Seal vs. Nickelback

Submitted by Blair

I always thought there was something familiar about the 2002 Spider-Man theme “Hero”.  Have a listen to Seal’s 1995 hit “Kiss From a Rose” next to Chad Kroger’s (of Nickelback) “Hero”.

Seal - "Kiss From a Rose" (1995)

Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) - "Hero" (2002)

Update 7/19/2012:  
Josey Scott on ThatSongSoundsLike.comEx-Saliva front man, Josey Scott also co-wrote and performed “Hero” with Chad Kroeger. Check out Saliva’s “Survival of the Sickest” (2004) with Marilyn Manson‘s “The Fight Song” (2000)
https://www.thatsongsoundslike.com/2012/07/19/marilyn-manson-vs-saliva/

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33 Replies to “Seal vs. Nickelback”

  1. Joe

    i actually just heard ‘kiss from a rose’ in an episode of it’s always sunny in philadelphia and the first thing i thought was ‘that’s the song from spider-man’ and after further research i was led to this page. i hear the connection, its rather obvious similar chord progression and rhythm in the vocals.

    Reply
  2. Nope

    The reason that you don’t hear a connection is because there is NONE. Anyone that thinks there is a connection needs their ears checked. The only “connection” between these two songs is that they’re both in Superhero films – that’s where the similarities end. Half of the songs on this site don’t make sense anyway.

    Reply
  3. Sanglyon

    @Nope
    I disagree. In fact, I remember thinking, back when “Hero” was released “Wow, what a blatant ripoff of Kiss from a rose!”
    And the fact that it was for a spiderman movie just add weight to my suspicion that they just took their ‘inspiration’ from the hit song of another same-genre movie.

    Reply
    1. Brent

      Agree with you Sanglyon. As a Canadian I despise Chad Kroeger. He ripped off his sound from the post grunge bands of America and it isn’t surprising that he ripped off an anthemic chorus line from Seal. He truly is a painted face on a hollow shell. I think as a sixth generation Canadian there is a law that I have the right to strip the citizenship off a second generation Canadian and send them to their country of origin. In this case Germany. Speaking of Germans ripping off songs. Silent Night which everyone thought was composed in Germany was a rip off of a Russian song called Evening Bell which Thomas Moore published in 1812.

      Reply
      1. Mark Adams

        What do you mean ripped off? Do you think the Seattle sound is copyrighted? By that basis, most bands rip off other bands. As for the hollow shell statement, Nickelback have more than just love songs, not including songs that are more sexual than loving. There’s Photograph, which is about old memories (some of love); the sarcastic yet witty Rockstar, about Rock ‘n’ Roll excesses; If Today Was Your Last Day (yes it does mention love); Lullaby, telling someone that there is hope and not to give up on life; If Everyone Cared and When We Stand Together. So although you don’t like him, it seems he is of more substance than you realise.

        Reply
  4. Rakesh

    Nickelback = ripp off! wtf .. i got this “seal – kiss from a rose” from freinds ipod. n bham googled cos even i felt wat u guys felt. what a bad world x-(

    Reply
  5. KIT

    I totally hear the similarity! For those of you out there with untrained ears, try singing the lyrics to one song while listening to the other.

    Reply
  6. Raspo

    I’ve submitted way better connecting songs that were never posted. These two songs do not sound alike AT ALL. I hate Nickelback and think they are generic, but this is a BAD submission!!!

    Reply
    1. Keith Post author

      I admit this Seal vs. Nickelback post is a bit of a stretch but there is an overall similarity. I’ll try to get to your submissions. I have too many!

      Reply
      1. dxman

        This is not a stretch. Listen to “and now that your rose is in bloom a light hits the gloom on the gray” and then listen to the vocal line on the Chad Kroeger song.

