Debunking the Myth of Musical Originality

by Gilliana Hope

A, B, C, D, E, F, G: the foundational scale for creating music lies strictly in the repetitive use of these 7-letters. There are only so many ways we can combine these letters and their respective chord progressions, so, as a songwriter and composer, how can one know with 100 percent certainty that the piece they are crafting is completely their own original work?

The answer is that they cannot, even if one thinks it is, as, if they were to scour the globe’s discography, we would inevitably find someone else’s work out there that is identical to their own. These potential roadblocks are common, but in the modern music industry’s practices, such as sampling and interpolation, provide artists with ways to properly credit and celebrate their influences and inspirations.

For readers who might not be as well-versed in the specifics of proper recognition behind-the-scenes: in sampling, the artist directly utilizes a section of an original song in their song whereas interpolation requires a musician to record and identically recreate the composition themselves for use in their created piece of work. These avenues can be both blessings and curses, especially when we look at some well well-known tracks.

The acclaimed “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, samples “34 Ghosts IV” by
Nine Inch Nails; meanwhile, “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande, both samples and interpolates “My Favorite Things” by Julie Andrews, from The Sound of Music. Both contemporary artists were enthusiastically praised for their inspired recreations which took pieces of music history and converted them into ‘new classics’ unequivocally cementing themselves as next in this line of ‘the greats’. Opposingly, there are cases like Robin Thicke’s 2013 hit song, “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams, which sparked the landmark case of Pharrell Williams et al. V Bridgeport Music et al. This case highlighted a pivotal question that was debated across the globe and even still is to this day: Is a song plagiarized if it pulls inspiration from another work’s aesthetic and style?

In “Blurred Lines,” when determining whether the piece copied Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” the judge ruled in the 2013 hits’ favor. No one can own a genre, aesthetic, or style, as all of us artists would, then, be screwed. Many applauded and celebrated this decision in favor of these mens’ song, which is why the case of Olivia Rodrigo less than a decade later made me raise an eyebrow of intrigue.

Upon the release of Rodrigo’s album Sour in 2021, many zeroed in on the singer’s interpolation of famed Taylor Swift songs, “Cruel Summer” and “New Year’s Day” on her tracks “déjà vu” and “1 step forward, 3 steps back” respectively. The emerging artist had never shied away from her Swiftie nature and often was vocal about it online, so when the popstar’s fanbase swarmed her for the lack of citation, Olivia was quick to fix the issue. Unfortunately, it would not be her only error in judgement—depending on who you ask—in the world of accreditation. Her third single “good 4 you” saw the artist break away from the Swift-inspired detailed accounts of heartache and lean into a pop-rock sound which evoked the mid to early 2000s, which to me were the sounds of my middle school years. Almost immediately, listeners noticed it bore a striking resemblance to the band Paramore’s “Misery Business.” Although the singer-songwriter, in response, corrected her perceived error once more, the media and public eye crucified the young songstress.

On the flip side, in the case of Sour’s opening track we saw an artist of an older generations spoke up in Olivia’s favor, Elvis Costello. He was noted on “brutal” as a contributor thanks to his piece “Pump It Up” yet, when asked, seemed quite indifferent to the acknowledgement. His attitude is one I believe to be necessary if musicians and songwriters ever want to continue creating new music: there must be some level of understanding that when you transition from being a listener and lover of music to making it as well you are tasked with making something new from the past, to provide your take on it and not to reinvent the already narrow wheel. To quote Costello’s response to a fan on the issue, music (specifically rock & roll) is when “you take broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand-new toy.” He even went so far as to point out that he’s done the same thing, interpolating throughout his career in the same way the up-and-coming artist.

It seemed almost oxymoronic, to me, for a debuting artist to be hit with such an extreme wave of pressure and demand of justice for bigger artists. Any time someone makes something, they are often asked to cite their inspirations; how is that any different? I still find myself confused by the ever-changing, invisible fine line between copying and inspiring. Perhaps it comes from being a singer-songwriter myself, because I can’t help but put myself in the shoes of every artist I have mentioned above.

What must it be like to have your authenticity and artistic integrity questioned under a microscope like that? Music-making diverges from every other art form. It is rigorous and sometimes even grueling to convey our stories and emotions. Still, we keep doing it, maybe because it’s a necessary feat for artists who utilize music as an audible diary: it is where we express what cannot be eloquently explained in everyday conversation. This act of artistry makes the songwriting process one of the most vulnerable and raw states that I believe a human can stand in.

Gilliana Hope is an avid believer in creative expression as a vital tool for healing, having turned to it throughout her entire life. With a synergy between her identities as a songwriter, singer, and writer, often she feels like a vessel for the words she composes. The poetic and musical tales she weaves come from a brutally personal place, for better or worse. Her work can be found on social media @justgilliana