Green Day's 21 guns sounds like this earlier song.

[FuelledByHamish]

Lawwwwwwl, >implying an incredibly simple progression, actually perhaps THE simplest—created by simply playing the root chord and then descending—can be traced to ANYONE.

I have no particular interest in Green Day (I do in ELO!), but that’s irrelevant: this chord progression is so simple (and inevitably stumbled across) that it just makes you look like a jackass for trying to ascribe any ‘original’ source to it. You’d be as well making a video on how someone plagiarised I-IV-V off someone else.

[Joeweeeeeeee]

21 guns sounds like "all the young dudes"

[gotribe1997]

when i first heard 21 guns I thought immediately of telephone line

[jujucaster]

Green Day, for their 21 guns video obviously stole the concept of Billy Talent's Surrender video. Check it out it's soooooooo obvious!

[PokeRuby11]

Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum versions: Route 209. Enjoy your ignorance. :D

[dunespeak]

I'd like to say... This is just like the fact that Twinkle Twinkle little star sounds like the ABC song. Or the fact that Happy birthday sounds like Good Morning dear teacher... Only, with more artistic creativeness, because it's NOT just that tune, it's other tunes also, with pretty words and all. But you know, I don't see anyone complaining about those children's melodies. And, really is there any way to create something without taking from something else? Show me artists who DO that.

[freebearride]

it's not just the chord progression, his vocal pattern/delivery is virtually the same. He's basically just changed the lyrics of the ELO song. That is not how you pay homage, it's how you make a parody!

[SoundColoursAndMagic]

And, as much as I love Electric Light Orchestra, they ripped off Mott The Hoople, who did much the same in 1972...x

[manco82]

Pure plagiarism, it's not even up for discussion.

[Green12a]

uhmm...i didnt find it similar to that song o.o

[juliodogpit]

WTF! It's the same melody!

[ShadowOfTheScarred]

thnks for posting this i thoguht the exact same thing green copys most of there songs.

[09stevemac]

All the Young Dudes has the same rhythm, but the pitch goes doh-re-mi-so. Telephone Line and 21 Guns both go mi-fa-soh-do (with the same rhythm).

There’s an important difference right before that shared 4-note run, though. The preceding note in Telephone Line is soh, making the first interval in the 5-note sequence a drop in pitch. The preceding note in 21 Guns is the low doh, making its sequence a 5-note upward run from low doh to high doh. But it’s a very strong similarity.

[leanneelizabethify]

THERE ISNT ENOUGHT NOTES IN MUSIC FOR EVERY SONG TO BE DIFFERNT SO STOP MOANING AND JUST GET ON WITH LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[KittyzKatterz]

@leanneelizabethify OMG CAPS MAKE MY OPINION SEEM MORE IMPORTANT OH GAWD!

[AXESHREDDER21]

ehhh. moderately similiar

[gtrst26]

chord progressions in music often are similar. look at "aint no rest for the wicked" by cage the elephant and "loser" by beck.

[AXESHREDDER21]

@gtrst26 well honestly cage the elephant sounds like they based their whole sound on becks first record

[allisonmaurine]

any way you argue it, it does sound annoyingly like ELO.. and frankly, though I do love Green Day, ELO will always do it better, so will Bowie. Get some new material Billy <3

[tower616]

Concidence

[SilverHammock]

Bowie done All the young dudes. To the same riff.

[MissMoogles]

Things like this are bound to happen. Sometimes bands come up with a melody that they think is original, but is actually from a song they were listening to once. I think Green Day has accidentally done this. Also it could have randomly happened. Ever heard of the phrase "Great minds think alike."? I am by no means saying that Green Day are masterminds, but all I'm saying is that there is bound to be similarities in music. Anything original just sounds like crap to most people. ie: "Kid A" album.

[pr0kris]

I noticed it immediately :P

[SlimeTron5000]

Same structure, but every time I hear that fucking Green Day song it is like hearing fucking television frequency static.

