Memories by Maroon 5
I haven't done one of these for a while (five years, as it turns out, almost to the day!) but I heard Memories by anodyne pop rockers Maroon 5 yesterday, and I was really struck by the chord progression - it was so familiar. Now I'm not well versed in classical music, so it took me a while to find what it reminded me of; in the end, it took working out where I'd heard the piece (at weddings) to help me track down Pachelbel's Canon. People get excited about whether Lana Del Rey ripped off Radiohead, and then whether Radiohead ripped off The Hollies; similarly, hitting Oasis with the Beatles stick is a popular pastime. Clearly they've all been doing it wrong, and Adam Levine's got it right: if you're going to plagiarise someone, pick a dead person who can't sue you, and whose work is all out of copyright.
Canon in D by Pachelbel, popularly known as Pachelbel's Canon
Footnote: I am a very, very long way from being the first person to spot this (example), so apologies if it's old news...
Yes, how familiar. Also one of the first pieces I learned to play on my recorder at primary school (along with the theme tune to The Wombles! And Bach's E Minor Bourée, another one more openly used by other artists.) Funny how we remember these things!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to Kanye West's re-working of Greensleeves.
Pachelbel, Bach and The Wombles, great mix.
DeleteGreensleeves? Isn't that one of Kanye's kids?
Pachelbels Canon features heavily in The Farm's All Together Now (but you probably knew that).
ReplyDeleteNeil Innes gets a songwriting credit on Oasis's Whatever for the nick from How Sweet To Be An Idiot (which is a bit of a nick from the Canon).
More Canon based nickery:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM
I was thinking about All Together Now the other day, how it ought to be anthem for these times. Or maybe not, I don't know.
DeleteThat video is very good!
DeleteRealised recently that the supremely irritating/catchy/infectious It's Raining Tacos is another direct copy.
ReplyDelete