Best blatant Motown ripoffs?

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What are they? God knows the '80s were full of them--Hall & Oates' "Maneater" and the Jam's "Town Called Malice" both blatantly stole the "You Can't Hurry Love" bassline/intro. Of them, I prefer the latter--I've been playing the fuck out of it for the past half-week. What are yours? No remakes, please.

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:08 (twenty-three years ago)

The Bee Gees' "Tragedy" is straight outta the late '60s Four Tops school of falsettoed melodrama.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Four Tops falsetto? I always think of Levi Stubbs's huge baritone, not falsetto

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Kiss, "Shout it Out Loud" (Stanley's b-vox esp.)

― dave q, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Four Tops falsetto? I always think of Levi Stubbs's huge baritone, not falsetto

Maybe I'm just thinking of the big drippy choruses.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:33 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, the choruses are the worst parts of "Reach Out" and "Bernadette"! though "Standing in the Shadows of Love" lives on its chorus. (that, to me, is the sum total of the Tops, plus or minus the harmonies on "Still Water")

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:35 (twenty-three years ago)

You've already mentioned several of the best ones, but "Walking On Sunshine" deserves a mention.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:38 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah it does--thanks Geir!

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 11:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Lone Justice- "Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling)" is a good one

― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 12:15 (twenty-three years ago)

2 more "You Can't Hurry Love" rips...
"Hitsville UK" - Clash
"Lust for Life" - Iggy Pop

― s woods, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 13:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought those were Sandy Nelson rips

― dave q, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 14:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmmm, never thought of that...You might be right. How about the beats are Sandy and the bass lines (at least in the Clash example) are James Jamerson?

― s woods, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 14:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Do You Believe In Magic - Lovin' Spoonful, for the stomping intro alone.

― bham, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 15:55 (twenty-three years ago)

The Impressions, "You've Been Cheatin'" - such a blatant ripoff that Mayfield was sued by H-D-H.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 16:13 (twenty-three years ago)

The Fine Young Cannibals - "Good Thing"

(question: why is the former a ripoff and the latter a homage?)

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 16:14 (twenty-three years ago)

"When We Are Together," Texas

― Burr, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 18:28 (twenty-three years ago)

"Automatic High" - S Club Juniors!

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 18:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Can't believe noone's yet mentioned these yet...

Spice Girls - "Stop"
Wham! - "Freedom"
Gabrielle - "Give Me A Little More Time"

― Richard Copping (avoid80), Thursday, 13 March 2003 00:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Groove Machine & North South East West by Marvin & Tamara.

And yay! to Automatic High.

This Charming Man filched the motown bassline too.

― harveyw (harveyw), Thursday, 13 March 2003 10:14 (twenty-three years ago)

None of these sound a fucking thing like Motown songs!

― Evan (Evan), Thursday, 13 March 2003 10:16 (twenty-three years ago)

No - you know what does? Lambchop's best song, "Your Fucking Sunny Day" - download it if you haven't heard it - that shit is SO Motown but also really, really good

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 13 March 2003 11:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Shara Nelson 'One Goodbye In Ten'

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Evan have you heard the Impressions song?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 13 March 2003 13:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Phil Collins, "Two Hearts"
Elvis Costello, "High Fidelity" (both musically and lyrically--first line quotes the Supremes)

Speaking of, dunno if you want lyrical references or allusions, but if so:
ABC, "When Smokey Sings"
Billy Bragg, "Levi Stubbs Tears"
Clash, "White Man in Hammersmith" ref. to Four Tops
And of course the whole "Summer's here and the time is right for [dancing/fighting/racing] in the street" thing (Vandellas/Stones/Springsteen)...say, didn't someone add "fucking" to this list in the '90s? Primal Scream or someone like that??

― s woods, Thursday, 13 March 2003 14:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Johansen's "Frenchette," musically and lyrically

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 13 March 2003 14:42 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

this time around can we include 80s actual motown like 'part time lover'?

― jeremy jordan (cruisy), Saturday, 13 August 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

does 'wake me up before you go go' count??

― jeremy jordan (cruisy), Saturday, 13 August 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

billy joel - uptown girl

― jeremy jordan (cruisy), Saturday, 13 August 2005 13:07 (twenty years ago)

Billy Ocean, "Love Really Hurts Without You"

and going even further back

The Flirtations, "Nothing But a Heartache"

The Dells, "There Is"

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 13 August 2005 14:55 (twenty years ago)

culture club, "church of the poison mind"

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Saturday, 13 August 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)

Elvis Costello, "High Fidelity" (both musically and lyrically--first line quotes the Supremes)

i always assumed he was quoting irma thomas, who did the original of "some things you never get used to," several years before the supremes did it. i think southern soul was closer to elvis' heart than motown.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Saturday, 13 August 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

Give me a little more time - Gabrielle

― Masked Gazza, Saturday, 13 August 2005 15:15 (twenty years ago)

saint etienne 'you're in a bad way'

― keith m (keithmcl), Saturday, 13 August 2005 22:26 (twenty years ago)

Kylie - "Some Kind Of Bliss"
Raissa - "Walk Right Through"

― Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Saturday, 13 August 2005 23:02 (twenty years ago)

Camera Obscura - "Let Me Go Home"

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Sunday, 14 August 2005 00:01 (twenty years ago)

"A Lover's Concerto" - the Toys

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Sunday, 14 August 2005 03:24 (twenty years ago)

sixteen years pass...

Billy Ocean, "Love Really Hurts Without You"and going even further backThe Flirtations, "Nothing But a Heartache"The Dells, "There Is"

Good post, although I don’t recognize the third song.

― The Way Dub Used to Be (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 4 June 2022 17:55 (four years ago)

Magazine, "About the Weather".

― Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 4 June 2022 19:24 (four years ago)

Lots of Four Seasons songs from the mid- to late-'60s like "Let's Hang On", once you get past the slow part and the punk/garage bass intro (how has this not been sampled yet)? sound like they could be Motown fare.

― Lee626, Sunday, 5 June 2022 03:23 (four years ago)

Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations

― Alba, Sunday, 5 June 2022 05:15 (four years ago)

rascals - it’s a beautiful morning

― brimstead, Sunday, 5 June 2022 14:45 (four years ago)

80s Motown ripoffs - Dutch edition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g0-DdXHcXc
Dolly Dots • Love Me Just a Little Bit More (Totally Hooked on You)

― butt-mooning is a polysemous word, hoss! (breastcrawl), Sunday, 5 June 2022 14:58 (four years ago)

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