Lady Antebellum "Need you now" Vs. Alan Parsons "Eye in the Sky"

[donpfeff]

I don't hear it. Sorry.

[zappajohn]

There are five key notes (B, E, F#, G#, and D#) that characterize both choruses, but the notes are not in identical sequences or rythmns. The melodies diverge from there. If Alan Parsons thought that there was a strong case and he was upset enough, he probably would have acted by now. If he has, it would be interesting to see the results. The comparisons between the two bands and the comment that this is a ploy to sell records are nonsense produced by idle minds.

[mcglubski]

lady ....ant.. wtaever!!!! theyre gay!!!

[Vebinz]

I'm willing to grant them subconscious copying, which might happen if someone heard and liked a song many years earlier then forgot about it.

[vlucidity]

not even close ,, you all are hearing what you want,, and since music is made up mostly of the same few cords , if you know anything about music you would know that would make some parts sound the same ,, this is a bunch of people with nothing better to do then to spread trouble ,, get a life who cares both songs are great to listen to ,, and who owns a cord now a days anyhow LOL

[Platyduck12]

Lady Antebellum is the best, better than some has been band no one's really ever heard of.

[KeMoniito]

@Platyduck12 ....what the fuck ...??? who the fuck is "Lady Antebellum"...im just learning that they are some country music copy cats that stole some hook ups froma a great group that even to this day is rememebered by millions world wide and years and years before and after this hill billies group that you like appeared in the music scene. this group will be forgoten in a couple of years and Alan Parsons will always be remembered for many years to come. Alan Parsons is no 'has been'

[JustinJsen]

@Platyduck12 You have never heard of the Alan Parson's Project??? It is a classic band...

[U3X6785]

The recording industry is hurting and this is just another ploy to sell more records. Take a successful older song and revamp it a little and bingo more money. I mean look what the industry tried to pull with Milli Vanilli. If they would do that I wouldn't put anything past them to make a buck or two.

[azzorroww]

the lyrics are different but the medley and how she sings it is obviously influenced by parsons woolfsons song it's unmistakable i would be okay if an acknowledgement crediting parsons and the late woolfson appeared on antebellelums disc jacket containing "need you now" as for alan parsons fans being jerks well how would you feel if your song was used without acknoledged credit still this kind of thing has already gone on from early rap to hooked on classics its not right but happens.

[takatakatang]

this is not a sample. these two songs might have similar chord progressions, which, EVERY song is guilty of doing... and similar rhythms...

compare "taj mahal" (1972) by jorge ben jor and "do you think im sexy" (1978) by rod stewart. THAT is stealing.

the hook to the APP song "i am the eye in the sky" also sounds just like the lyrics "another version of me"--the verses to alanis morisette's song "you oughta know". doesn't mean she stole either. oh! maybe LA stole from AM? give it a rest.

[brianintn]

Thats the problem with artists today. they dare call themselves artists when all they are is rip off artists. sampling is ripping off! write your own tunes! thats all rap is today too. sample sample sample.

[3984ja]

Don't fuck with Allen Parsons.

[toucansam3]

People who say this is a ripoff are probably the same people who think Vanilla Ice ripped off Queen & David Bowie, give me a break!

[healthypanda]

@toucansam3 Um...except that he did.

[toucansam3]

@healthypanda Way to pick up on the sarcasm there Slick.

[healthypanda]

@toucansam3 Yes, because it's so easy to gauge sarcasm on a site notorious for trolls and stupidity.

[toucansam3]

@healthypanda Good point, but that is probably one of the most famous cases of music plagerism ever.

[healthypanda]

@toucansam3 Yes, but doesn't mean that some of the other idiots on this site know that. I've kind of lost my faith in humanity after reading Youtube comments.

[toucansam3]

@healthypanda I agree, I've tried not to be negative because of that. Especially the videos of people's with disabilities, it really isn't funny, these actually people read the comments.