        Reply
  7. Anonymous

    there can be 2 reasons if u don’t find any connection between these 2 songs:- 1. u haven’t heard “kiss from a rose” nd r probably listening to it for the first time; 2. u have ZERO knowledge about music!!

    i’m hesitating to call the resemblance as “subtle” cuz it’s quite obvious!!!!

    ohhh!! and one more thing….
    NICKELBLACK SUXXXXX!!!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Richard Schwalb

    Not sure why some people can’t hear this. I think Seal is very talented and Chad Kroger and Nickelback are just OK but that isn’t important. The fact is that whenever Hero comes on the radio I think that Kiss From a Rose is coming on. And I really like the song Kiss From a Rose.

    Reply
  9. ComposerD

    First, they are both in 3/4 (or 6/8 depending on how you want to feel the pulse).

    Second, the chord progressions use the same chords relative to their keys.

    KFAR is uses Eb, F and G, Hero uses G, A and B. (Major chord built on the flat 6th, Major chord built on the flat 7th and then tonic)

    They differ in their harmonic rhythm. KFAR changes chord every 3rd beat. Hero every 6. The harmonic motion though is very similar.

    I havent analyzed the melodies, but there is a passing resemblance to my ear. I dont think the songs are close enough to be infringement. But it would not surprise me at all if Kroeger was given the directive to write something like KFAR or took it upon himself to do so.

    Reply
    1. Keith Post author

      Thanks for the theory breakdown for the other readers. And as with most songs on the site the “passing resemblance” is sometimes all that we need to recognize that something sounds like something else.

      Reply
  10. Travis

    its sad when nickelback is ripped off(and not just once but multi times)

    nickelback:follow you home

    3 days grace: bitter taste

    nickelback:this is how you remind me

    sum 41:hell song

    nickelback:photograph

    lost prophets:cant stop gotta date with hate

    nickelback:far away

    skillet:dont wake me

    Reply
    1. Brent

      If this is Travis Tritt, I can understand why you would want to defend Chad. But Chad needs to know that he might be able to get away with mass producing RocknRoll in can but like canned food, it doesn’t taste as good as the real thing. Chris Cornell might be able to teach Chad a thing or two about what a real rock and roll voice should sound like. It shouldn’t sound like some constipated angry person straining to take a dump.

      Reply
        1. Brent

          Sorry Travis, misunderstood your connotation of sad. But in that sense I do agree it is sad.
          Just to give you some background on why there are a lot of bands hashing out similar music, I knew a WB creative exec who was involved in signing Lincoln Park and she said that since LP became popular they had talent scouts on the look out for similar sounding bands. These creative execs are not really creative. She held a law degree and had no real musical background other than being a so called fan of music. But from a career standpoint playing it safe was job security. If you are a career band then you tend to play up to what flavor of the month a record label is hoping to sign.

          Reply
  11. Travis

    check out this comparison

    default(discovered by chad kroger):wasting my time(2001)

    billy gilman:one voice(2000)

    i think its dead on in the verses

    Reply
  12. Ariel Gonzalez

    Lol xD please post this one for all the lulz of lazy musicianship.

    Nickelback vs…..Nickleback? ha

    How You Remind Me:

    Some Day:

    Reply
    1. Mark Adams

      As does Tangled by Maroon 5 (2002), but Catch Me Now I’m Falling (1979) in turn sounds kind of like Ebony Eyes by Bob Welch (1977). Anyway, Nickelback used that sort of riff or motif several times, also being found in Figured You Out and I think Follow You Home. But they weren’t the only ones to use it, check out Original Sin by INXS (1984) and I’m sure I’ve also commented about a Johnny Cash song.

      Reply
  13. Eric Schuler

    It is super sublte. It’s barely a verse but for some of us we automatically hear Seal’s kiss from a rose..that is the only place where there are any similarities in the entire still song..

    Reply
  14. Debbie

    I know no one under 55 years old will know this and it’s only the intro to Kiss From a Rose, but go over to You Tube and search Our Love by Natalie Cole. Listen to the intro and after the first verse of both songs. The Natalie Cole song is from 1978 thus the comment no one under 55. Back in 1995 when I first hesrd tge intro to Kiss From A Rose, I thought it was a remake of Our Love. The intro’s are exactly the same.

    Reply

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