Music Shorts & Reels – November 2024

by tommyedison

Did Michael Bolton Rip Off The Isley Brothers?

Released in 1991, Michael Bolton’s “Love Is A Wonderful Thing” made it to the top 5 in the United States. Ten months later, The Isley Brothers filed a lawsuit against Bolton, his co-writer, and the record label for copyright infringement of their song from 1966. Bolton claimed that he never heard the song. In 1994, a jury ruled Bolton and company were liable and owed The Isley Brothers 66 percent of past and future royalties. Bolton’s team tried to appeal the decision but failed, and paid The Isley Brothers 5.4 million dollars.


’90s One-Hit Wonders From The U.S. Top 40

Here’s a list of songs from the 1990s by artists who have appeared in the top 40 of U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart just once. Featuring “Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)” by Citizen King, “Missing” by Everything But The Girl, “Your Woman” by White Town, “Freak Like Me” by Adina Howard, “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba, “Criminal” by Fiona Apple, “Mambo No. 5 (a Little Bit of…)” by Lou Bega, “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison, “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by Crash Test Dummies, “Groove Is in the Heart” by Deee-Lite, “Lullaby” by Shawn Mullins, “Steal My Sunshine” by Len, and “In The House Of Stone And Light” by Martin Page.


Original Versions of Popular ’60 Songs – Joe Cocker, The Byrds

Here are 2 popular songs from the 1960s and their original recordings – “Feeling Alright” by Joe Cocker vs “Feelin’ Alright?” by Traffic and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds vs “To Everything There Is a Season” by The Limeliters.


4 Musicians From The Sinatra Family – Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr, AJ Lambert

Here are four musicians from the Sinatra family – featuring “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” by Nancy Sinatra (Frank’s daughter), “The Second Time Around” by Frank Sinatra Jr. (Frank’s son), and “Cleo” by AJ Lambert (Frank’s granddaughter/Nancy’s daughter).


Original Versions of Popular ’80s Songs – Huey Lewis, Kim Carnes

Here are 2 popular songs from the 1980s and their original versions – “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes vs Jackie DeShannon and “Do You Believe in Love” by Huey Lewis and the News vs “We Both Believe In Love” by Supercharge.


5 Popular Songs By The Same Songwriters – The O’Jays, Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

Here are five popular songs that were written by the same songwriting team – Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff of Philadelphia International Records. Featuring “Love Train” by The O’Jays, “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” by Lou Rawls, “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, “T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)” by Mother, Father, Sister, Brother (MFSB) featuring The Three Degrees, and “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul.


Song Lyrics That Were Changed For Radio & TV – Tom Petty, Radiohead

Here are 2 songs whose lyrics were changed or edited because they were considered too hot for radio or television in the United States – “You Don’t Know How It Feels” by Tom Petty and “Creep” by Radiohead.


Foreign Language Versions of ’80s Songs – Peter Gabriel, The Police

Here are two artists who recorded foreign language versions of their hit songs – “Shock The Monkey” vs “Schock den Affen” (German) by Peter Gabriel and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” vs “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” (Spanish and Japanese) by The Police.


Live vs Studio – Which Version Do You Prefer? – Feat. Paul McCartney, Peter Frampton

Here are the studio versions of popular live songs. Featuring “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Wings with Paul McCartney and “Do You Feel Like We Do” by Peter Frampton.


Original Versions of Popular ’70 Songs – Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight and The Pips

Here are 2 popular songs from the 1970s and their original versions – “War” by Edwin Starr vs The Temptations and “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and The Pips vs “Midnight Plane to Houston” by Jim Weatherly.


Did Coldplay Plagiarize Another Musician’s Song?

In May 2008, “Viva La Vida” was released by Coldplay. Seven months later, Joe Satriani filed a lawsuit against Coldplay for using “substantial original portions” of his song “If I Could Fly” released in 2004. Coldplay said any similarities are entirely coincidental. In 2009, the case was dismissed upon stipulation, suggesting that an out-of-court settlement may have been reached.

Photo Credits:
Joe Satriani – Southend Cliffs Pavillion – 04-24-2018 #1 – by Steve Knight – Licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Joe Satriani – Southend Cliffs Pavillion – 04-24-2018 #2 – by Steve Knight – Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Video Credits:
Joe Satriani – Friends, Time, If I Could Fly – Sept 28th 2015, Oosterpoort Groningen – by nvdkamp


Song Lyrics That Were Changed For Radio & TV – James Blunt, Sean Kingston

Here are 2 songs whose lyrics were changed or edited because they were considered too hot for radio or television – “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt and “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston.


3 Actors Who Released Music In The 2010s – Seth MacFarlane, Jeremy Renner, Rita Wilson

Here are 3 actors who released music in the 2010s. Featuring “The Night They Invented Champagne” by Seth MacFarlane, “Main Attraction” by Jeremy Renner, and “Big City Small Town Girl” by Rita Wilson.


Most Covered Pop Song Ever – “Yesterday” by The Beatles, Paul McCartney

This is the most covered pop song in music history – “Yesterday” written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon-McCartney) and originally performed and released by The Beatles in 1965. “Yesterday” has been covered over 1000 times including Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Plácido Domingo, Bob Dylan & George Harrison, Elvis Presley, Lou Rawls, Michael Bolton, and Paul McCartney.


You May Also Like