Now Playing Week 35 - How To Steal (Not Borrow) Music And Make It Your Own
John Lennon once gave an interview that really stuck with me. The reporter asked him who his musical influences were and after naming a few artists the reporter asked, "So would you say you borrow a few notes from them?"
Without missing a beat John replied, "Borrow? No, we stole from them. Borrowing implies it doesn't belong to you and you must give in back. We steal it and make it our own."
He went on to say, and I'm paraphrasing here, "It's not like we invented the blues or rock music. There are only 12 notes, after all. We just arrange them the way we like."
With that in mind, here is a song written by Stevie Wonder in 1976 that was rearranged by a couple of rap artists years later. Let's start with the original song as it was first written and released.
Artist | Stevie Wonder |
Song | Pastime Paradise |
Album | Songs in the Key of Life |
Year | 1976 |
Wikipedia Link | Pastime Paradise |
Artist | Coolio |
Song | Gangster's Paradise |
Album | Gangsta's Paradise |
Year | 1995 |
Wikipedia Link | Gangsta's Paradise |
Gangsta's Paradise is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring singer L.V. The song was released on Coolio's album of the same name, as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It samples the chorus and instrumentation of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise.
The artists co-wrote the song with its producer Doug Rasheed, with Stevie Wonder receiving writing credits for the sampling of his song "Pastime Paradise" from his album Songs in the Key of Life.
The Stevie Wonder sample is the reason why this is one of few Coolio tracks without profanity, as Wonder would not allow it. Coolio said, "I had a few vulgarities...and he wasn't with that. So I changed it. Once he heard it, he thought it was incredible. Wikipedia
Artist | Amish Paradise |
Song | Weird Al Yankovic |
Album | Amish Paradise |
Year | 1996 |
Wikipedia Link | Amish Paradise |
Amish Paradise is a 1996 single by parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the hip hop song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V. (which itself is a reworking of the Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise"). Featured on the album Bad Hair Day, it turns the original "Gangsta's Paradise", in which the narrator laments his dangerous way of life, on its head by presenting an Amish man praising his relatively plain and uncomplicated existence.
Although Yankovic traditionally secures permission from the artists he parodies (even though this is not legally required, as parodies are covered under fair use guidelines), and was told by his record label that Coolio had given permission, Coolio later claimed that he had not given such permission (and in fact publicly expressed disgust saying that Yankovic's parody "desecrated the song"). This created a minor controversy, as speculation surfaced that Coolio had actually given permission but later claimed he had not in the fear that allowing the parody would not be seen as "cool", or that Yankovic's record label had lied to Yankovic in the hopes that the song would become popular. Wikipedia
I once did a show in El Paso, Texas with the weirdest lineup ever. It was a 4th of July gig. We opened followed by The Judds, Weird Al, and B.B. King. I got to hang out with Al and his band after the show and they were the funniest guys imaginable. I was sore from laughing the next day.
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Nowplaying Week 35 --- by @nowplaying-music
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@luzcypher Great Song(s)!! That record, Songs in the Key of Life, influenced a lot of people.
I was 13 when that album came out and used to listen to it all day every day, so much that my parents were concerned and wondered why I wouldn't listen to any other albums at the time. Literally listened to it for 6-8 hours a day. In fact, it's the album that inspired me to become a songwriter.
One of the best shows I have ever seen was Stevie Wonder in New York at the Apollo Theater in 2012
I’m gonna go get that on vinyl! I have Musiquarium - I need this one! 😊✌🏾
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You got to have this one for sure. Just listened to it again after all those years and it's still awesome today. One of my favorite artists for sure.
Thanks for entering this week's #nowplaying!
If you would like your song added to the weekly spotify playlist, reply to this comment in the following format:
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Adding Pastime Paradise to the weekly playlist
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.scdn.co/image/55ac6823c1024b058acdd479ab1efea28565a987)
Adding Gangsta's Paradise to the weekly playlist
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.scdn.co/image/2969c7da977d555a15958e4774f8834352469950)
Adding Amish Paradise (Parody of "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio) to the weekly playlist
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.scdn.co/image/99ea57779a17aa0e681420c6fe98297c73b6ddb2)
Congratulations @luzcypher! You have received a personal award!
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Thanks SO much! What a long, strange trip it's been.