Video Transcript
Edmund: If I hummed two songs, could you tell them apart? This was the crux of a dispute between musical artist Vanilla Ice and the artists Queen and David Bowie. Vanilla Ice was accused of copying the iconic bassline from the song “Under Pressure” without permission or giving credit to Queen and David Bowie. In a famous quote, Vanilla Ice argued, “Theirs goes ding-ding-ding-di-di-ding-ding, ours goes ding-ding-ding- di-di-ding-ding- ding.”
They sound very, very similar.
Vanilla Ice’s claim was widely ridiculed. The two bass lines were considered by many as essentially identical. But even though you might think this feels tacky or wrong, do you really know how much the music you love is “copying” other music from the past? If there’s really nothing new under the sun, is all music just remixes of what came before it?
The “Under Pressure” controversy became one of the most famous examples of sampling music without permission. But that doesn’t stop musicians from continuing to “borrow” music from the past.
But what’s the difference between copying (or stealing) and a “respectful reference”?
Many artists are known to use samples of iconic music from the past in their music today in a way that connects cultural or historic themes. For example, on her debut album “Dangerously in Love” in her song “Crazy in Love,” Beyoncé used a sample from the iconic horn section in The Chi-Lites 1970’s song “Are You My Woman (Tell Me So).” This sample creates an unforgettable hook. Beyoncé and her producer Rich Harrison layered it with a contemporary beat and Beyoncé’s vocals, making it a powerful blend of retro soul and modern pop.
Beyoncé took samples from previous music and added her own voice and style. The Beatles were heavily influenced by the American rock and roll that came before them. Elvis was influenced by African-American Blues and Gospel music.
So one might wonder: is original music even possible?
There have been attempts at making music that is completely original and cut off from any traditional influences. These attempts often result in some pretty wild music. John Cage’s “4’33” is one of the most radical pieces of music arguably ever composed. The performer sits at an instrument but, instead of playing music, he remains silent for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. The idea is that the “music” comes from the ambient sounds of the environment during that time… But is this “original” or not even music at all?
When you think about it, it would be nearly impossible to create a completely original work of music. Even to break the “rules” of music, or a genre, or a tradition, you have to know them first!
It seems like all music—and probably even all ideas—are influenced in some way by previous works. And this makes sense. Because even the words, instruments, time signatures, musical theory; all of this is “borrowed” from the past.
We can try to ignore or distance ourselves completely from our past, traditions, and inspirations. But this seems like an impossible project. Or, we could straight up steal a base line from a song we like and pretend we’re unaware but very, very creative. A middle road seems to be the path to true originality and creativity. This middle path requires us to be aware of the great conversation of music, literature, and ideas that have come before us. So we can appreciate what we replicate as well as what we personalize. In fact, the more we understand and immerse ourselves in these sources of inspiration, the more creative and original and truly ourselves we seem capable of becoming.
So what about you? What about your own music, sense of style, or even prayer? What inspires you? And are you consciously aware of these inspirations? Where do you go to find inspiration? Where do you go to find your voice?
