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Adele-A Million Years Ago- sounds familiar?
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ashtray88
21-11-2015
I heard Adele singing this song on the BBC yesterday. It's a great song but it just sounds really familiar. I'm not sure if it's a sample of something. It does kind of sound like "My All" by Mariah Carey but I think there is another song which it sounds even more similar too.

Of course, not necessarily saying Adele ripped off another song, I was just curious if anyone else felt similar after hearing it?
Hitstastic
21-11-2015
Parts of the melody are similar to Phantom Of The Opera.
konebyvax
21-11-2015
First time I heard it I thought it resembled another song from the past but unfortunately I haven't found it yet.
Billy_Value
21-11-2015
Well there is only 8 notes in an octave and once you get out of that you go an octave up that's when you'll find that sometimes a chord sequence is enough to make you think you've heard it before, how there has been so few writs about plagiarism when so many songs have been written is staggering, yet somehow they still do it.
ashtray88
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by Hitstastic:
“Parts of the melody are similar to Phantom Of The Opera.”

Yes! That is the song. I have been listening to it recently. Thanks.
ashtray88
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by Billy_Value:
“Well there is only 8 notes in an octave and once you get out of that you go an octave up that's when you'll find that sometimes a chord sequence is enough to make you think you've heard it before, how there has been so few writs about plagiarism when so many songs have been written is staggering, yet somehow they still do it.”

I suppose it's kind of like with DNA, how only four different base pairs can make so many different sequences..although there is a lot more DNA in a person than notes in a song.
Puterkid
21-11-2015
It sounds almost identical to this, not sure how she can get away with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIhI23gBBPQ
nancyboy
21-11-2015
Parts of it are virtually identical to Yesterday When I Was Young by Charles Aznavour. Plus the fact that the lyric includes the phrase "when I was young" won't help much if this gets to court.
my name is joe
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by Puterkid:
“It sounds almost identical to this, not sure how she can get away with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIhI23gBBPQ”

hardly. An echo of that but no more.

I think it's the Spanish guitar that gives it that old time familiar feel, bit of windmills of your mind, bit of girl from ipanema, bit of a lot of things
my name is joe
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by nancyboy:
“Parts of it are virtually identical to Yesterday When I Was Young by Charles Aznavour. Plus the fact that the lyric includes the phrase "when I was young" won't help much if this gets to court.”

close thematically, not so much the melody
ashtray88
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by my name is joe:
“hardly. An echo of that but no more.

I think it's the Spanish guitar that gives it that old time familiar feel, bit of windmills of your mind, bit of girl from ipanema, bit of a lot of things”

I agree, that is probably it. The Spanish guitar is very distinctive.
shadesofblack
21-11-2015
This killed me trying to figure it out. I think I cracked it. Or at least one song that sounds very familiar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKV9bK-CBXo
konebyvax
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by shadesofblack:
“This killed me trying to figure it out. I think I cracked it. Or at least one song that sounds very familiar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKV9bK-CBXo”


THAT'S IT!! But it was the Noel Harrison (son of Rex) version I was familiar with growing up (I'm old )

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhS9Y9HYjU
Puterkid
21-11-2015
I think it's a French guitar.
topcat2
21-11-2015
It's got an echo of autumn leaves too.

It's my favourite new song of hers
GeorginaPL
21-11-2015
I knew/know it reminds me something very much and that for me it's East European. Probably more than one thing too. But the one I found closest so far is probably unknow to all of you. Listen to the chorus. Here it's a bit more up tempo, but still.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAhPa7GtS-M
mgvsmith
21-11-2015
A million years sounds a bit like a lot of songs, most of which are listed above. I thought it sounded a bit like Ne Me Quitte Pas by Jacques Brel as performed by Alison Moyet.
The Dusty Springfield version of 'Yesterday When We Were Young' is similar. And I can hear elements of 'Phantom' and 'My All'.

