Alex is on a roll this week with three stellar submissions.
This one is pretty mind boggling. It looks like the American western folk ballad “Oh My Darling, Clementine” is in the public domain so it’s fair game. But who cares? Why would you use it for something like this? I normally don’t judge here but according to the “Swagger Jagger” wikipedia page it took a team of 9 writers including Cher Lloyd to produce this song and the chorus melody is directly lifted from “Oh My Darling, Clementine”. Am I missing something here??
Also note that this is the third X-Factor star to appear on this site. Others include:
Leona Lewis (vs. Avicii)
Diana Vickers (vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers)
After listening to “Swagger Jagger” I thought of a few other things.
1. The verse sounds a lot like “Milkshake” (2003) by Kelis.
2. What’s the fascination with “Jagger”? Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” was released in 2011 as well.
3. What the hell is “swagger jagger”? I did some “research” and Urban Dictionary offered some of the following useful information:
“A shit, pointless song with stupid lyrics made by Cher Lloyd”
“The term is infact Swagger JACKER: Someone who “Jacks” your look, style, sound etc… Taking it and passing it of as their own look/Material/ Shit, Etc…. ”
“Cher Lloyd hs produced a terrible CD using the miss interpretation “Swagger Jagger” Thus making her both a national laughing stock and an embarrassment to this country.”
So there you have it. Now you have all of the information you need to listen to the following clips:
Sounds just like Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds.
That was the first song that came to me.
Interesting. Maybe this a new trend with today’s producers.
What I didn’t add was I thought that My Darling Clementine sounded a bit like Little Boxes and vice versa.
I’ve long suspected Jagger has been paying for placement in songs to stay relevant. Seriously, what young woman would “kick [boys] to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger,” a wrinkled and leathery 69-year-old?
Ha! Good one.
Hey, just found this site! Where have you been all my life? XD I have an innate ear for similarities, too. So I’ll do my part to send ripoffs(or are they ‘homages’? ;D) your way. This is a great and long overdue site. Funny I stumbled across it looking to see if I am the only one who hears Outkast’s “B.O.B.” every time Macklemore’s “Can’t Hold Us” comes on. And yes, more topically, this crappy song sounds EXACTLY like ‘Clementine.’ Between this spaz and Nicki Minaj, what’s with the nursery rhyme pilfering? Oh, and mustn’t forget that Ke$ha track that knocks off “There was a place in France, where the naked ladies dance…” XD
Cool, glad you finally found the site! I’ve been running this for years. Enjoy!
That song by Ke$ha also sounds like the following songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvOGdQcqGWA (Well there’s a big, big sound anyway.)
Intro sounds a bit like Sway.
Whosampled.com states that Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (1953) ‘samples’ Puttin’ On the Ritz, written by Irving Berlin (1929). I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a concept of sampling back then and that the concept came with the development of Hip-hop in the ’70s.
Keith.. im not sure if this one is fair game or what… but seriously.. why would you use it for something like this?
silly me i forgot the other link
The melody is just the Andalusian Cadence (another song about a cat which uses this is Stray Cat Strut), but it’s interesting that there are similar lyrics. It is somewhat interesting when a children’s tune is based on another tune, sometimes another children’s tune, but most are based on something: The Alphabet Song from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes from There’s a Tavern in the Town; The Ants/Animals Go Marching from When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again (for more information, see Wikipedia); Barney the Dinosaur’s theme from This Old Man; some Leapster music I think from either The Static Age (2009) or Church on Sunday (2000), both by Green Day etc., but I love these crazy ones where it’s the other way round.
not the only time theory got lazy like this..
should look at their hit “bad girlfriend” compared to the cult “fire woman”
I my be able to shed light on whether the children’s song is public domain or still under copyright, but I can’t find out when Harry S. Miller died. If he lived to be 77 or older, it may still be subject to copyright.