5 Famous Guitar Riffs That Are Ripped Off

Summary by Krater

The video compares famous guitar riffs from rock and pop history to earlier blues and classical compositions, showing structural and rhythmic similarities between songs by Chuck Berry, Nirvana, Killing Joke, Deep Purple, The Beatles, and others.

From the video

Answers: Which famous rock guitar riffs were borrowed or inspired by older songs?

• Famous guitar riffs compared to earlier songs
• Guitar chord progressions and rhythmic similarities
• Influence of blues on rock music history
• Pentatonic scale usage in rock and blues

What it concludes

• Chuck Berry's intro riff to Johnny B. Goode is nearly identical to Louis Jordan's 1946 song Ain't That Just Like A Woman.
• Nirvana's Come As You Are riff shares striking similarities in tuning, chord progression, and rhythm with Killing Joke's 1985 song Eighties.
• Killing Joke's Eighties riff shares the same rhythm and chord progression as The Damned's 1982 song Life Goes On.
• Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water riff can be traced back rhythmically and melodically to Beethoven's Fifth played backwards or Carlos Lyra's 1964 Bossa Nova song Maria Moita.
• The Beatles' Revolution riff shares rhythm, triplets, and sliding double-stop action with Pee Wee Crayton's 1954 song Do Unto Others.
• The Beatles' I Feel Fine riff shares the same blues chord progression and pentatonic phrasing as Bobby Parker's 1961 song Watch Your Step.