Suspiciously Similar Song/Live-Action TV: Difference between revisions

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* Comedian [[Frank Sidebottom]] once performed a sketch in which he claimed that 'after the first six notes you have to pay royalties'. He proceeded to perform a cover-version of the ''[[Star Wars]]'' theme tune, with a handful of notes played a semitone off at the times in the tune where they would sound the most agonizingly painful.
* Comedian [[Frank Sidebottom]] once performed a sketch in which he claimed that 'after the first six notes you have to pay royalties'. He proceeded to perform a cover-version of the ''[[Star Wars]]'' theme tune, with a handful of notes played a semitone off at the times in the tune where they would sound the most agonizingly painful.
* Similarly, a ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketch featured Jon Lovitz as the host of a program presenting an unauthorized adaptation of Disney's "Snow White", who explains that it's legally not plagiarism as long as every third note is different.
* Similarly, a ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketch featured Jon Lovitz as the host of a program presenting an unauthorized adaptation of Disney's "Snow White", who explains that it's legally not plagiarism as long as every third note is different.
** In another ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketch, fake soap opera [http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1396627 The Californians] uses a poor man's version of America's "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5J54RVZjYs Ventura Highway]" during the between-scene bumpers. For those who recognize what the music is supposed to sound like, it also serves as a nice little in-joke...Since the main theme of the sketch revolves around stereotypical surfer-accented blondes making repeated references to the Los Angeles street grid/highway system.
** In another ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketch, fake soap opera [http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1396627 The Californians] uses a poor man's version of America's "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5J54RVZjYs Ventura Highway]" during the between-scene bumpers. For those who recognize what the music is supposed to sound like, it also serves as a nice little in-joke...Since the main theme of the sketch revolves around stereotypical surfer-accented blondes making repeated references to the Los Angeles street grid/highway system.
* Parodied by Harry Hill in ''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' in a segment where he mocks a wildlife show for using a cheap rendition of the [[James Bond]] theme, [http://harryhilllizard.ytmnd.com/ as shown here].
* Parodied by Harry Hill in ''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' in a segment where he mocks a wildlife show for using a cheap rendition of the [[James Bond]] theme, [http://harryhilllizard.ytmnd.com/ as shown here].
* [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Spv3WoyQFWo This video] contains what can be described as the Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' theme tune.
* [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Spv3WoyQFWo This video] contains what can be described as the Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' theme tune.
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** Listen to [[Power Rangers RPM|RPM's]] instrumental for a moment. The riffs sound very similar to Metallica's "Fuel" in composition.
** Listen to [[Power Rangers RPM|RPM's]] instrumental for a moment. The riffs sound very similar to Metallica's "Fuel" in composition.
** Another example from RPM, uses a version of a-ha's "Take On Me" during a [[Hard Work Montage]].
** Another example from RPM, uses a version of a-ha's "Take On Me" during a [[Hard Work Montage]].
** In [[Power Rangers Dino Thunder|Dino Thunder's]] 9th episode Beneath The Surface, at the end there's a instrumental that is suspiciously like The Black Eyed Pea's "Where Is the Love".
** In [[Power Rangers Dino Thunder|Dino Thunder's]] 9th episode Beneath The Surface, at the end there's a instrumental that is suspiciously like The Black Eyed Pea's "Where Is the Love".
* The ''[[Psych]]'' episode "Extradition: British Columbia" uses Suspiciously Similar Songs to the anthem "O Canada", including a rock version and a guitar version.
* The ''[[Psych]]'' episode "Extradition: British Columbia" uses Suspiciously Similar Songs to the anthem "O Canada", including a rock version and a guitar version.
* Alton Brown's ''[[Good Eats]]'' has an episode called "The Egg Files," which features a tune that sounds quite similar to the theme of, you guessed it, ''[[The X-Files]]''.
* Alton Brown's ''[[Good Eats]]'' has an episode called "The Egg Files," which features a tune that sounds quite similar to the theme of, you guessed it, ''[[The X-Files]]''.
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* In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUbGcRJUDu0 this Jimmy Kimmel Live segment], Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz sings a Suspiciously Similar song to "Indeed, I am very glad that I finally am returning home", aka the Trololo song.
* In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUbGcRJUDu0 this Jimmy Kimmel Live segment], Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz sings a Suspiciously Similar song to "Indeed, I am very glad that I finally am returning home", aka the Trololo song.
* The theme song for [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJgHoSaD3ck&feature=channel this Singaporean drama series] (starts at about 9:18) is a ''Chinese'' version of "I'm Yours" by [[Jason Mraz]].
* The theme song for [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJgHoSaD3ck&feature=channel this Singaporean drama series] (starts at about 9:18) is a ''Chinese'' version of "I'm Yours" by [[Jason Mraz]].