[TRIARII117]

they're similar. but it doesnt mean someone should sue over it. it would be like roger waters suing andrew fucking llyod webber over parts of phantom of the opera sounding like echoes

[marcushendry]

It's really just the chord progression that is the same, and for that much only in the hook is it the same. The melodies are distinct. Parts of the melodies will overlap with any similar chord progression. As we all know, you can't copyright a chord progression. For a great example of how hundreds of hit pop songs have done the same, check out a funny video - search "four chord song axis of awesome". Critics shouting plagiarism may change their tune... no pun intended.

[driven6996]

God these two songs sound awesome together!! lol

[nomiclas]

i think this innocent.they just made a song.that said this plagurism

[Krintok]

It exists! F^CK YES!

I love Lady Antebellum and Alan Parson Proj.

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

For all those of you on Alan Parsons' side, their 1976 debut album, "Tales of Mystery and Imagination," was conceived with the thought that it be based upon the work of 19th century horror novelist Edgar Allan Poe, and featured narration by legendary actor Orson Welles.

I wonder if there will ever be a prog-rock concept album by the APP documenting the history of Lady Antebellum, since everyone's talking about how their "Need You Now" sounds like his "Eye in the Sky."

[Viskowskii]

@ClassicTVMan1981X There's a bit of a difference. Marketing something as being based on someone else's work isn't quite the same as copying someone else's work, not crediting them, and calling it your own. That would be what some people call "plagiarism."

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

@Viskowskii

So, really, did LA plagiarize the APP here?

[lowballexpress]

It might not mean it's the same song but it's too frigging close for coincidence.

[PupuTheClown]

I heard this cheesy country tune before and found myself humming the old Alan Parsons song, hard to say if they were influenced by it though because they probably never heard it before, but remember when George Harrison was being sued by The Chiffons for "He's So Fine" ?

[jole33333]

just similar about the beat nothing more.

[MikroBadass]

@jole33333 no way.... you can hear in the successions that the compositions are too similar not just by the timing...if you really listened hard...and the timing don't even get me started on how the timing is MERELY just a coincidence...

[jole33333]

@MikroBadass then go ahead sue them doh... 

[MikroBadass]

@jole33333 since you like the song by Bruno Mars, the song is in the same key signature as The Calling's Wherever you Will Go as well as many other great hits by other artists....this is an often coincidence where we can't come up with our own stuff so we tend to take from others.. nothing is original nowadays

[jole33333]

@MikroBadass how many notes are they in music ? i know since i learn music too, music been exist since human come up with sound so i think you cant say someone ripped off someone else if its not at least 99% identical. its hard what do you think in 100 years to come ? they would ripped off everything does exist, they are plenty of some using same key but the point is not that. just because it sound the some doesnt mean its same song.

[danielngayla]

From wha I understand, after 20 years, the song is fair game.

So no lawsuit..

[Lacquedem]

@danielngayla go ahead and send the RIAA a list of all the songs you share that are more than 20 years old, I imagine your legal knowledge will expand quickly.

[danielngayla]

@Lacquedem ...what does sharing songs have to do with this?

Are you retarded?

[frankonbass1]

this is stupid.

[richardoini]

These are occurances that happen throughout musical history, so what. This has probably help APP get some long due attention. Songs will always have some cross over with other songs. Blues guitarist use exact riffs that SRV used, so what? Freak occurance, oh well. My buddies are all huge classic rock fans, and they thought this is cool.

Personally I'd love to see them do a live mashup, at a live aid concert or something.

[yarramvic]

So the songs are similar, and maybe Lady A DID borrow the back tune. Instead of hating/complaining however, we should embrace this as a GOLDEN opportunity for both bands to tour together! I'd pay to see that. . .

[qx924]

Well you are right talent & artistry is not what i will find on the pop charts especially todays pop charts. Alan Parsons was never considered a pop band in my opinion however. what might have been considered Pop back a few decades is a helluva lot better than what is regurgitated and spewed out for the younger audience.

[JohnCandyRules]

What a rip off!!!

