Sunday, November 09, 2008

Top 12 best ever songs used as samples

I had my first ever up-close-and-personal experience of karaoke on Friday night at K-Box off Leicester Square. And which song did I lose my karaoke virginity to, I hear you ask? Why, it was 'Islands in the Stream' by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton of course (although I really hit my stride with 'Suspicious Minds'...) Anyway, as a song whose melody I knew primarily from Pras Michel's 1998 hit single 'Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)', it got me thinking about the best songs which have been sampled for contemporary hits. Thanks to the wonder that is YouTube, my top twelve are embedded below (NB. it's the quality of the original hook that I'm ranking here, not the track which makes use of it - hence two entries by the decidedly uncool Coolio...) Let me know what I've missed using the comments form below or over on Twitter.

1. 'Stand By Me' - Ben E. King (1961) sampled by 'Beautiful Girls' - Sean Kingston (2007)



2. 'Islands in the Stream' - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (1983) sampled by 'Ghetto Superstar (That Is What You Are)' - Pras Michel featuring Mýa & Ol' Dirty Bastard (1998)



3. 'The Way It Is' - Bruce Hornby and the Range (1986) sampled by 'Changes' - 2Pac (1998)



4. 'Every Breath You Take' - The Police (1983) sampled by 'I'll Be Missing You' - Puff Daddy and Faith Evans (1997)



5. 'Walk on The Wild Side' - Lou Reed (1972) sampled by 'Can I Kick It?' - A Tribe Called Quest (1991)



6. 'Under Pressure' - Queen (1981) sampled by 'Ice Ice Baby' - Vanilla Ice (1990)



7. 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' - Gary Numan/Tubeway Army (1979) sampled by 'Freak Like Me' - Sugababes (2002)



8. 'Parce Que Tu Crois' - Charles Aznavour (1966) sampled by 'Breathe' - Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul (2003)



9. 'Super Freak' - Rick James (1981) sampled by 'U Can't Touch This' - MC Hammer (1990)



10. 'The Last Time' - The Andrew Oldham Orchestra (1966) sampled by 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' - The Verve (1997)



11. 'Pastime Paradise' - Stevie Wonder (1976) sampled by 'Gangsta's Paradise' - Coolio (1995)



12. 'Canon in D major' - Pachelbel (1680) sampled by 'C U When U Get There' - Coolio (1997)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkfHShATKY Vs http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oWnFak7Lw3s

Rock The Casbah Vs Will2K

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ypVLtlXy_No Vs http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e7iyjsLlsyk

Tom Tom Club Vs Mariah

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lV3SHBFyDZM Vs http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XlNgtLCL9sc

Samuel Barber Vs William Orbit


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iJnfflAVOoE Vs http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=I2sjAnu_5ek

Love Sensation Vs Ride on Time

Anonymous said...

Hi Danny-Boy

Spot on with the Top 12 best ever songs used as samples. Very pleased to see 'Canon in D major'and 'Super Freak' made your list.

Jimbo McThresh

Martin said...

What about

Kanye West v

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cZd1Js0QaOI

Daft Punk (with Hands)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cYWfq--Nw