Since Lady Gaga’s new single “Born This Way” made its debut last month, critics have alleged that the song is “derivative” or even a “rip off” of Madonna songs like “Express Yourself.”  And, of course it is.  But that also doesn’t matter in the least.  All pop music is derivative.  “Express Yourself” (1989) borrows from the Staple Singers’ “Respect Yourself” (1971).  This fact eludes those who allege thievery on behalf of Lady Gaga — presumably because people like to believe that pop music is original.  Great pop is not original.  It just sounds original.

Respect Yourself, The Staple Singers (1971)

Express Yourself, Madonna (1989)

Born This Way, Lady Gaga (2011)

Chuck Berry’s classic riff in “Johnny B. Goode” (1957) — one of the founding tunes of rock-and-roll — comes from Carl Hogan’s riff for Louis Jordan’s “Ain’t That Just Like a Woman” (1946).

Ain’t That Just Like a Woman, Louis Jordan (1946)

Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry (1957)

Nirvana’s groundbreaking “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991) takes its chorus’ chord progression directly from Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” (1976).

More Than a Feeling, Boston (1976)

Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana (1991)

The Raconteurs’ “Steady As She Goes” (2006) borrows its baseline from Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” (1979), a song which takes its title from the opening line of the Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack” (1964).  It’s possible, too, that Jackson’s song also bears some influence from the Damned’s “New Rose” (1977), which begins by quoting that same opening line from the Shangri-Las.  Did listening to the Damned inspire him to use that Shangri-Las line?  I’m not sure, but it strikes me as a possibility.

Leader of the Pack, The Shangri-Las (1964)

New Rose, The Damned (1977)

Is She Really Going Out With Him?, Joe Jackson (1979)

Steady, As She Goes, The Raconteurs (2006)

When one artist sues another, these sorts of borrowings make the news, and thus we learn how the Chiffons’ “She’s So Fine” (1963) may have unconsciously influenced George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” (1970) — a song from which Wilco’s “You Never Know” (2009) quotes (and quotes directly, at the 3-minute mark).   Or how the Knack’s “My Sharona” (1979) turns up in RUN-DMC’s “It’s Tricky” (1986), or Joe Satriani’s “If I Could Fly” (2004) seems to emerge in Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” (2008).  I say “seems to” because I suspect that a lot of these borrowings happen unconsciously.

He’s So Fine, The Chiffons (1963)

My Sweet Lord, George Harrison (1970)

You Never Know, Wilco (2009)

My Sharona, The Knack (1979)

It’s Tricky, RUN-DMC (1986)

If I Could Fly, Joe Satriani (2004)

Viva la Vida, Coldplay (2008)

Whatever the reason, a lot of pop music sounds like a lot of other pop music.  Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974) becomes Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” (1978), the Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night” (1964) turns into the Doors’ “Hello, I Love You” (1968), and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” (1982) re-emerges as Cee-Lo’s “Bright Lights, Big City” (2010).

Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)

Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon (1978)

All Day and All of the Night, The Kinks (1964)

Hello, I Love You, The Doors (1968)

Billie Jean, Michael Jackson (1982)

Bright Lights Bigger City, Cee-Lo (2010)

So, yes, Lady Gaga bears Madonna’s influence.  But pop music is born this way.

Born 107 years ago today in Springfield Mass., Theodor Seuss Geisel had an extraordinarily prolific career.  Most people know him for the 44 books he wrote and illustrated under the name “Dr. Seuss.”  But that’s only part of his career.  He wrote another 13 books under the name “Theo. LeSieg,” one book as “Rosetta Stone,” and then there are books co-authored, books published posthumously, and books illustrated by others.  And those are only the books.  He did so much more!

So, in honor of his birthday, here are three other “thinks” that Seuss thought.

1. Gerald McBoing-Boing.  Featuring Dr. Seuss’s verse and the animation skills of Bill Melendéz (who would later work on the animated Peanuts specials), United Productions of America released Gerald McBoing-Boing in 1950.  The film would win an Academy Award for Best Animated Short.  The studio would go on to produce a few McBoing-Boing sequels and the Mr. Magoo cartoons.

2. The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Seuss’s live-action musical, released in 1953, features notable performances by Tommy Rettig (later Jeff on TV’s Lassie) and Hans Conried.  For more info., you might take a look at this earlier blog post.  Below, a happily campy musical number featuring Mr. Conried as Dr. T.

3. Advertising, and lots of it. Before he was a children’s writer, Seuss was an ad-man.  Even after he started writing for children (his first children’s book was published in 1937), he still made his living in advertising.  The success of his 13th children’s book, The Cat in the Hat (1957), would change all that.  After the publication of The Cat, he was able to devote himself to writing for children full-time.  For more on Seuss’s ads, you might take a look at this earlier blog post.

And there are so many other areas we could explore — political cartoons, to name one example.  His paintings and other illustration work, to name two more.  But I’ll wrap things up in the next few sentences, and offer some suggestions where — in addition to the links throughout this post — you might go to learn more.  Depending on your threshold for flashy web design, you could check out Random House’s Seussville website: it features my biography of Seuss, along with abundant animation and sound effects (I suggest you mute your computer’s volume before clicking on either of the links in this sentence).  For a more complete biography, though, do turn to the primary source for what I wrote for Random House: Judith and Neil Morgan’s Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel (1995). Indeed, if you read only one secondary source on Dr. Seuss, that’s the book to read.

Oh, and happy Read Across America Day!