[jonathanpqsi]

there are similarities all around but the hook is a dead give away

[randumbtxter]

I guess the concept is the same...but there are many differences. I dont know what to think , I guess the fact tht they didnt steal lyrics makes it not a tad better, idk

[Rumpl4skn]

You guys can argue chords and arrangement and whatever you like, but in court (if it gets there) it's going to come down to "how many identical notes in a row in the melody" that the 2 songs share. By my count, it's 7 or 8, and I believe that is more than the Bee Gees were accused of lifting in their copyright infringement case, and they lost. This could be an issue for Lady A.

[Rumpl4skn]

And it may come down to how broke Alan Parsons is right now, if he wants to pursue it. lol

[Broughmo]

Dr. Evil: Any ways, the key to this plan is the giant laser. It was invented by the noted Cambridge physicist Dr. Parsons. Therefore, we shall call it the Alan Parsons Project.

Scott: Oh, my God.

Dr. Evil: What now?

Scott: The Alan Parsons Project is a progressive rock band in 1982. Why don't you just name it 'Operation Wang-Chung'? Ass.

Dr. Evil: I'm sorry, i don't...

[TaraChowsPenis]

Ok I'm old school and like Parson's but come on..... lady adelbellum is better and you can make the same mash up for thousands of previous songs compared to modern ones using the same beat.

listening to even more, I think they are totally different. Did Parson's patent the1:4? so Parsons should get credit for 3/4 of the last thirty years music?

Rediculous

[fontzepontze]

@TaraChowsPenis Lady Antebellum is better than Allan Parsons? One of the most accomplished producers of all time? Who worked with the Beatles and Pink Floyd on their biggest records (The White Album and Dark Side)? I'd rather hear Pie in the Sky, but that's my personal opinion. If the members of Lady Antebellum looked like Allan Parsons they'd be working at Wal Mart right now.

Keep smoking, old school troll.

[TaraChowsPenis]

@fontzepontze

OH Please! With your thinking Rick Rubin and Phil Spector would be legendary solo artists. The Fact is, the Alan Parsons Project is straight crap. Eye in the sky sounds like watered down Pink Floyd for pussies and faggots ( no wonder you like it, lol). Comparing both songs - That sound nothing alike, one is actually good and the other one sucks. Antebellums song is 10 times better that that watered down re-gurgitated crap Parsons came up with. You can do the same Mix with any song

[CaptainSeamus]

@TaraChowsPenis

Do you even know the history of the Alan Parsons Project (or Alan Parsons himself) ?

Why don't you look on the back of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and see who's name you'll see as Engineer?

Your ignorance is showing.

[TaraChowsPenis]

@CaptainSeamus

Ignorance? Let's talk about literacy? I already addressed what you said but its clear your cant read, are retarded.

News flash, APP created 2:4 and every other song using it.

[TaraChowsPenis]

@CaptainSeamus

Ignorance? Let's talk about literacy? I already addressed what you said but its clear your cant read, or are retarded.

News flash, APP created 2:4 and every other song using it!!!

[fontzepontze]

@TaraChowsPenis

Yes. I would rather listen to Rick Rubin sing or Spector play guitar than this wishy washy pseudo country-fried crap. I'm sure you just ooze machismo walking around with your Lady Antebellum t-shirt on. This is another disposable corporate soft rock artist that's here today and will be gone later today. I'm not a big APP fan but at least they did some interesting and experimental stuff.

[TaraChowsPenis]

@fontzepontze

Homo,

I just heard this song for the first time two weeks ago. It's a hit and very well done. APP DID NOTHING INTERESTING and experimental!!! They took Pink Floyd's music.........stripped of any intellectual thought , then castrated its balls off . Its pussy, regurgitated early 80"s garbage. The fact that people actual defend this crap is beyond me. You can take any 2:4 song and make this mash up. Why APP was chosen by this troll is a stroke of genius.

[Vebinz]

@TaraChowsPenis

You're trolling, which isn't good.

[DMW53184]

needless to say antebellum are hacks who suck just like jay z ruining forever young, and eminem sucks too music you call a guy screaming into the microphone talking about killing his ex because he was a LOSER music? puh lease. Tired of lyrics talking about big butts big tata's or i love him so much. I can tell talent and no talent and Alan parsons project rule over the current generations music im 26 years old born in 1984. crap is a passing fad talent lives on forever!!!!