The important thing is that 'A Million Years ago' is similar to these older songs and Adele sounds a bit like Dusty and Alison. It would be great if people were to rediscover some of these older songs because of Adele. It would also be good if some fans would get perspective and realise there is very little original about Adele either.
shadesofblack
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by mgvsmith:
“A million years sounds a bit like a lot of songs, most of which are listed above. I thought it sounded a bit like Ne Me Quitte Pas by Jacques Brel as performed by Alison Moyet.
The Dusty Springfield version of 'Yesterday When We Were Young' is similar. And I can hear elements of 'Phantom' and 'My All'.

The important thing is that 'A Million Years ago' is similar to these older songs and Adele sounds a bit like Dusty and Alison. It would be great if people were to rediscover some of these older songs because of Adele. It would also be good if some fans would get perspective and realise there is very little original about Adele either.”

Im a huge Alison Moyet fan. Saw her when I was a kid and then just last year again. Midnight from the Yaz days is still a classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOZ3XUj1jg0

I will disagree with the very little original about Adele. There are only so many keys you know. Actually, in todays pop music scene, I'd say that Adele was one of the most original things out there at the moment.
mgvsmith
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by shadesofblack:
“Im a huge Alison Moyet fan. Saw her when I was a kid and then just last year again. Midnight from the Yaz days is still a classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOZ3XUj1jg0

I will disagree with the very little original about Adele. There are only so many keys you know. Actually, in todays pop music scene, I'd say that Adele was one of the most original things out there at the moment.”

Adele sounds original compared to her popular contemporaries but she doesn't sound as original compared to her predecessors. Dusty Springfield did a lot of this performance style in the 60s.

If you are thinking musically original then try Julia Holter or Julianna Barwick or Joanna Newsome perhaps?
shadesofblack
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by mgvsmith:
“Adele sounds original compared to her popular contemporaries but she doesn't sound as original compared to her predecessors. Dusty Springfield did a lot of this performance style in the 60s.

If you are thinking musically original then try Julia Holter or Julianna Barwick or Joanna Newsome perhaps?”

Just because it's original doesn't mean its always good.
You should check out Elizaveta. Think you may like her. Really good live. Plays a hell of a piano.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFvzv1h3UHk

As for Adele, I'm actually thinking original from a scale of being able to reach millions of people. You won't be seeing Katy or Taylor or hell, even Kelly singing Million Years Ago. Only Adele can make that a single on top 40 radio.
peter_s
21-11-2015
When i heard the song, i thought of this:

Theme from the television series M*A*S*H

Adele


But then i am tone deaf
shadesofblack
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by peter_s:
“When i heard the song, i thought of this:

Theme from the television series M*A*S*H

But then i am tone deaf ”

Lol! I can see it. I think its that 60s and early 70s vibe.
peter_s
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by shadesofblack:
“Lol! I can see it. I think its that 60s and early 70s vibe.”


That i'm tone deaf?
mgvsmith
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by shadesofblack:
“Just because it's original doesn't mean its always good.
You should check out Elizaveta. Think you may like her. Really good live. Plays a hell of a piano.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFvzv1h3UHk

As for Adele, I'm actually thinking original from a scale of being able to reach millions of people. You won't be seeing Katy or Taylor or hell, even Kelly singing Million Years Ago. Only Adele can make that a single on top 40 radio.”

Adele's image and musical style is a definite contrast from those you mention.
Although I have heard Demi Lovato do 'Hello' and it wasn't bad at all. Adele may well be an influence on others and I like her latest songs. I listen to a lot of Van Morrison and he is always doing the nostalgia thing.

The Elizaveta song is great. I rather like Janelle Monae though by way of contrast.
njp
21-11-2015
Originally Posted by peter_s:
“When i heard the song, i thought of this:

Theme from the television series M*A*S*H

But then i am tone deaf ”

Actually, that's the theme from the film, which preceded the TV series. The TV series used an instrumental version. Or versions.

The angst-laden lyrics were penned by 14 year-old Mike Altman, and earned him vastly more than his father got for directing the film.
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