* When the 2000s version of ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' aired a segment on a man spinning 25 basketballs at once, they played a Suspiciously Similar Song to the Harlem Globetrotters' whistling theme song ([[Standard Snippet|"Sweet Georgia Brown"]]) with footage of the team.
* When the 2000s version of ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' aired a segment on a man spinning 25 basketballs at once, they played a Suspiciously Similar Song to the Harlem Globetrotters' whistling theme song ([[Standard Snippet|"Sweet Georgia Brown"]]) with footage of the team.
* You could easily make a [[Drinking Game]] out of this while watching a few hours of HGTV. "Hey, that sounds ''almost'' like "All Star" by Smash Mouth! And this sounds ''almost'' like that song from ''Zoolander''!"
* You could easily make a [[Drinking Game]] out of this while watching a few hours of HGTV. "Hey, that sounds ''almost'' like "All Star" by Smash Mouth! And this sounds ''almost'' like that song from ''Zoolander''!"
* There's a Hong Kong ''period'' drama that utilises a piece of background music that's really a suspiciously similar instrumental of "I Dreamed a Dream", no doubt banking on Susan Boyle's popularity.
* There's a Hong Kong ''period'' drama that utilises a piece of background music that's really a suspiciously similar instrumental of "I Dreamed a Dream", no doubt banking on Susan Boyle's popularity.
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* ''[[Better Off Ted]]'' episode "Secret and Lives" has a Suspiciously Similar Song to "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" when the magic starts.
* ''[[Better Off Ted]]'' episode "Secret and Lives" has a Suspiciously Similar Song to "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" when the magic starts.
* [[Cartoon Network]] original movie ''Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins'' has a scene featuring a Suspiciously Similar Song to [[Kill Bill|"Battle Without Honour Or Humanity"]].
* [[Cartoon Network]] original movie ''Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins'' has a scene featuring a Suspiciously Similar Song to [[Kill Bill|"Battle Without Honour Or Humanity"]].
* [[Fox]]'s 2010 baseball playoff promos use a ''very'' close instrumental knockoff of [[Aerosmith]]'s "Dream On".
* [[FOX]]'s 2010 baseball playoff promos use a ''very'' close instrumental knockoff of [[Aerosmith]]'s "Dream On".
* The theme from the [[Disney Channel]] Original Series ''The Jersey'' is almost identical to the instrumental chorus of Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song".
* The theme from the [[Disney Channel]] Original Series ''The Jersey'' is almost identical to the instrumental chorus of Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song".
* ''The Edison Twins''' animated educational segments used a quite obvious Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''[[Laurel and Hardy]]'' theme music.
* ''The Edison Twins''' animated educational segments used a quite obvious Suspiciously Similar Song to the ''[[Laurel and Hardy]]'' theme music.
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* In one episode of ''[[That's So Raven]]'', Raven knocked over a lamp while compulsively dancing to "HER JAM!", which sounded suspiciously like the understandably danceable song "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce.
* In one episode of ''[[That's So Raven]]'', Raven knocked over a lamp while compulsively dancing to "HER JAM!", which sounded suspiciously like the understandably danceable song "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce.
* When something very slick and spy-like is going on in ''[[Chuck]]'', an obviously James Bond-like theme tends to play.
* When something very slick and spy-like is going on in ''[[Chuck]]'', an obviously James Bond-like theme tends to play.
* In a segment on ''[[Conan (TV series)|Conan]]'' members of the audience were to guess what songs the band played. The only problem was that, according to Conan, they couldn't afford to play any actual pop songs, and had to do Suspiciously Similar Songs instead.
* In a segment on ''[[Conan (TV series)|Conan]]'' members of the audience were to guess what songs the band played. The only problem was that, according to Conan, they couldn't afford to play any actual pop songs, and had to do Suspiciously Similar Songs instead.
{{quote|'''Conan''': What song does that sound like, but I can prove to you legally it isn't?}}
{{quote|'''Conan''': What song does that sound like, but I can prove to you legally it isn't?}}
* ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'' has great fun [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshading]] this trope in the episode "Making a Stand". The narrator muses, over a series of still photographs played in lieu of interesting footage, that no matter what theme music is played underneath, it still isn't very interesting. He comments that they even tried [[The Beatles]]' "Yellow Submarine", but they couldn't afford it. Over a subsequent photo montage, an obviously Suspiciously Similar Song called "Yellow Boat" can be heard.
* ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'' has great fun [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshading]] this trope in the episode "Making a Stand". The narrator muses, over a series of still photographs played in lieu of interesting footage, that no matter what theme music is played underneath, it still isn't very interesting. He comments that they even tried [[The Beatles]]' "Yellow Submarine", but they couldn't afford it. Over a subsequent photo montage, an obviously Suspiciously Similar Song called "Yellow Boat" can be heard.
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