[MikroBadass]

@DMW53184 Antebellum need to find another way to write music composition and not borrow so much it's obvious...but I can agree with you about how REAL music is forever

[geoffreaux]

@compellor1st side note: throwing slide guitar over a rock song does not make it country, and it does not make it another song.

[geoffreaux]

@compellor1st prominent keyboard? really? i barely even notice the keys. theyre doing some cute background stuff, but the guitar drives the song, and there is definitely prominent slide guitar in the APP intro. new key does not mean new song. you can transpose a song to any key and its still the same song, it just might fit someones vocal range better. the fact that we're even having this conversation proves how ridiculously similar the chorus melodies are

[qx924]

@compellor1st You might be a musician. But you need to work on your hearing. It is not neccessary to be a musician to realize this is plagirism. We dont need to indulge in an intellectual musical excerise or be a genius to figure it out... just 2 tuned eardrums will do nicely. What we really need is Raw Talent and Artistry not the Namby-Pamby bubble-gum crap the music industry keeps churning out.

[KattarKang]

I hope they f

[KattarKang]

... With the Alan Parsons Project Eye, a way better song. They should lose their Grammys for plagiarism.

[KattarKang]

Eminem and Jay Z made far more original songs and should have receive the Grammys instead of LA. Need You Now totally lacks originality and I noticed the similarity as well t

[KattarKang]

I think the Grammys for song and record of the year should have gone to Eminem and Jay Z because they made far more powerful ot

[didietec]

fuck yeah Lady Parsons

[didietec]

fuck yeah Lady Parsons!!!

[berkelandmccarrell]

Sorry, as a songwriter I don't think these are all that similar. I mean, you could compare both of them with John Mayer's tune "Half of My Heart" and find similarities too. The basic problem is that both of these songs are extremely simply in groove and melody, so of course people are going to draw comparisons. They're both similar tempos with very basic 4/4 grooves. There are 12 notes total, eventually you're going to have similarities. Both of them sound like garbage from their eras.

[bwwcpa]

Creative Plagerism

[geoffreaux]

@compellor1st different instruments? really? drums bass guitar keyboards. The key is one step off, but the progression is exactly the same.

[trooperjoe73]

Further proof that today's music sucks dick!

[tdstewart21]

FUUUCKED UUUUUPPPP!!!!!

[iamthebyron]

EXCELLENT! I was saying this was a rip-off of Parsons since I first heard it; glad someone else caught it too.

[SusanSFL]

I will make it my mission to bash these country bumpkins Lady Antebellum every chance I get, because I have no use for thieves and they are thieves. They stole the tune totally. I agree with @brianintn. What is unbelievable is that the Grammy members voted for thieves, after all their years of whining about having their music ripped off. Pretty pathetic. Theft of intellectual property is still theft. They should have thanked Alan Parsons Project instead of 'kuntry radio'.

[StEVe6XeR06K0oL6]

Well what do ya know? Sure enough there are others aware(C'mon it's OBVIOUS!) of the similarities between the 2 songs... For me I just happened to hear 'Need You Now' and I LITERALLY THOUGHT SOMEONE WAS COVERING 'EYE IN THE SKY' ON THE GRAMMYS AS I HEARD MY FAMILY WATCHING IT. I LOOKED AND TO MY SURPRISE IT WASN'T EVEN A COVER! It's a "new" original song by WHO?! Lady Antebellum?! Who the fuck is that?! Alan Parsons is a god! AND SHE WON LIKE 10 GRAMMYS FOR THAT SONG! COMPLETE BULLSHIT. APP4LIFE

[woolybooger1000]

@compellor1st Really? Because the hook of both songs is the exact same. So as a musician, you're ok with this? How many songs have YOU ripped off?

[mitts61]

@woolybooger1000 Get real.. It's not "the exact same". Do you know the first thing about music? Goof.

[zigertube]

@woolybooger1000 If you think that hook is a Parsons original then you really are a music retard.

[kiddynamo41]

I think the biggest thing this proves is that the reason country has become so popular in the last couple of years is because, as i theorized, they've abandoned the real structure of country music and basically but an accent on standard pop music.

