This ’70s Hit Was Ripped Off? 🎸 Santana – Black Magic Woman
A beer company was accused of imitating this rock legend, but would you notice the difference? In 1990, Carlos Santana filed a lawsuit against Miller Brewing Company seeking damages for failing to get permission to imitate his signature style in a TV commercial featuring a rendition of “Black Magic Woman.” Miller claimed they secured the appropriate rights to use the song. Santana said the ad suggested that he was endorsing the beer. Miller settled with him out of court for an undisclosed amount.
🎵 Santana – Black Magic Woman
This ’60s Classic Wasn’t The First One 🎸 The First Edition (with Kenny Rogers) – Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
The First Edition’s “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” was Kenny Rogers first Top 10 hit in the U.S. from November 1967 and is well-known for being featured on the soundtrack for The Big Lebowski. The song was first recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in May 1967. The song was first released by Teddy Hill and The Southern Soul in October 1967.
🎵 The First Edition – Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (1967)
🎵 Jerry Lee Lewis – Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (1967)
🎵 Teddy Hill and The Southern Soul – I Just Dropped In (1967)
This ’80s Rock Song Was Practically Made For This 🎸 ZZ Top – Legs
ZZ Top’s “Legs” from 1983 was the band’s first Top 10 hit in the U.S. A few years later they signed a multi-million dollar deal to have their song reworked for a Sheer Energy Pantyhose ad campaign. In this video, we compare the original song with the jingle used in the advertising.
🎵 ZZ Top – Legs (1983)
📺 L’eggs Sheer Energy Pantyhose TV Commercial (1987)
This ’70s Hit Didn’t Start In The ’70s 🎶 The Isley Brothers – That Lady
The Isley Brothers’ “That Lady” from 1973 was the soul group’s second Top 10 hit in the U.S., but did you know it wasn’t their first version of the song? It was originally titled “Who’s That Lady?” and recorded when the group was just a trio nine years earlier.
🎵 The Isley Brothers – That Lady (1973)
🎵 The Isley Brothers – Who’s That Lady? (1964)
This ’80s Hit Was His Song But Not The Original 🔊 Robbie Nevil – C’est la Vie
Robbie Nevil’s “C’est la Vie” from his self-titled debut album in 1986 and peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The original, co-written by Nevil, was released two years earlier by Beau Williams on his album Bodacious!
🎵 Robbie Nevil – C’est la Vie (1986)
🎵 Beau Williams – C’est la Vie (1984)
’70s Songs By Artists With Only One Top 40 Hit On The U.S. Billboard Hot 100 – Vol. 2
Are these artists technically ’70s One-Hit Wonders? Here’s a list of songs released in the 1970s by artists who have only one Top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (not the airplay-only charts).
🎵 Mountain – Mississippi Queen (1970)
🎵 Brewer & Shipley – One Toke Over The Line (1970)
🎵 Lipps Inc. – Funkytown (1979)
🎵 Blues Image – Ride Captain Ride (1970)
🎵 Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting (1974)
🎵 Ides of March – Vehicle (1970)
🎵 Randy Newman – Short People (1977)
🎵 Gary Numan – Cars (1979)
🎵 Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime (1970)
🎵 Focus – Hocus Pocus (1971)
🎵 Rocky Burnette – Tired of Toein’ The Line (1979/UK)
This ’80s Hit Started Before The ’60s Classic 🎙️ Fine Young Cannibals & Elvis Presley – Suspicious Minds
Fine Young Cannibals’ cover of “Suspicious Minds” from 1985 made the Top 40 in 8 countries. Elvis Presley’s version from 1969 was his last song to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The original, written and performed by Mark James, was released in 1968 but failed to make the charts.
🎵 Fine Young Cannibals – Suspicious Minds (1985)
🎵 Elvis Presley – Suspicious Minds (1969)
🎵 Mark James – Suspicious Minds (1968)
5 Hits All By The Same Songwriting Trio 🎶 Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves
Here are five famous songs that were written by the same songwriting team – Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, a.k.a. Holland-Dozier-Holland, who were behind many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s.
🎵 The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love (1966)
🎵 Four Tops – Reach Out I’ll Be There (1966)
🎵 Martha and the Vandellas – Heat Wave (1963)
🎵 Marvin Gaye – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (1964)
🎵 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Mickey’s Monkey (1963)
This ’70s Cover Made The Song Popular 🎸 Eric Clapton – Cocaine
Eric Clapton covered the song “Cocaine” on his fifth studio album, Slowhand, in 1977 – and made it to number 30 in the U.S. with a live version from his album, Just One Night, released as a B-side in 1980. The original, written and performed by J.J. Cale, was released in 1976 but never made the U.S. charts.
🎵 Eric Clapton – Cocaine (1977)
🎵 Eric Clapton – Cocaine (Live) (1980)
🎵 J.J. Cale – Cocaine (1976)
This ’60s Hit Becomes ’90s Nostalgia 🎶 The Lovin’ Spoonful – Do You Believe in Magic?
The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic?” was the band’s debut single in 1965 peaking at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It’s also been rewritten and re-recorded for use in advertising. In this video, we compare the original song with one example of how it was turned into a jingle in the 1990s.
🎵 The Lovin’ Spoonful – Do You Believe in Magic? (1965)
📺 McDonald’s TV Commercial – When You Believe In Magic (1992)
Did This ’80s Hit Rip Off A ’70s Classic? 💰 John Fogerty vs Creedence Clearwater Revival
John Fogerty’s “The Old Man Down the Road” from 1984 was a Top 40 hit in 8 countries. Fantasy Records, who held the publishing rights for Fogerty’s former band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, sued him for copyright infringement of 1970’s “Run Through The Jungle” written by Fogerty. In 1988, after having spent over one million dollars in legal fees, a jury found that Fogerty didn’t copy his own song. Fogerty countersued Fantasy Records for his legal costs and was awarded $1.3 million.
🎵 John Fogerty – The Old Man Down The Road
🎵 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Run Through The Jungle
These 2000s Covers Beat The ’80s Original? 🎸 Johnny Cash, Marilyn Manson – Personal Jesus
Johnny Cash recorded “Personal Jesus” for his final non-posthumous studio album from 2002 and made it to #39 in the UK. Marilyn Manson covered the song in 2004 and made the charts in 18 countries. The original, written by Depeche Mode founding member Martin Gore, was released by the band in 1989 and charted in 14 countries. Who did it best?
🎵 Johnny Cash – Personal Jesus
🎵 Marilyn Manson – Personal Jesus
🎵 Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus