Every once in a while, I'll hear a song on the radio for the first time and think, "Haven't I heard this before?" In other words, these songs have nothing to do with each other; they aren't remakes, covers, or remixes of the original song but still sound eerily similar. Maybe my highly tuned ears are too sensitive, but this experience of déjà vu got me thinking of all the musical copycats out there. You know who you are. And in case you don't, here's a handy list (in no order, natch):
5. Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" vs. Madonna's "Express Yourself"
This is the most recent and obvious pick, but I needed a rounded five songs on this list, so let's get it quickly out of the way. Driving around in my car when I first heard "Born This Way" on the radio, I of course thought of Madonna, but it wasn't until the chorus that I was able to pinpoint the exact source of Gaga's inspiration: "Express Yourself." Naturally, everyone else did as well. That's why I'm so surprised at how blatant it is. Miss Gaga herself has vehemently denied stealing Madonna's melody from over two decades ago, but c'mon: at the very end of the chorus when she sings in a higher register, "Baby I was born this way!" it sounds exactly like Madonna singing "(Make him) love you 'till you can't come down!" It was only her second full-length album, and it seemed Stefani Germanotta was already running out of ideas.