I think Lady Gaga is paying homage to Madonna in this one since it’s so close in the verse and chorus. Don’t be a drag, just lift a catchy melody from the queen of pop. Born This Way is the title track from Gaga’s 2011 album, and Express Yourself was released on Madonna’s Like A Prayer in 1989. Madonna supports the song and is not lawyering up. However, Gaga is facing other plagiarism allegations from production duo E-Tribe who claim the song is a ripoff to a track called Be Happy, which they wrote for pop group SNSD.

UPDATE January 12th, 2012: Madonna has officially made her ripoff claim with this response. “I thought, this is a wonderful way to redo my song (Express Yourself). I mean, I recognized the chord changes. I thought it was…interesting.”

Here’s a mash up:

Crikey! In June 2009, Larrikin Music sued Men At Work for copyright infringement, alleging that part of the flute riff of “Down Under” was copied from a children’s rhyme “Kookaburra”, written by Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition in 1935. The counsel for the band’s record label and publishing company claimed that, based on the agreement under which the song was written, the copyright was actually held by the Girl Guides Association. Justice Jacobson ruled that the copyright had been infringed because “Down Under” used “a substantial part” of Kookaburra, and handed down a decision that Larrikin receive 5% of royalties from 2002. That’s a lot of Vegemite sandwiches!

Here’s a comparison:

Lady Gaga, whose name is inspired by Radio Gaga by Queen in case you were wondering, has moved pretty swiftly from dance clubs in New York to the mainstream. Apparently she’s also the creative director for Polaroid, which seems like a snub towards Andre 3000. Anyway, Paparazzi was the fourth single (in the U.S.) from 2008′s The Fame. It follows the Gaga formula of a dark, ominous verse mixed with a very hooky, grandiose chorus. In this case, the chorus is pretty similar to the chorus of By The Way, the title track to the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 2005 album. By The Way actually has a similar formula with it’s frantic, almost demonic sounding verse, leading into the pure cane sugar chorus. Does this make Anthony Kiedis mad? He could always start ripping off her fashion sense.

Take a listen to each chorus side by side:

The song’s lyrics tell a vague story of a girl named Dani. The concept developed starting with Californication, in which the lyrics refer to an unnamed “Teenage bride with a baby inside”. This story was continued in By the Way, and concluded in Dani California.

I guess the true dogfather as far as the courts are concerned is George Clinton, who now legally owns Bow Wow Wow Yippie Yo Yippie Yay. The phrase, which he originally wrote in the Parliament song Atomic Dog in 1982, has become part of the pop culture vernacular since Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre resurrected it for the 1992 gangsta rap smash hit crossover Nothin but a G Thang from The Chronic. Apparently, Clinton drew the line when the backup band for R Kelly, Public Announcement, tried to get away with it in their song D.O.G. in Me in their 1998 album All Work, No Play. He raised the funk flag and dropped a lawsuit on the group, and the courts saw it his way awarding Bridgeport Music, the company that handles Clinton’s work, around 89 large. Bridgeport is also pursuing 476 (holy cripes!) other copyright lawsuits against various artists who borrowed from Clinton, though he is not seeing any of these funds since he is in a royalty dispute with Bridgeport.

Lifehouse originally started as a Christian Rock Band with frontman Jason Wade in Los Angeles called Blyss in 1999, but changed their tune when they realized the power of the darkside and became reborn as…wait for it…LIFEHOUSE…in 2001 after seeing their favorite film from that year Life as a House starring Kevin Kline (unverified). They had mucho success in top 40 land with the single Hanging by a Moment which, in turn, left us all hanging from bridges. OK, so I faintly overheard Whatever it Takes in a shopping mall browsing through the clearance clothing rack and actually thought it was Oasis. They both have a meloncholic but hopeful melody, as well as lyrics, with one song asking not to leave while the other is claiming to do whatever it takes to fix things. Here’s an idea…stop writing songs and we can talk about it.

Here’s a sample audio starting with Oasis:

Here’s Oasis playing Don’t Go Away live in Manchester in 1997:

Jenny Lewis takes a relatively safe turn in the chorus with a major chord and “here’s the chorus,” while Young has a subtle but effective retooling of the verse’s melody for his more delicate refrain. It’s interesting to note that the melody for Love Is A Rose was taken from one of his unreleased songs, Dance Dance Dance, which eventually saw its release on 2007′s Live at Massey Hall 1971. Also, Linda Ronstadt had a #5 country hit with the song on her Platinum 1975 album Prisoner In Disguise. I also hear a bit of That Thing You Do by The Wonders (written by Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne and The Tinted Windows) in the intro.

Here’s an audio clip of the two melodies:

Here’s a video of Neil Young playing Love is a Rose in Portland in 2007:

I found a nice mash up by DJ Paul V. Click here to listen to it. (mp3)

Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today for Paradise City with anyone else but you.

Franz Ferdinand formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001 and delighted history teachers throughout the U.S. that instantly gained 2% street cred for knowing all about Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Take Me Out became a big hit in the UK and a modest hit in the US in 2004, with it’s unique composition and catchy guitar hook. Finger Eleven lifted this idea in Paralyzer which was a big hit for the band in the U.S. in 2008.

Here’s a nice mash up from SKRATCH N SNIFF: