By the mid-20th century, just about every note that could be played on the guitar had been played. Every arrangement of chords and every framework of a melody had been done. Still, there were some instances in classic rock history when famous musicians pretty obviously nicked their guitar riffs from other musicians’ songs, though we’ll go ahead and say that any assumption that these artists stole music is purely speculative. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?
“Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple (1973)
Ritchie Blackmore himself said that the legendary riff of “Smoke On The Water” from 1973 was simply Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5” played in reverse. So, there’s no “allegedly” here. Blackmore himself said it was nicked. However, one can’t deny that the band did something absolutely magical with this song. It’s also not the most surprising revelation ever, considering Blackmore was a classically trained musician. It was only natural that some classical influence would find its way into Deep Purple. The only real difference between the source material and the guitar riff of “Smoke On The Water”, other than it playing backwards, is the tempo change. It’s also worth noting that some have pointed out that this legendary rock song sounds extremely similar to “Maria Moita” by Carlos Lyra from 1964.
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“Revolution” by The Beatles (1968)
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were some of the world’s finest rock songwriters. However, both have admitted in the past to nicking a riff or two. “Revolution” might be the most famous example of The Beatles opting to “borrow” a guitar riff. The riff of this song sounds a little bit like “Johnny B Goode” by Chuck Berry. However, especially in terms of timing, the whole of “Revolution” sounds very similar to the blues classic “Do Unto Others” by Pee Wee Crayton. Compare the two for yourself.
“Hello, I Love You” by The Doors (1968)
This famous Doors track can be found on the 1968 album Waiting For The Sun. And it’s been the subject of a bit of controversy over the last few decades for a number of reasons. Some fans bemoaned that the song didn’t sound like The Doors at all. According to lore, the band even (allegedly) tried to refuse to record it when Elektra Records pushed them. Just as well, many believe the song sounded a little too similar to The Kinks’ 1964 song, “All Day And All Of The Night”.
“My publisher wanted to sue,” Ray Davies said. “I was unwilling to do that. I think they cut a deal somewhere, but I don’t know the details.”
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