So much of music history is tied together by similar riffs, similar rhythms, and similar chord patterns. But where does inspiration end and plagiarism begin? Let’s take a look at five of the most famous examples — and you can decide for yourself.

1. “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry — Did He Really Write It?

Play just the first few notes and everyone in the room knows what it is. “Johnny B. Goode” is one of the most iconic guitar riffs ever written. But did Chuck Berry actually write it?

Consider this: nine years before Berry recorded it, Carl Hogan was playing a remarkably similar lick as part of a big band arrangement. The song was “Ain’t That Just Like a Woman” by Louis Jordan, released in 1946. Play both in the same key, add a little overdrive, and the resemblance is striking.

That said, Berry did make it his own. He swapped single notes for double stops and added his signature sliding action — giving the riff a propulsive energy that helped transform a traditional boogie blues line into the foundation of rock and roll. It’s different enough that calling it a straight copy would be unfair. But inspiration? Almost certainly.

Let’s call it what it probably was: a great musician hearing something great and pushing it somewhere new.

2. “Come As You Are” by Nirvana — Kurt’s Worst-Kept Secret

Many guitarists learned “Come As You Are” as their very first riff. What fewer people know is that a nearly identical riff had already been released eight years earlier.

The song is “Eighties” by post-punk band Killing Joke, and the similarities are genuinely hard to ignore. Both riffs are played on guitars tuned a whole step down. Both alternate between an E minor and a D5 chord. Both follow almost identical rhythmic patterns. And both use a chorus effect. Play them back to back and you’ll struggle to hear the moment one ends and the other begins.

Kurt Cobain was reportedly nervous about releasing “Come As You Are” as a single precisely because he felt it was too close. He was right to be worried — Killing Joke did complain publicly. They didn’t pursue legal action, partly for financial reasons, but also perhaps because their own riff had precedent too.

Three years before Killing Joke released “Eighties”, The Damned put out “Life Goes On” in 1982 — the same chords, a similar rhythmic feel, but played on bass guitar. Stack all three together — Kurt Cobain’s vocal over the Killing Joke guitar riff with the Damned underneath — and it works almost perfectly.

Three songs, one riff, a decade of rock history.

3. “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple — Beethoven Backwards?

I made a full video about the fascinating and peculiar story behind “Smoke on the Water”, which you can find here — but for now let’s focus specifically on the riff itself and where it might have come from.

Ritchie Blackmore has claimed, perhaps tongue in cheek, that it’s Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony played backwards. Reverse the symphony, change the rhythm, change some of the notes — and you do get something vaguely familiar. But there’s not much left of the original riff by that point, so let’s be generous and say that one’s a stretch.

A more plausible explanation points to Brazilian guitarist and songwriter Carlos Lyra, who released a bossa nova track called “Maria Moita” in 1964 — eight years before “Smoke on the Water” appeared in 1972. Play both in the same key and the similarity is, to put it politely, awkwardly close.

Then again, both riffs are built on a pretty basic blues scale pattern in a simple rhythm. You could make a reasonable argument that two musicians arrived there independently. But still — Beethoven backwards? I’ll let you decide.

4. Two Beatles Riffs With Blues Fingerprints All Over Them

“Revolution” — Pee Wee Crayton Did It First

The sliding double stops in “Revolution” feel quintessentially John Lennon — raw, loose, electric. It’s tempting to trace them back to Chuck Berry’s influence, but the real comparison is much more direct.

Blues guitarist Pee Wee Crayton recorded “Do Unto Others” in 1954 — fourteen years before Lennon cut “Revolution” in 1968. The triplets, the timing, the sliding action — it’s close enough that “inspired by” feels like an understatement. Crayton’s original, if anything, is the more ferocious recording. The tone and playing from 1954 are frankly remarkable.

“I Feel Fine” — Bobby Parker’s Favourite Record

John Lennon once openly named Bobby Parker’s “Watch Your Step” as one of his favourite records. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that “I Feel Fine” — widely celebrated for its groundbreaking guitar riff — shares some significant DNA with Parker’s 1961 track.

Both riffs follow a traditional blues format, playing over the one, four, and five chords. Both share a similar rhythmic feel, with accents landing in nearly identical places. The opening notes of both riffs are essentially the same.

Where Lennon diverges is in what he does with the riff harmonically — moving to the four of the chord, the three, and then the nine, which gives “I Feel Fine” a distinctly different character from Parker’s original. For me, that’s where it genuinely transforms into something new. But the blueprint is undeniably Parker’s.

The Beatles weren’t alone in taking inspiration from Bobby Parker. Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick” carries a remarkably similar feel, as does Deep Purple’s “Rat Rat Blue.” Quite the legacy for a record that many casual music fans have never even heard of.

5. “Two Minutes to Midnight” by Iron Maiden — Metal’s Favourite Riff

And finally, the most entertaining example of the lot.

Iron Maiden released “Two Minutes to Midnight” in 1984, and it’s a stone-cold classic. But it wasn’t the first time that particular combination of palm-muted open strings and syncopated rhythms had appeared. Not by a long shot.

Here’s the timeline:

• 1975 — Black Sabbath release “Megalomania.” Similar feel, similar energy.
• 1976 — Rory Gallagher releases “Moonchild.” Getting closer.
• 1980 — White Spirit release “Midnight Chaser.” Very familiar.
• 1980 — Budgie release “Wildfire.” Even more so.
• 1981 — Riot release “Swords and Tequila.” Practically in the same neighbourhood.
• 1982 — Accept release “Flash Rockin’ Man.” Yep.
• 1983 — Merciful Fate release “Curse of the Pharaohs.” One year before Iron Maiden.

And then in 1984, Iron Maiden release “Two Minutes to Midnight.”

To be fair, many of the similarities between these tracks result from the genre.

Palm-muted open strings with syncopated rhythms is to metal what the I-IV-V is to the blues, the ii-V-I is to jazz, or the 808 is to hip-hop. It’s the foundation, and you can’t really blame anyone for building on it. It’s just fun to lay it all out like this.

So Where Does Inspiration End and Plagiarism Begin?

Honestly, I’m not sure anyone can draw that line with confidence — including the musicians themselves.

Whenever I write a riff, I follow where my ears lead me. And sometimes I wonder: is this new, or is this something I heard years ago quietly making its way back out? You can never really know, unless you’re doing it deliberately. Most musicians aren’t. Most musicians are just following the music.

What I do know is that the current trend of suing over musical similarity is a worrying one. Music has always built on what came before. That’s not theft — that’s how culture works.

And if you want to develop your own voice on the guitar — learning how to use the pentatonic scale with real feel, how to blend rhythm and lead playing, and how to improvise confidently — check out my electric guitar course Electric Elevation.

Every concept comes with full tabs, curated backing tracks to practice over, and detailed video lessons that walk you through everything step by step — so you’re never left guessing what to do next.

Keep playing, keep writing, and I’ll see you next time.