Here we have a story of yet another stolen melody line/riff from The Chainsmokers. Don't be offended though dudes… EVERYONE DOES IT RIGHT? It seems more and more lately that any pop song can't get released without having some aspect being taken/stolen/sampled/copied or however you want to say it. No matter how you phrase it the common ground is, it's not original.
On Sunday, reddit user u/whySoserious01 posted the music video for “Poesie Album”, a track released by Samy Deluxe in 2011. The user stated in the description of his post that he believed The Chainsmokers copied his melody straight out of the 2011 record saying, “Ever since I’ve heard the song I was wondering where I’d heard the first part of it before. It sounded so familiar. I haven’t found any answer on the Internet, until i came across a popular german rap song.” Below I have these two songs for you to listen to and compare for yourself.
Now, in my opinion this infraction is MUCH less serious than the infraction that seemed to be swept under the rug by the masses in their last release “Closer”. Back in September, The Chainsmokers ended up having to add Isaac Slade and Joe King, of The Fray, to the credits of “Closer”. This was done extremely under the radar, based on the the main melody line sounding identical to The Fray's “Over My Head (Cable Car)”. But the plagiarism in “Closer” doesn't stop there. The songs Chorus also sounds damn near identical to Fetty Wap‘s song “679”. Take a listen in the video comparison below, paying close attention the section that show the sheet music for the song. Keep in mind, that the only notes that are different, are the ones highlighted in red…. that's a whole lot of green.
And last but not least here is The Fray's “Over My Head (Cable Car)” for comparison. fast forward to the post-chorus instrumental section at 0:56 and you'll hear the line that is identical to that catchy melody in “Closer”.
In closing, I want to say that The Chainsmokers are RIDICULOUSLY talented. This is not to discount the genius that is their production and songwriting skill. I do, However, feel like the pop music scene (especially the more commercial music you hear on the radio) is FAR to recycled. I understand there is literally a “formula” for a hit, but at least stay original. And in particularly, The Chainsmokers have found themselves in this situation a little too often for comfort. But, as long as people continue to buy the records and pay hundreds of dollars to go see these artists….. it will never change. The product we receive from artists is a product of what we buy. THEY give us, what WE want to hear. So who's is truly the culprit here?
