10 Classic Songs You Didn't Know Were Ripped Off

For any self respecting acoustic guitarist, The Beatles' Blackbird has become almost mandatory listening and learning. Far and away one of the most impressive guitar feats Paul McCartney ever pulled off, this ode to the civil rights movement is a masterclass in how to explore every facet of the unplugged experience. If you asked McCartney what he was doing though, the origins are closer to classical than to rock and roll.

During their salad days, both McCartney and George Harrison were known to learn any guitar song they could, with classical and jazz progressions entering the mix every now and again. As McCartney tells it, one of the more impressive songs that he was able to master in the early days was Bach's Bouree in E Minor, which involved a difficult fingerpicking style that became Blackbird's foundation.

In this case though, it's safe to mark this one down just to influence rather than a full-on plagiarism, as McCartney comes up with his own free flowing melody that perfectly encapsulates the idea of a bird taking to the skies and learning to fly for the first time. As far as guitarists go, you can really tell once you try to play it for yourself, with McCartney even doing an interview where he played his song and the Bach piece back to back to show its origin. While there's a lot of magical moments throughout the Beatles' history, there's no shame in admitting your more non-rock and roll inspirations.