are somewhat the same. I understand the similarity, but I don't find it as overwhelmingly convincing as, for example, the songs above. Okay, it has a bit of the same rhythm, but — maybe I'm a bit naive here — how likely is it that Ed Sheeran knew this incredibly unknown singer-songwriter and decided to steal his song?

7. Miley Cyrus – We Can’t Stop vs. Flourgon – We Run Things
Miley was sued for 300 million dollars. THREE HUNDRED. MILLION. Wow, then you really think twice before you steal a song again. And while in this case, it's not very certain. It was mainly about the lyrics ‘we run things, things don’t run we.’ According to rapper Flourgon, that would be his text. Listen below. Not convinced? That was different for Miley, and she opted for a settlement with the rapper.

8. Coldplay – Viva La Vida vs. Joe Satrani – If I Could Fly
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I really find Coldplay's music terrible. I really liked their earlier albums, but the last ten years... No, thank you. When I heard this comparison, I thought: it's really them, because I really love Joe Satrani's guitar sound. And it's EXACTLY the same. Nah, Coldplay: you can't do that. I'm not surprised that Satrani got quite a bit of money for this (outside of court).