[brianintn]

sampling is hurting the music industry. started with rap/hip-hop, but now its spreading to all genres of music. it's killing uniqueness and originality in music artists now.

[StEVe6XeR06K0oL6]

@brianintn Fuckin' eh! When I heard them playing this just now on the Grammys I knew right away what was going on; they ripped off Alan Parsons Project's 'Eye in the sky' which is CLEARLY A BETTER SONG, SO WHY BOTHER LISTENING TO THIS "Lady Antebellum" crap?! More like Lady Ripoff! I am thoroughly disgusted in this latest act of 'sampling' in the mainstream. 'Eye In The Sky' is a timeless masterpiece that should be COVERED, not STOLEN, RIPPED OFF, AND USED TO WIN YOUR SHITTY GROUP A GRAMMY!!!!!!

[AgentGriswald]

I think you have to copy somewhere around 30 lyrics, or 30 notes in a row before it's infringement, so although they do sound similar, I doubt there's a lawsuit.

[tammycdinsac]

Who cares...just enjoy both songs for what they offer. Can you say "Vanilla Ice / David Bowie?"

[reverendflash]

So glad someone finally mashed these up. I've been crying foul ever since the LA song became a hit.

[romeokid69]

For anyone doubting, Need You Know is just Eye In The Sky in a different key. It's a blatant ripoff

[placidian]

Holy Stereotomy, Batman! Lady NowIOweYouOne. =/

[thebestneverrest1985]

That's hillarious. When I first heard need you now I felt like I heard it a thousand times before. I guess that's because I have.

[crosscatch]

@thebestneverrest1985 I hope this removes all doubt.  youtube.com/watch?v=sS1z2inwJ2­o

[Efreeti]

Exactly. I have only heard the Lady Antebellum song a couple of times on the radio, and I never knew what it was called until just now, but it felt like I had heard it tons of times.

[kdreilly8]

Nice work. Now go listen to John Legend rip-off the Classics VI and 'Spooky'...

[2degucitas]

@kdreilly8 I'm intrigued, What John Legend song are you referring to?

[kev10ok]

Guilty as charged!! Alan Parsons has been robbed end of story!!!!

[airhambone]

ithink it's close enough to be a infringement , it's closer than the harrison case, he's so fine and my sweet lord, i don't believe it was an intentional copy, just as george did'nt intentionaly copy he's so fine , but the court s said george had to pay, this song is a much closer copy than that case was , guess it's up to alan and his publishing company

[lyledpugh]

its not a ripp off. I play an instrument and i know, you can say this about 30 songs off the top of my head that are in the same key or chords, Elvis, poisen, guns and roses, kenny chesney all have songs played from the same chords and you can do this same shit to them, hip hop and rap sample or sometimes disguise ripping people off like that new rapper girl nicki minaj who ripped off a Joe Satchini lick for her new song! Lady A did not rip off Alan parsons period!

[xAbeezyx]

@lyledpugh I agree! 100%

[austin2460]

i hope there will be a lawsuit that need you there song sucks.

[TheFungirl27]

wow

[iamnaughty123]

I think solarisleo1 might be on to what happend here. Probably accidental on the part of Lady Antebellum,,,,,,,,,,

[heelsfantim]

WOW!!! I had heard they were similiar but it is more that I thought!!! Actually sounds good mixed though!!!!

[bearron]

Temo of APP is off in this clip. But there are some parts that sound close to each other.

[solarisleo1]

The reason why there are so many pop songs today that rip off melodies from older songs is because of recycled chord progressions. Chord progressions - harmony - imply specific melodic patterns. You dont need to listen to 'eye in the sky' to come up with the same melody. Its in the harmony.

Pop singers who are untrained in the history of harmony (by learning and covering tons of songs from the past) are doomed to find the same melodic patterns over and over again.

[Taliagurl05]

You are good at mixing the songs together like that.

[rsxjoe]

I love both of these songs- or should I say I love this song performed by two groups in different decades.

[greatestunknown]

Excellent !

[cturnham]

Great Mix! Pretty well tells the story!