Cryptomnesia Songwriting Jam

[Denverdave]

It goes in reverse as well. Many, many years ago I wrote an original song for the country band I was in. We rehearsed a rough demo of the song, but it ultimately never got finished.

About two years later we were in a band rehearsal, and our lead singer turned to me and said "Remember that song of yours we worked on for awhile but never finished? I heard your chorus hook in a new song on the radio (country station) today." Yep - almost note for note the same hook. At least I know it was a good hook if it made top 40 country radio.

 

[Monson]

You know, it's not always accidental plagiarism. Often when I hear a cool song, I think to myself "I want to make something like this!", and I steal the beat, certain sounds, or whatever. Actually I don't think I'd be able to make anything truly original.

 

[Chicken Man]

You know, it's not always accidental plagiarism. Often when I hear a cool song, I think to myself "I want to make something like this!", and I steal the beat, certain sounds, or whatever. Actually I don't think I'd be able to make anything truly original.

A lot of my riffs/grooves come from me digging something, then just taking my first attempt at playing it cold (since I have a lousy ear, it's usually a good bit off) and letting that mutate into something new.

 

[Motorik]

A lot of my riffs/grooves come from me digging something, then just taking my first attempt at playing it cold (since I have a lousy ear, it's usually a good bit off) and letting that mutate into something new.

That's a really cool thing too. I read Pink Floyd's 'Interstellar Overdrive' riff came about from Syd trying to play the riff ffom something really unlike it, I want to say Wilson Pickett's 'Midnight Hour' maybe?

 

[Monson]

That's a really cool thing too. I read Pink Floyd's 'Interstellar Overdrive' riff came about from Syd trying to play the riff ffom something really unlike it, I want to say Wilson Pickett's 'Midnight Hour' maybe?

Ha! That's awesome! I bet there are tons of stories like that. I remember Bernard Butler saying that "Animal Nitrate" came from "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and when The Black Crowes decided to cover "Hard To Handle", the Robinson brothers used "Walk This Way" to sort of make it their own version, like "Let's try and play it like that and see what happens..", because even though it was originally a b-side, they were kind of star-struck and intimidated by it being an Otis Redding song.