10 Rock Bands Who Blatantly Copied Other Artists

Nothing about Green Day really screams classic rock from the word go. Aside from having one of the most timeless pieces of music of the '90s in Dookie, the signature brand of pop punk that these teens from the Bay Area were known to make clearly were more indebted to the Ramones than to Led Zeppelin. By the time we got to Warning though, it seemed that these misfits had started to actually grow up.

Going in a more folked tinged direction, the entire album takes more than a few cues from the classic style of rock and roll, with Billie Joe Armstrong citing the Kinks as a direct influence. If there was one direct inspiration on Hold On though, it would have to be the Beatles, with a basic strumming chord progression that's ripped straight out of the A Hard Day's Night era. In fact, maybe a bit too much, considering that the harmonica intro is almost lifted from John Lennon's I Should Have Known Better.

It would seem that Armstrong actually noticed this too though, initially going back into the studio to re-record it because it sounded way too similar. Then again, if you were to steal from the old guard of rock and roll, it pays to steal from one of the best to ever grace the stage.