Have a listen to the verse in Bon Jovi‘s 1989 power ballad “I’ll Be There For You” and the verse of The Beatles “Don’t Let Me Down” (1969). And while you’re listening, here’s a delightful tidbit via wikipedia:
The verses have an eerily and uncredited similarity (both musically and melodically) to John Lennon’s Beatles’ track ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ (recorded during the Get Back sessions) and the chorus was supposedly culled from an unreleased song by Joel Ellis of Cats in Boots and Heavy Bones. Joel Ellis has said that Lehua Reid (Richie Sambora’s ex-fiancée) regaled him with anecdotes regarding Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora ‘sitting at the piano for hours with a box full of tapes they got from people and going through the songs looking for stuff they could rip off and laughing about it, your [Ellis’] song was played over and over and over’.
Read more at wikipedia
I’m also very intrigued by this Joel Ellis song as well. If anyone can get a hold of it please send it my way.
Later towards the end of CIB[Cats In Boots] I started dating Richie [Sambora]’s ex-fiancee Lehua Reid, one night we were laying around listening to old tapes of The Hoax and that song came on and she lit up and looked at me saying “…this is you??!!” “I remember John and Richie sitting at the piano for hours with a box full of tapes they got from people and going through the songs looking for stuff they could rip off and laughing about it, your song was played over and over and over….” Well, the rest is old news.
Excerpted from this 2006 interview
Submitted by Michael
The first time I heard “I’ll be there for you”, it seemed obvious to me that the begining of the verse is a blatant and shameless rip off from the Beatles tune. I’m surprised that no one made a big deal out of it. Jon Bon Jovi just smiles and sings it like he wrote. Give me a break. Please. Really.
No seriously. Come on.
I wish smebody would ask Paul McCartney what he thinks abut the Bon Jovi tune.
Actually, that is how an artist is meant to sing a cover, except they’re meant to give credit.
Stop pretending as if The Beatles themselves were never accused of ripping off other artists. “Come Together” was directly stolen from Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me”. And there’s an entire book called “The Beatles Extraordinary Plagiarists” which is a title based on Paul McCartney’s own words.
Both songs are awesome and when I first heard “Don’t Let Me Down”, I knew the melody sounded familiar; turns out, when I listened to Bon Jovi again, I realised they ripped ’em off
“I’ll Be There For You” (1988) from Joel Ellis’s band’s chorus hook/title/theme “I’ll Be There For You” (1987) (handed his tape to BJ personally in front of several witnesses) and derived from Beatle’s verses and pre-chorus from “Don’t Let Me Down” (1969)
Have A Nice Day 😉
the phrase “here comes old flattop” was from Chuck Berry but the song main body is nothing like it.
you should also add that jack johnson to this “at or with me” attachment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrFx-_ClH5Q
Wow, that’s really good. Thanks!
The Bon Jovi song is also similar to Lennon’s Jealous Guy.
AND Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Thru The Nite”.
AND Lennon’s “Starting Over” (“Why don’t we take off alone?”).