Top 10 Sampled vs Original Songs
Hey, haven't we heard that before? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most renowned original songs that have been sampled most often by other artists, and the notable instances in which this has occurred.
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00:00 I'm the world's number one soundless drummer,
00:03 so hey, I haven't got a penny for it yet though, but.
00:06 - Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:07 And today we're counting down our picks
00:09 for the most renowned original songs
00:11 that have been sampled most often by other artists
00:14 and the notable instances in which this has occurred.
00:18 ♪ Let the music diffuse all attention ♪
00:20 ♪ Ball of convention, free admission ♪
00:24 - If you like what you're hearing,
00:25 be sure to check out the full song at the link below.
00:28 ♪ I bet you all, I bet you all ♪
00:32 ♪ The chain makes you haunt forever ♪
00:37 - Number 10, Billy Squier's "The Big Beat".
00:41 Sampled by Run-DMC, the open drum break
00:44 is an essential tool for every hip hop producer and DJ.
00:47 It serves as a musical foundation for many classic songs
00:51 and is often recycled again and again
00:54 as that sample gains popularity.
00:56 ♪ And I got the big beat ♪
00:59 - "The Big Beat" by Billy Squier
01:02 was still relatively contemporary
01:04 when Run-DMC utilized it just four years
01:07 after its release for their hit, "Here We Go".
01:10 ♪ Dumb diddy dumb, diddy diddy dumb dumb ♪
01:12 ♪ We hope you're ready for the big beat drum ♪
01:14 - The track has since been sampled
01:16 by hundreds of other artists
01:17 in the decades following Run-DMC's popularization.
01:21 The original beat played by Squier's drummer,
01:23 Bobby Schwenard, is thick and massive sounding.
01:27 (upbeat music)
01:28 ♪ I'll show you how ♪
01:31 - The perfect material with which
01:34 to construct a memorable rhythm.
01:35 ♪ It's me, DMC, and the place to be ♪
01:38 ♪ And I still got the same old heart on E ♪
01:40 - Number nine, Isaac Hayes' "Hung Up On My Baby".
01:44 Sampled by The Ghetto Boys.
01:46 Hip hop producers often look
01:48 to old movie soundtracks for inspiration,
01:51 utilizing their crate-digging knowledge
01:53 to unearth some musty old secret from the 1960s or '70s.
01:58 (upbeat music)
02:01 The Ghetto Boys weren't exactly pulling
02:05 from an obscure artist when they decided
02:07 to sample "Hung Up On My Baby"
02:09 from soul legend Isaac Hayes for their song,
02:11 "Mind Playing Tricks On Me".
02:13 ♪ At night I can't sleep, I toss and turn ♪
02:15 ♪ Candlesticks and the dark visions of bodies being burned ♪
02:18 - Still, this cut from the 1974 blaxploitation film,
02:22 "Three Tough Guys", is tailor-made to be a classic.
02:25 (upbeat music)
02:28 The tune leans hard on that gorgeously smooth guitar work
02:33 from Hayes' original, creating the hook
02:35 that gave The Ghetto Boys one of their all-time best songs.
02:39 ♪ My mind is playing tricks on me ♪
02:41 (upbeat music)
02:44 - Number eight, The Charmelles' "As Long As I've Got You".
02:49 Sampled by The Wu-Tang Clan.
02:51 It seems sort of incredulous,
02:53 but right from its opening moment,
02:55 "As Long As I've Got You" by The Charmelles
02:57 exudes such a classic yet contemporary feel.
03:00 (upbeat music)
03:03 As a result, The Wu-Tang Clan only needed to do very little
03:11 when they sampled it
03:12 for their formative second single, "Cream".
03:14 ♪ Dollar dollar bill, yo ♪
03:16 ♪ I grew up on the crime side, the New York time side ♪
03:19 ♪ Staying alive was no job ♪
03:21 - The chill drumming and smooth piano line
03:23 just floats on the wind,
03:24 effortlessly carrying over from the original
03:27 to the sampled track.
03:28 "Cream" isn't even required to incorporate
03:31 any other part of this otherwise obscure soul song
03:34 to cement their legend.
03:35 ♪ Free as a bird ♪
03:39 ♪ Flying around in bubbles ♪
03:42 - It was a marriage made in heaven, right from the start.
03:46 ♪ Cash, food, everything around me ♪
03:48 ♪ Free, get the money ♪
03:49 ♪ Dollar dollar bill, yo ♪
03:51 - Number seven, Lynn Collins' "Think About It",
03:54 sampled by Rob Bass and DJ EZ Rock.
03:58 It seems a smidge unfair to single out only one artist
04:01 that sampled "Think About It" by Lynn Collins.
