Music is important to society by creating something all people enjoy. People bond over music choices. Musicians also use music as a platform to show their beliefs. Some songs are very similar though. People have noticed how Doechii’s “Anxiety” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” have the same melody. Even further, “Seville” by Luiz Bonfa from 1967 sounds like them too.
“Locked Out Of Heaven” by Bruno Mars has been compared to “Roxanne” by The Police. Even “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” and “The ABC Song” have the same melody. The question is: why do they sound the same?
This could be because of musical trends. Musicians want to be the most played and on the top of the charts. When they see one song that is loved by many, they try to mimic that sound.
Junior Kylie Judd said, “I have heard many pop songs sound the same because they’re all in four-four time and they use the same chord progression.”
Common chord progressions could also be the answer. There are only so many chords instruments can make. Producers also want music to be popular, so beautiful, harmonic pieces will be favored.
Junior Jackie Knight said, “I think it’s just always been throughout pop culture and history, but there was one song ‘Under Pressure,’ and then it was used for ‘Ice, Ice, Baby.’ They used the same sample and so they tend to sound the same. I think Doechii used a sample of ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ in hers.”
We also have more digital aspects, like soundboard editing. Musicians can pull out certain sounds to make them louder, change their voices, or even change the whole sound with a computer. The changes could make the songs sound the same.
Judd said, “I’ll be honest, I don’t think I really have a favorite song, but I really like listening to Harry Styles. I really like artists that use music and bands and stuff because I think it adds more personality. I feel like a lot of songs are made on computers. I like when artists use music and instruments that make [the song] unique.”
Finally, this could be the fault of the listener. People like music that sounds familiar or hits home. The way you listen to a song and what you think about it could make it feel more familiar. A lot of genres use the same chords and instruments so songs sound the same.
Knight said, “I also think popularity [in music] isn’t a bad thing. I think things being overplayed might get annoying in some sense, but popularity isn’t bad because people like things that are catchy. They like songs because they’re good. So of course, they’re going to be popular.”
