Let’s get physical guys. In 2026 Benson Boone flips off pianos. In 1981 Olivia Newton-John road exercise bikes. Now that we got that out of the way, have a listen to Boone’s 2025 “Mystical Magical” and then have a listen to Olivia Newton-John’s 1981 classic “Physical”. Can you hear the similarity?
According to the Mystical Magical wikipedia, “Physical” songwriters Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick are both credited .
Now carry on. Until next time.
I’m surprised this one hasn’t come up before! I was scrolling TikTok and came across this post from Monday Music Club with Willy J. Willy also mentions this Nirvana/Killing Joke example and a Beatles example I don’t have on the site. Go check him out!
Turns out that this one was even settled out of court. Sam Harris, a contestant of Star Search (it was like The Voice or America’s Got Talent) went on to a recording and acting career. His 1984 song “Sugar Don’t Bite” reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. Madonna released “Papa Don’t Preach in 1986. There’s a bunch more Madonna on the site (it should be popping up on the page for ya). Have a listen to these below!
Bonus, the video for “Sugar Don’t Bite” is pure 80’s magic:
Demi Lovato’s 2013 “Neon Lights” contains a distinct motif that you know you’ve heard before. I’ve traced this motif back to 2002 with DJ Sammy’s version of Bryan Adams “Heaven”. From there we take a journey 7 years later to Calvin Harris’ “I’m Not Alone”. Only 1 year later we hear Chris Brown’s “Yeah 3X” (2010) when apparently Calvin Harris nearly “choked on [his] cornflakes” when Brown’s new single, Yeah 3x, came on the radio while he was eating breakfast.
“Stealing is still stealing, doesn’t matter who you are,” Harris wrote on Twitter. “[Just] because Chris Brown is an international celebrity doesn’t make it OK to rip off a guy from UK not many people have heard of.” Harris is being modest. I’m Not Alone debuted in April 2009 at the top of the UK charts, knocking Lady Gaga’s Poker Face from the peak position. It also reached No 5 on the European Hot 100. The LP it’s taken from, Ready for the Weekend, later crowned the album charts. – The Guardian
I thought this was the end. But only 3 years later Demi Lovato needed to chime in with “Neon Lights”. The other player in the game here is OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder who produced and co-wrote “Neon Lights”. There’s a really interesting post on the site about Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” and Beyoncé’s “Halo” with Tedder in the middle.
Anyway have a listen to all 4!