Why It Works: Breezy elevates the breezy rhythm and licentious message of the dancehall hit while asserting his own sexual prowess and consequential dominance in the suggestive second verse - which provides a lay-up for Aiko’s more notorious “But he gotta eat the booty like groceries” line.īigger Than Original? “Post to Be” posted up higher on the Hot 100 at No. But Chris Brown’s guest verse takes it one step further, tracing back the roots of the Omarion-fronted West Coast anthem to the Caribbean by name-dropping Chaka Demus & Pliers’ redefining dancehall smash: “Murder she wrote/ You wanna know how I know what I know?” Get Lifted: The entire “Post to Be” pre-chorus swipes the melody and rhythm from the classic “Murder She Wrote” “I know this little girl, her name is Maxine…” section. Chaka Demus & Pliers, “Murder She Wrote” (1992) Chris Brown & Jhené Aiko, “Post to Be” (2014) int. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, while MGK and Camila rode the wave all the way up to No. Plus, if you’re an alt-rock fan of a certain age, you definitely hit pause and said, “hey… wait a minute, I know that song…”īigger than Original? Yep: The third single from Fastball’s second studio album, “Out of My Head” topped out at No. Why it Works: Romeo and Juliet stories are eternal and Cabello’s whispery come-on, “Am I out of my head/ Am I out of my mind/ If you only knew the bad things I like/ Don’t think I can explain it/ What can I say, it’s complicated?,” is the sticky pop sugar that perfectly balances MGK’s transgressive, salty verses. Get Lifted: Five years before he rebooted as a pop punker, rapper MGK improbably Frankensteined the soft-rock chorus and haunting, gospel-tinged piano melody from the Austin pop-rockers’ 1999 top 40 hit into the Cabello-sung refrain of his booming 2016 homage to bad boy love. Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello, “Bad Things” (2016) int. Why It Works : While the lyrics of the original song notoriously caused some head scratching, the meaning of “I want it that way” finally became clear in Uzi’s hands, as he followed the chorus with his wants and not-wants, including income (want) and sadness (not-want).īigger Than Original? While both tracks were fire, neither reached the No. Get Lifted : For his second single from Eternal Atake, Lil Uzi Vert borrowed the lyrics and vocal melody from the chorus of the Backstreet Boys’ first Millennium single, sliding the crystalline pop line into a futuristic rap realm. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way” (1999) 2 on Billboard‘s Radio Songs listing, however.) - KRISTIN ROBINSON 37 peak on the Hot 100 - which technically beats out the Cardigans’ signature hit, since that original missed the chart due to rules at the time about songs not released as physical singles being ineligible. Why it Works: What better way to guarantee a teen pop star a hit than to remake a tried and true earworm? With the original likely mostly unknown to his young fanbase, “Lovefool” was able to be reused for the Bieber album with most fans being none the wiser to the trick.īigger Than Original? Bieber pulled an impressive No. Get Lifted: When the Biebz was still in his infancy (age 16), he dropped his sophomore album My World 2.0, featuring the familiar hit “Love Me.” A direct lift of the chorus from The Cardigans’ mid-’90s alt-pop smash “Lovefool” (1996), Bieber sings “Love me, love me, say that you love me.” Though Bieber’s first line was a carbon copy of The Cardigans’ hit, the subsequent lyrics varied a bit, albeit just by a word or two. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, one slot shy of SNAP!’s No. Why It Works : The direct reference to the early-’90s club killer might have perplexed some listeners who were too young to remember it, but for others it automatically turned the temptation celebration into a dancefloor hit.īigger Than Original? Jeremih’s song peaked at No. Get Lifted : Jeremih ’s Mustard-co-produced trap-n-B jam slowed the pumping beat of the 1990s Eurodance smash but retained the melody and the lyrics on the “Rhythm is a dancer” chorus opener, followed by a couple of reworks that made it his own: “I need a companion/ Girl, I guess that must be you.” Interpolations that traffic heavily in ’90s nostalgia, borrowing huge and instantly recognizable Clinton-era hooks. Check out our list below, divided into those sections, and best of luck sorting out all the unforgettable songs you’ll get tangled in your head afterwards.
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