Song Parallels

Nine times out of 10, Song Parallels finds examples of younger bands lifting chords and/or melodies from older acts -- but sometimes the roles are reversed, and bands who have already established their artistic legacies end up borrowing back from their musical descendants. For example, there was that time Judas Priest recorded a song that sounded just like an older track by Jane's Addiction. Read

When critics write about fun.'s music, they often talk about the band's obvious influences -- particularly the way their stacked vocal harmonies mimic the sound of Queen. But the title track from their 'Some Nights' album brings to mind an older -- and far folkier -- act.

Nirvana's Kurt Cobain once famously revealed that he lifted the opening riff from 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' off of Boston's 'More Than a Feeling' -- and as revolutionary as his songs may have seemed in the early '90s, they were actually often rooted in the classic songcraft of the past.

One of the architects of rock 'n' roll -- as well as a victim of one of its first tragedies -- Ritchie Valens scored a string of hits during his brief career, influencing countless artists over the decades since his shocking death in 1959. Artists like, for instance, R.E.M.

Before they topped the charts by sowing the seeds of love, the guys in Tears for Fears used synths and stomping beats to exorcise emotional demons -- and before he became an Oscar-winning composer, so did Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. As it turns out, that isn't all they have in common.

No matter the art form, sequels and spinoffs aren't usually as successful as the originals -- but with 1987's 'Earth, Sun, Moon,' the members of Love and Rockets truly started establishing their own identity apart from their former lives in the legendary goth band Bauhaus, scoring a sizable alt-rock hit along the way. In the process, they may also have provided inspiration for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Much has been made of Jack White's affection for classic, blues-based rock 'n' roll -- as well as his decision to go without a bass player in the White Stripes. But that doesn't mean he doesn't know a well-written bass line when he hears one -- or that he hasn't been inspired by artists from the other end of the pop spectrum.

Built around a deceptively simple melody, rudimentary drum program and the glaring absence of a bass, Prince's 'When Doves Cry' heralded His Purple Majesty's arrival as one of the biggest hitmakers of the '80s -- and gifted pop fans with one of the most memorable songs of the decade in the process. So memorable, in fact, that the members of British duo La Roux seem to have had it on their mind whe

In a recent edition of Song Parallels, we explored the possibility that Kris Allen might have lifted a page from the U2 songbook -- but as it turns out, Bono and his pals may have been guilty of doing a little borrowing without asking themselves.

A quarter-century after its release, U2's 'The Joshua Tree' remains arguably the band's best-loved album -- and one whose sonic template of brooding vocals, soaring melodies, and atmospheric, widescreen guitars was copied by countless bands during the '80s. And actually, judging from Kris Allen's 'Out Alive,' maybe it's still being copied today.