04:04 That's because this 1972 funk track
04:07 has been utilized in over 3,000 songs.
04:10 ♪ It takes two to make a thing go right ♪
04:14 ♪ It takes two to make it out of sight ♪
04:16 - Notably, "It Takes Two" by Rob Bass and DJ EZ Rock
04:20 sampled the iconic "Yeah, Wow" bit,
04:22 but "Think About It" is most definitely
04:24 the sum of its creative parts.
04:26 ♪ It takes two to make a thing go right ♪
04:30 ♪ It takes two to make it out of sight ♪
04:32 - After all, it was written and produced
04:34 by the godfather of soul, James Brown,
04:37 so it has everything going for it.
04:39 ♪ You're bad, you're bad, you're bad ♪
04:41 ♪ If it's not in your vision ♪
04:45 - The drums crack and snap,
04:47 the production is just raw enough,
04:49 and the tambourine accompaniment
04:50 adds that little extra sauce
04:52 that makes the soul steak sizzle just a little bit hotter.
04:55 ♪ So just sit, my mama not gonna fit ♪
04:58 ♪ The record sells, Ms. Macy's wanna hit ♪
05:00 - Number six, Rick James' "Super Freak"
05:03 sampled by MC Hammer.
05:05 It's perhaps one of the most obvious samples on this list,
05:08 but who said some of the greatest ideas weren't obvious?
05:12 ♪ She's a very kinky girl ♪
05:15 ♪ The kind you don't take home to mother ♪
05:19 - Rick James rightfully gets praised
05:21 for his songwriting, attitude, and style,
05:24 but the man was also a mean bass player.
05:26 As a result, it's the bass line
05:28 for James' 1981 classic "Super Freak"
05:31 that gets adapted part and parcel
05:33 in MC Hammer's mega hit, "You Can't Touch This."
05:35 ♪ My music hits me so hard ♪
05:38 ♪ Makes me say, oh my lord ♪
05:40 ♪ Thank you for blessing me ♪
05:41 - Hammer essentially lifted the entire bass line
05:44 from "Super Freak" to the point where Rick James
05:46 had to receive a songwriting credit for his troubles.
05:49 ♪ She's a super freak, super freak ♪
05:51 ♪ She's super freaking out ♪
05:54 - But hey, it's a small price to pay
05:56 in order to become a star,
05:58 albeit briefly, of Hammer's status, right?
06:00 ♪ Can't touch this ♪
06:03 ♪ Look, man, can't touch this ♪
06:06 - Number five, the incredible bongo band, Zapache,
06:09 sampled by Nas.
06:11 ♪ I made you love ♪
06:12 ♪ You a slave to a page in my rhyme book ♪
06:14 - It took over two decades for this song
06:16 that was released way back in 1960
06:18 to find new life as one of the most sampled songs
06:21 of all time.
06:22 (upbeat music)
06:24 Apache was originally a hit for Burt Whedon,
06:32 but it's the 1973 cover by Incredible Bongo Band
06:35 that's gone on to serve as bedrock percussion
06:37 for songs like Nas' "Made You Look."
06:40 ♪ Uh, now let's get it all in perspective ♪
06:43 ♪ For all y'all, enjoy me the song y'all can step with ♪
06:45 - This is largely due to the '73 version
06:47 possessing an extended breakbeat section,
06:50 perfect on its own, sure,
06:51 but essential for modern productions as well.
06:54 (upbeat music)
06:56 It's immediately recognizable today in "Made You Look," too,
07:03 as well as in classic jams,
07:04 such as the 1981 cover by the Sugarhill Gang.
07:07 ♪ Time to jump on it, jump on it, jump on it ♪
07:12 - Number four, George Clinton's "Atomic Dog,"
07:15 sampled by Snoop Dogg.
07:17 ♪ Now just throw your hands way up in the air ♪
07:20 ♪ And wave 'em all around like you just don't care ♪
07:23 - Thinking outside the box remained important
07:25 for all of hip-hop's most influential producers,
07:28 from Dilla and DJ Premier to RZA, Dr. Dre, and Kanye West.
07:32 As a result, artists often dig through records
07:35 not only for drums, but for vocal phrases
07:37 and melodies as well.
07:38 ♪ Atomic dog ♪
07:43 ♪ Atomic ♪
07:44 - Snoop Dogg and Dre threw it back to the early '80s
07:47 when it came to crafting the chorus
07:49 for the D-O-double-G's 1993 smash, "Who Am I?
07:53 What's My Name?"
