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Simple Plan - 'Your Love Is A Lie'

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Fraser McAlpine | 10:09 UK time, Friday, 18 April 2008

Simple PlanHaha! This is amazing! You know how 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' by Green Day and 'Wonderwall' by Oasis seem to share the same musical parents? (It came up in a really old ChartBlog posting, from the days when we were still pink.) Well, it looks like they've got a new baby brother, and typical of the younger generation, he's into all breaks and beats and drum machines and whatnot. Noel Gallagher would be spinning in his grave if he were only a) dead or b) on a roundabout, in a grave.

Naturally, we here at ChartBlog do not care what Noel Gallagher thinks about plagiarism. Charming and eloquent though the man is, and undoubtedly a deserving member of the Rock Star Club and all round Good Bloke, it's not really a topic he can comment on without drawing a certain amount of ridicule upon himself. And the less said about his stance on Jay-Z at Glastonbury, the better, really.

So, this just leaves us pondering how best to enjoy this song. We can either listen to it intently, shouting out "WONDERWALL!" or "BOULEVARD!" whenever the membrane of recognition gets punctured (pretty much all the time, I've tried it). Or we can just relax, admit that there are similarities but that everyone gets their ideas from somewhere, and enjoy the musical experience as a whole.

Personally, once I've finished pointing and giggling, I'm all for the latter approach. You've got to think kindly of a song which has pop verses and rock choruses, it's like a half-way house for people who are undecided as to which they like the most.

Which makes this the musical equivalent of THAT MOMENT in Harry Hill's TV Burp. You know the one...

"So we've got rock, hmm? Yes? And pop...but which is best? There's only one way to find out..."

"FIIIIIGHT!"

I expect Noel Gallagher is against THAT too....

Three stars Download: Out now
CD Released: April 21st
www.simpleplan.com
www.myspace.com/simpleplan

(Fraser McAlpine)

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  • 1. At 12:32pm on 18 Apr 2008, thranjax wrote:

    So what you're saying is that this is a rip off but it still gets three stars? Similar to the Hoosiers song "sampling" the Cure?

    Does that mean that being a musician doesn't need to involve actually writing music anymore? Good grief anyone can do it then.

    In which case just imagine these words set to the tune of .. oh I don't know, "Hey Jude", and can I have my cheque now?

    John.

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  • 2. At 2:40pm on 18 Apr 2008, FraserMcA wrote:

    Two different reviewers, two different star ratings, Thranj. Although it's the same point...

    As for your 'Hey Jude' song...well, it depends on how well I'm imagining you singing it.

    At present it's so bad that you owe ME money...

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  • 3. At 4:04pm on 18 Apr 2008, XxlivsxX wrote:

    This song's quite good really, the wonderwall/boulevard moment for me comes in at around 0:33. As with the Hoosiers using Lovecats, there are worse songs to copy. Wonderwall is a great song, although it has never been the same since I was informed that it was "saves me" not "sainsburys".

    Olivia

    P.S That Harry Hill reference didn't half make me laugh, that man's pure genius.

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  • 4. At 5:14pm on 18 Apr 2008, thranjax wrote:

    Actually Frasier I was imagining Harry Hill singing it, which, to be fair, I would pay for.

    (You are quite right, if I was singing anything I would owe everyone a fortune).

    John.

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  • 5. At 5:39pm on 18 Apr 2008, FraserMcA wrote:

    Haha! I KNEW it!

    I also love Harry Hill. He's amazing.

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  • 6. At 6:01pm on 18 Apr 2008, thranjax wrote:

    It just makes me kind of angry and kind of sad that artists with such undoubted talent need to reference other music so obviously.

    Both this song and the Hoosiers' song have good lyrics, but if you spend all your time listening to this song comparing it to another (arguably) better song then you don't appreciate the lyrics or the original touches. It seems a waste, to me.

    John

    PS. I seem to be turning into a Tears for Fears song at the start of this comment, for which I apologise profusely.

    PPS. Is there anything people do profusely other than sweat or apologise?

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  • 7. At 9:36pm on 18 Apr 2008, cinderellacomplex wrote:

    Hah.. being a musician never involved WRITING music. Entire orchestras make their living by playing a dead guy's tunes.. tell them that they're not musicians and watch how grouchy they get..

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  • 8. At 9:39pm on 18 Apr 2008, cinderellacomplex wrote:

    Oh and tons of things can be done profusely.. bleeding for one.

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  • 9. At 11:40pm on 18 Apr 2008, FraserMcA wrote:

    Ah but you don't often hear of people rueing anything but 'the day'


    Or of people being quintissentially anything other than English. I love these sort of cul-de-sac words.

    Shall we make a list?

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  • 10. At 00:03am on 19 Apr 2008, cinderellacomplex wrote:

    Hmm I've heard quintessential romantic before. Not much else though really.

    On rue you win lol.. and gaw.. I can't think of anymore like that =/

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  • 11. At 00:27am on 19 Apr 2008, thranjax wrote:

    Hi,

    yes, i know you don't need to write music to be a musician. That wasn't what I said.

    As for the cul-de-sac words...

    meted out : treatment or punishment.

    stone-cold: sober or Steve Austin

    indefinable: something

    fatal: flaw (or rather, what is a flaw if not fatal?)

    and has anyone ever been gruntled?


    John


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  • 12. At 01:11am on 19 Apr 2008, FraserMcA wrote:

    I have once. But I'm not doing it again.

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  • 13. At 11:19am on 19 Apr 2008, cinderellacomplex wrote:

    What was it you did say then?
    That's what it sounded like you were saying..


    The gruntled thing is like the overwhelmed/underwhelmed/just whelmed thing. Strange words.

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  • 14. At 01:30am on 20 Apr 2008, thranjax wrote:

    I didn't say it. What I said was

    "It just makes me kind of angry and kind of sad that artists with such undoubted talent need to reference other music so obviously."

    I mean I can't enjoy the good work they are doing because I keep thinking about the other song while their song is on. It's just how it is for me.

    Obviously, like an orchestra, nothing is stopping them from playing other people's music, but symphony orchestras don't usually claim to have written the music they are playing, although they may have rearranged it enough to claim some artistic credit.

    I may be wrong, both bands may have writing credits to the original songs on the singles. That I don't know.

    John

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