So Piece Together Woes and Broken Pictures

     Have you ever heard a song and thought you recognized it (as a completely different song)?  Some times artists sample songs in their music.  Wikipedia describes sampling as "the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or sound recording in a different song or piece."  Basically, when you sample something in music it's like taking a direct quote from a song (with the beat and original voice included).  Artists are using this more and more as it's becoming a more acceptable form of creativity.  I guess what I don't understand is how taking whole sections of another person's song and putting "your" spin on it is being creative.  To me, that's like me writing a story that has the exact plot line as Star Wars (but of course set in a different place and time) and then trying to pass it off as something completely new.  It's not.  Sometimes the sampling really does work though, it flows in the song, and well, I guess you can see it as something of a popularity contest.  You could measure how good a song really is as too how many people have sampled it.  Tons of hip hop songs have sampled Coldplay music.  I found an article that compares the best ones.  I can't really blame the hip hop artists because I love Coldplay, too. 

     One thing though that gets me is the whole copyrighting of it all.  Shouldn't the artists have to acknowledge the song (artist of the song) they sampled or is it the public's duty to be informed enough to realize when a song is being sampled?  Usually my favorite parts of a song are the ones that are sampled.  Mostly I tend to also not realize that the song has a sampled part in it and I tend to get a little sad when I realize I'm not giving credit to the right people.  There is actually a website I just found WhoSampled that has complied all samplings under one site.  At least I think that's what it does.  It's pretty cool, they have a place where you can compare the original song vs the song that where it was sampled.  It gave me the idea to share a few with you.

     What do you think of song sampling?  Have you noticed it more and more these past few years?  If you have noticed it, does it make you want to go back and listen to the other song (like it does me, if I can place it correctly) or do you get something completely different from the new song?  Are you enjoying the sampling?  Does add a depth to the song or does it detract?  And what do you think about the whole crediting issue?  Does the new artist deserve all the credit?  If you are fond of sampling what do you think about mash-ups?  Do they annoy you because it's too many songs in one or do you enjoy the DJ-partying feel?  (Do you even have clue what mash-ups are?)

"Something's Got a Hold on Me" by Etta James

Sampled in "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida

"Harder Better Faster Stronger" by Daft Punk 

Sampled in "Stronger" by Kanye West

"Funeral" by Band of Horses

Sampled in "The Prayer" by Kid Cudi

Title: "How Could I Complain" by Pete Lawrie

Oscar and Jack say hi!