[EricElliottEugene]

Uh.. joelibermann's right. It's the exact vocal melody as "Telephone Line", even in the slight variation toward the end of GD's version. "All The Young Dudes" isn't the exact melody, it's an octave lower. I imagine there's been an out-of-court settlement by now.

[TackyRackyComixNEO]

@EricElliottEugene Just because it's key is different doesn't mean it's not the same. (Although upon listening to the song, there are some notes that differ slightly.)

The fact is, there are MANY songs that have melodies in them that borrow from older songs, intentional or not. There are only so many possible original melodies.

[TheIdiotDisease]

21 guns sounds like "All the young dudes" by Mott the Hoople too.

[GodXofXWar0]

but think about it. elos song uses MANY diffrent instruments including the violin and chello. green days version is in the same key, but diffrent insturements and rythem. if you think sound-a-like songs is a problem now, just wait till the future.

[ubernerd35]

Whatever. The progression Green Day used in 21 guns is extremely common in modern music. You could say this sounds like literally one of a thousand songs. This is not plagiarism. Enjoy your ignorance.

[joelibermann]

oh really, the progression used is extremely common modern music? O.K then, give me a song besides 21 guns that sounds like this. then say "enjoy your ignorance"

[ubernerd35]

@joelibermann

Sum 41's "Pieces," for one. Both go D, Bb, F, C. There are many more songs comprised of this ordering of notes, along with many other songs with the same progression in a different key.

[LinkIsSrsBusiness]

@joelibermann All the Young Dudes. Lol owned.

[LinkIsSrsBusiness]

@joelibermann OH, and enjoy your ignorance.

[JustinTheClaw]

@joelibermann All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople

[JustinTheClaw]

@joelibermann Also, the Route 209 music from the Pokémon 4th generation games (Diamond/Pearl/Platinum).

[samosmeilar13]

@joelibermann All the Young Dudes, David Bowie

[willster1]

@joelibermann

All The Young Dudes.

[yihd]

@joelibermann Er it is common dude. I don't know what it's called but my teachers always use that progression for us as a warm up during my guitar lessons

[punkaholicz]

@joelibermann all the young dudes?

[LessThanSims]

@joelibermann All The Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople and Carry That Weight - The Beatles

[ubernerd35]

@joelibermann A few songs that share this progression are Sum 41's Pieces, The Offspring's "The Kids aren't all right", Green day's "Holiday," Cake's "Jolene," Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Otherside," etc, etc. Saying these two songs sound alike would be like saying Bush stole Glycerine from Journey's Don't Stop Believing, who actually stole it from the Beatles Let it Be. Learn music theory and chord progressions before you post uninformed video opinions.

[joelibermann]

@ubernerd35

right but ELO was the first to perfect the chord progression, and 21 guns sounds exactly like it. So your saying because everybody does it it's okay? Songs should have some degree of originality in chord progressions, artists are supposed to improvise, not copy.

[ubernerd35]

@joelibermann ELO was not the first to use this progression by a longshot. Lots of rock music sounds the same. Get over it.

[joelibermann]

@ubernerd35

get over it? Give me an example of a progression that sounds exactly like this song, that was before ELO did it.

then I will shut up.

[BigRussNovak]

@joelibermann Mott the Hoople used this chord progression back in '72, for "All the Young Dudes." That was four years before "Telephone Line" came out.

[dunespeak]

@BigRussNovak Which part of the songs sound like each other? Maybe you can make a video comparing them for me?

[BigRussNovak]

@dunespeak The choruses use the exact same chord progression. watch?v=8sCNsntTwJM <- That's a good quality upload of All the Young Dudes, and the first chorus starts just shy of a minute into the song. Play that, and then listen to this video where this user has already kindly uploaded the two other songs.

And just so everybody knows, I'm not berating ELO or Green Day, as I love them both, as I do Mott the Hoople. They all just used a great, catchy chord progression, and nothing more than that.