07:54 ♪ Jump on it, jump on it, jump on it, jump on it ♪
07:59 - They sought out George Clinton's "Atomic Dog,"
08:02 an electro-P-funk number that was cutting edge for '82,
08:05 and just retro enough to become fresh again
08:07 for Snoop in the early '90s.
08:09 The rest, as they say, is history.
08:12 ♪ Bow wow wow, every girl gets me ♪
08:14 ♪ Bow wow wow, every girl loves me ♪
08:17 - Number three, Sheik's "Good Times,"
08:20 sampled by the Sugarhill Gang.
08:22 "Good Times" by Sheik didn't exactly need to be sampled
08:25 by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979 to remind audiences
08:29 of how disco was perhaps unfairly maligned as a genre.
08:32 ♪ Good times, we all have good times ♪
08:36 - The latter's rapper's delight served
08:41 as a formative slice of hip hop
08:43 that played an instrumental role in popularizing the genre.
08:46 ♪ You see, I am Wonder Mike ♪
08:48 ♪ And I like to say hello ♪
08:50 - As a result, the glitz and glam of disco
08:52 was still very much represented by that shiny production,
08:55 but more importantly, the funky bass of Bernard Edwards.
08:59 (upbeat music)
09:02 The instrumental section showcases
09:06 just how capable "Good Times" is
09:09 at creating a monster dance floor groove,
09:11 especially as Nile Rodgers' guitar melds with the strings
09:15 and piano to create a symphony of smoothness.
09:19 ♪ Nobody don't care, don't care, all of them hear me ♪
09:23 - Number two, James Brown's "Funky Drummer,"
09:26 sampled by Public Enemy.
09:28 ♪ Fight the power, fight the power ♪
09:31 ♪ Fight the power ♪
09:32 - We've highlighted a lot of different kinds of samples
09:35 in this list, but it somehow always comes back to drums.
09:38 "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
09:40 was something of a self-fulfilling prophecy,
09:42 a classic in the making that would go on to fill crates
09:45 and fuel parties around the world.
09:47 (upbeat music)
09:49 The song is a typical James Brown instrumental,
09:57 but its most desirable moment lies
09:59 in drummer Clyde Stubblefield's breakdown.
10:01 (upbeat music)
10:04 This has become one of the most popular samples of all time,
10:09 being utilized in songs like "Fight the Power"
10:11 by Public Enemy and many more.
10:14 ♪ Sound of the funky drummer ♪
10:15 ♪ Music hits your heart ♪
10:16 ♪ 'Cause I know you got a soul ♪
10:18 ♪ Fuckin' is this cool ♪
10:19 - Oh, and if you're searching for more JB greatness,
10:22 might we suggest "Funky President,"
10:25 "People It's Bad" from 1974?
10:28 We're sure that one will hit the spot as well.
10:30 (upbeat music)
10:33 ♪ Funky ♪
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10:53 Number one, The Winstons' "Amen Brother," sampled by NWA.
10:58 You just know a sample has entered icon status
11:03 when it has a colloquial nickname like the Amen Break.
11:07 (upbeat music)
11:09 "Amen Brother" by The Winstons has been famously sampled
11:16 by artists like NWA on their classic "Straight Outta Compton."
11:20 (upbeat music)
11:22 ♪ Yeah, oh ♪
11:25 ♪ Yeah, oh ♪
11:27 - The break has also gone down to become a building block
11:30 for jungle and techno music
11:32 as the most sampled tune of all time.
11:35 (upbeat music)
11:38 Sadly, this also raises questions about the legality
11:44 and ethics of sampling as an art form.
11:47 Since The Winstons tragically received
11:49 no monetary compensation for their work,
11:51 it's a complicated discussion as on one hand,
11:54 "Amen Brother" has provided so much joy over the years.
11:57 - The way the drums are tuned, the way they are played,
12:00 the way the hi-hat is going is real soft but real rhythmic.
12:04 - Yet it's a reminder that the music business
12:06 is just that, a business.
12:08 ♪ Believe I'm a star baby when I come back, boy ♪
12:11 ♪ I'm coming straight outta Compton, Compton, Compton ♪
12:14 - Can you remember any time you just had to seek out
12:16 a sample source and hear the whole album?
12:19 Is sample snitching a sin?
12:21 Let us know in the comments.
12:22 - Without Stubblefield, it's safe to say
12:25 that hip hop wouldn't be what it is.
12:27 - Do you agree with our picks?
12:29 Let us know in the comments.
12:30 And hey, if you're a fan of the song playing right now,
12:32 be sure to check out the music video for it right here.
12:35 ♪ It's on forever ♪
12:39 ♪ Ah ♪
12:40 ♪ Ah ♪
12:45 (upbeat music)