Mike Amin: Director and Collector of Digital Art

Let's face it, Oasis is a seminal band of the 90's. They influenced a great deal of music during that decade, and continue to do so today. But when Oasis started, there was plenty of finger pointing (directed at the band), due to similarities between Oasis tracks and tunes that came before it.

Below is a comparative list of songs that Oasis has borrowed elements from. These are a few examples but not an exhaustive list by any means - I should also note that Oasis has been sued for most or all of these, so I'm not trying to unravel a major scam or anything - I'm simply posting in one convenient spot. On to the fun...

The first, most obvious example of Oasis taking a direct cue from the past: "Shakermaker" uses the basic melody from the old Coca Cola song, "I'd Like To Teach The World to Sing". You'll hear it right away...

Coke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mOEU87SBTU

Oasis - Shakermaker (check the 0:31 mark):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUoVQ-kB7DQ

Another, very obvious one - "Cigarettes & Alcohol" taking the riff from T.Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get it on)" AND Humble Pie's version of "C'mon Everybody". I'm not going to get into how this also sounds a little like the Coke song. Again, you'll hear it in the first few seconds.

T.Rex - Get it on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVEhDrJzM8E

Humble Pie - C'mon Everybody:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKh2TBDu9L4

Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaeLKhRnkhQ

Here's yet another very obvious example - "Whatever" basically copying Neil Innes' "How Sweet To Be An Idiot".

Neil Innes - How Sweet To Be An Idiot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9EWcaS7II

Oasis - Whatever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tuPBrSl9Nw

How about more? Before it was officially released, (What's the Story) Morning Glory originally had a song called "Step Out" on it. Someone cried foul and noticed "Step Out" sounded like Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". Take a listen and you'll hear that not only Oasis switch the horns for guitar, but compare Uptight (Everything's Alright) at 0:25 to Step Out at 0:55.

Stevie Wonder = Uptight (Everything's Alright):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDbyOLzEyfk

Oasis - Step Out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N98CFHq3KbA

A side note to the above - Stevie Wonder's song also sounds like the chorus of Green Day's coincidentally named "Uptight" (really? coincidental?). Take a listen at 1:16:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Vz52GyyWc

This one is most interesting and a little more subtle I think - Oasis' pivotal track "Live Forever" taking the melody from the Roling Stones' "Shine a Light". Listen to the Shine a Light chorus when Mick Jagger sings "may the good lord shine a light on you" at 1:05 and put it up against the Oasis line "Maybe I don’t really want to know" at 0:12.

Rolling Stones - (check 1:05):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPbozLRU3so

Oasis - Live Forever (check 0:12):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_2mWhfOhGU

And perhaps an appropriate note to close this post: I recently read that Noel Ghallager complained about Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" ripping off Oasis' "Wonderwall". His awesome quote:

"[Green Day] should have the decency to wait until I am dead [before stealing my songs]... I, at least, pay the people I steal from that courtesy.”

For those interested, this is perhaps another example of the decline of Green Day, which I did a lengthy post about here. With that, here is the comparison...

Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWNRUVMboq4

Oasis - Wonderwall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzrDeceEKc

UPDATE - APRIL 21 2010:

My dear friend Dorothy pointed me to this Travis track for Writing to Reach You, and you'll know why after listening to the opening (and subsequent) chords:

Interesting thing about this song is that not only does Travis use the chords from Oasis' Wonderwall, but they call out Wonderwall in the song! Great job. Looks like other artists haven't been oblivious to the fact that Oasis liberally borrows from others.

And bringing it all together, this video mashing-up Wonderwall, Boulevard of Broken Dreams AND Writing to Reach You:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES2NGj_fYjs

Thanks Dorothy!