[dunespeak]

@BigRussNovak Ah, I see now. It's more apparent in 21 Guns than it is Telephone Line for me, so that's why I didn't catch it right off... Thanks. Much appreciated. ^^

[ThatMeatalGuy123]

@BigRussNovak Actually thats a David bowie song they just did a cover of it

[BigRussNovak]

@ThatMeatalGuy123 No, Bowie wrote the song for them, but they recorded it first. And later (I believe it was the next year, in 1973) he did it. So technically, he covered their song, which is actually his.

[Jato97]

@joelibermann well... all the young dudes, but we are not talking just about the chords, its about the melodie also, you can use the same chords but with a diferent melodie for making a diferent song

[rduquett]

@ubernerd35 So, even though the chord progressions are the same, does that mean that the melody has to be EXACTLY the same? You could literally sing the lyrics to 21 guns to this song and sound like there's no difference. I did it in my car without realizing it, then i realized i was listening to a 70's station and was completely confused.

[fatriff]

@rduquett I was happy to write it off as a coincidence until right at the end of 21 guns, billy joe just had to change the pitch on the last 21 guns line giving the game away, you can almost hear him laughing when he does it.

[TheJohnny990]

@ubernerd35 and 50 other songz hav the same progression as dnt stop believing: Blink 182's dammit, bruce springsteen's im goin down, green day's when i come around, lady gaga's poker face and the edge of glory, red hot chili peppers' under the bridge i could go on and on and on and on

[andrewblunk]

@ubernerd35 Do you know what "literally" means? I am very much enjoying your ignorance.

[SiT1986]

@ubernerd35 What are you talking about? It doesn't have to do with the "progressions". It's the melody. The melody is what sounds alike. And the melody isn't common.

[countingcrows123]

@ubernerd35 No. It's not only the chord progression, the melody is exactly the same. Sing 21 Guns over Telephone Line... it'll match up.. just saying..

[LolaLavonda]

wow they do sound alike! i never noticed that!

ok green day needs to stop copying elo. they've been doing their own stuff for 20 years they do NOT need to rip off elo

then again, maybe they need some time because their living in twilight :)

[TheInitialAttack]

if u remember 'the saints are coming'its beginning is "house of the rising sun" by animal

[piale1704]

No way, the both sound similar, but i dont think its a copy n.n xOxo

[nano952]

elo needs to clam copyright  from the worst band ever green gay sucks an always will

[hatchetiscarrot77]

@nano952 yeah you keep thinking that when they are one of the biggest punk rock bands today.

[nano952]

@hatchetiscarrot77 u call this punk rock

[hatchetiscarrot77]

@nano952 well the latest album wasnt very punk but all their albums before that were punk

[TheRandomm4]

Don't forget the intro of the song came from a song from the 60s called "San Francisco" . When I first heard 21 Guns I thought it was the San Francisco song. I always heard the Spanish version of Telephone Line, I didn't know there was an English version too until yesterday. I wonder if a lot of Green Day fans are even familiar with these songs.

[kidgames]

Green day already admit before 21st century breakdown released that the album will influence from 60s, 70s rock music. So no big deal. Green day just revive the old classic rock music =)

[killthephonies]

@kidgames fuck that shit

[Maxesar]

Elo is god. Green Day are plagiarists!! (that word exists? xD)

[oloesnt]

more people need to realize this. i know alot of people who think ELO stole this

[paulbuckberry]

Loud & clear, but I'm still waiting for someone to point out the verse progressions borrowed from Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" - OMG, Green Day are just-so-talented!

[MrCr0wley]

Same chord progression and almost identical melody, not saying its a deliberate rip off but any die hard green day fan denying the similarities are just stupid

[siriuslyD]

@MrCr0wley very true.

[shrumpish]

its just billie joe have the same talent and idea with ELO i guess.. :)