"Ice Ice Baby" and "Under Pressure"? Who knew? (Besides *everyone else* in the world, that is.)

[kane_magus]

Okay, I'm guessing it's probably common knowledge that the bassline for MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" was based on/stolenborrowed from the Rick James song "Super Freak".

However, until today, I had absolutely no clue that the bassline for Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" was based on/stolenborrowed from the David Bowie/Queen song "Under Pressure", until I just happened to download and listen to the latter song by total coincidence. I started listening to the song and was like, "What the hell?" O_O

But then, apparently, the bassline for "Under Pressure" came from a symphony by Jean Sibelius. I can kind of see how that could be the case, though it's nowhere near as blatant as was Vanilla Ice taking it from them.

Of course, it's not like this kind of thing is all that uncommon.

(EDIT)
Dammit, I knew I had another, better, example of this, but forgot about it...
(/EDIT)

Comments

[alessar.livejournal.com]

You are clearly a child, a veritable babe in the woods, if you didn't know Ice Ice Baby was ripped off of Under Pressure. O.o

/olded

[kane-magus.livejournal.com]

I'd never even heard of Under Pressure before now, much less had a chance or reason to listen to it. I just downloaded it because I was reading some site that mentioned it in passing as a song that was co-performed by David Bowie and Queen, and I was all like "Neat, sounds interesting". And then, when it started to play, I was all "Buh...? Wha...? o_O". Yeah, it was something of a surprise, to say the least.

It's unfortunate that I hadn't heard of it before now, since Under Pressure is infinitely better than Ice Ice Baby.

I don't know... the whole MC Hammer/Rick James connection seemed all in-your-face back in the day, but I don't remember hearing anything about this, strangely.

[alessar.livejournal.com]

Dude. Just ... just ...

[necromononoke.livejournal.com]

eh...
http://www.q-unit.net/

*sigh*

[kane-magus.livejournal.com]

Not saying that it wasn't already common knowledge as well, just that I have apparently been living under a rock all this time. ^^;

[yamen.livejournal.com]

WRONG.

Ice Ice Baby > Under Pressure. Vanilla Ice is one of the 80's greatest white rappers. Queen is just good.

[imbikun.livejournal.com]

Yeah, anyways as Ice will tell you the songs are actually different. See, Queen's song goes "Dun dun dun de de dun dun" and his goes "Dun dun dun de chick dun dun"

[kane-magus.livejournal.com]

I hear he's an amazing actor (http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/coolasice/default.php) as well.

I also hear he has a part in the upcoming third Resident Evil movie.

[necromononoke.livejournal.com]

http://palmsout.blogspot.com/2007/02/sample-wednesday-27-daft-punk.html

try that one out...it's a good feeling knowing.

they aren't that clever

[sailorzeo.livejournal.com]

Then again, VH-1 runs all those "I Love the (insert decade here)" shows, plus has Vanilla Ice on Surreal Life Fame Games (where he might just win), and...where was I going?

Oh yeah. Thanks for pointing out WHO it was with Queen. I heard Under Pressure yesterday at work and couldn't remember if it was David Bowie or Sting.

[rabbitucker.livejournal.com]

This sort of thing is very common in 80's and 90's rap music. It's called "sampling."

Coolio's "Fantastic Voyage" = Earth Wind & Fire's "Fantastic Voyage"
Naughty By Nature's "OPP" = The Jackson 5's "ABC"
M.C. Hammer's "Pray" = Prince's "When Doves Cry"
Will Smith's "Men in Black" = Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Not"