Song Parallels

For more than 20 years, Green Day have been churning out three chord pop-punk gems that make you feel like you're 15 years old again (and if you're 15 and reading this now, you'll understand one day). They do it really well. Sometimes too well. But there's a good reason why some of those catchy riffs cut right into your brain -- you may have heard them before.

We're obviously pretty excited about the new No Doubt record, 'Push and Shove,' but that doesn't mean we can't admit it when the band may have taken a page from one of its stronger influences. Take, for instance, their 2002 hit 'Hella Good.'

British boy band One Direction have been the center of attention since topping charts around the globe last year with their debut album, 'Up All Night.' Now, they're getting attention for something else: possibly lifting a portion of an iconic '80s punk anthem by the Clash for their new single, 'Live While We're Young.'

What do a bunch of classic rock legends and a group of young Berkeley punks have in common? Well, not much, probably. But in the case of Chicago and Green Day, they have at least one descending chord progression in common.

Few bands have fused feedback and melody as eloquently as My Bloody Valentine, and while their studio output has been minimal -- fans are still waiting for a follow-up to MBV's second album, 'Loveless,' released in 1991 -- their recordings have inspired countless bands. Take Smashing Pumpkins, for instance.

On the surface, there wouldn't seem to be much in common between the Cure and Wilco; the former band is known for its gloomy, synth-assisted love songs, while the latter rose from the ashes of the pioneering alt-country act Uncle Tupelo. But maybe they have more in common than we thought.

They may not have achieved widespread commercial success during their early years, but the Pixies were one of the most influential bands of the '80s -- and as we demonstrated in an earlier Song Parallels, echoes of their work can be heard in songs by a number of other artists.

Kings of Leon named their 2003 single 'Molly's Chambers' for a line in 'Whiskey in the Jar,' a traditional song covered by Irish rock legends Thin Lizzy -- but when it came to writing the music for the track, they may have taken inspiration from an act who hails from a different part of the United Kingdom.

What do critically revered indie songstress Florence Welch and hit-spewing OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder have in common? A fondness for tribal drums, handclaps and surging melodies, as today's installment of Song Parallels reveals.

One of Regina Spektor's biggest claims to fame is her unique sound -- although she's been compared to artists like Tori Amos, she's really her own artist, and she doesn't really sound like anyone else. Well, except for that one song that borrows a chunk of the melody from a soul classic...