Songs That Sound Exactly the Same

[littlemouse921]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:02pm

I was recently listening to "I have Confidence" from the Sound of Music  and realized that the first half of the song sounds nearly identical, lyrics and all, to "I Believe" from the Book of Mormon. I was just wondering if this was intentional and what other examples of this are out there?

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:08pm

Somewhere That's Green from "Little Shop of Horrors"

A Part of Your World" from "Little Mermaid"

[mamaleh]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:22pm

"Call Me Savage" - FADE OUT, FADE IN

"Witches' Brew" - HALLELUJAH, BABY

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:26pm

I've always thought that the fanfare under the last part  of "Out There" from HUNCHBACK sounded just like that from "Being Alive."

 

More recently, the refrain of one of the SCHOOL OF ROCK songs and "Someone Else's Story" form CHESS.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:36pm

littlemouse921 said: "I was just wondering if this was intentional "

 

Yes.

[hork]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:44pm

Not exactly the same, but I can't sing "Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue" from Fun Home in my head without it turning into the merchandisers' song from Chess. So it goes something like:

 

He wants the bust of Quixote square on the mantel.

Sweep that lint away, it’s what a broom is for.

Clean your teeth with checkered toothpaste, wear a vest ...

 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:44pm

If we're talking about intentional homages, "Sunday" from TICK TICK BOOM is a classic example.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:54pm

"Follow Me"  from CAMELOT and "Come Back to Me" from ON A CLEAR DAY are down and up tempo variations of a near identical melody.   One would guess they at the very least had the same composer.  They don't, though they have the same lyricist.

Updated On: 12/11/15 at 03:54 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:57pm

Savage and Brew are the exact same melody with different lyrics. The composer, Jule  Styne, regularly stole from himself.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 3:59pm

The lines "who can take a sunrise" from "Candy Man" and the first notes of "No One Is Alone" are they same.

Also parts of "Comfort and Joy" from "Batboy" sounds melodically similar to the title song from "Legally Blonde"

[Fantod]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 4:05pm

Of course Jerry Herman is derivative of himself very often, which There is No Tune being the same song as It's Today and It Takes a Woman being the same as We Need a Little Christmas

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 4:48pm

I have no problem with a composer stealing from himself. If a melody is good but the show tanks, why should it remain unheard.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 10:14pm

Andrew lloyd Webber basically stole the melody of the chorus of Someone Else's Story for If Only You Would Listen from School of Rock.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 10:17pm

"You Should Be Loved" and "Emma Carew, can this be you." But just that part.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 10:24pm

Not two musical theatre songs, but "When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground" from Finding Neverland (especially Gary Barlow's version) reminds me a lot of Coldplay's "Fix You."

Updated On: 12/11/15 at 10:24 PM

[itis2l84u]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 11:34pm

gypsy101 said: "Andrew lloyd Webber basically stole the melody of the chorus of Someone Else's Story for If Only You Would Listen from School of Rock.

 

"

I was just listening to that album and I looked up Someone Else's Story and I can actually sing the lyrics in my head of If Only You Would Listen to it. ALW does it again.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 8:00am

The title song of LEGALLY BLONDE and Part of Your World from THE LITTLE MERMAID have similar qualities as well. 

 

Les Possions from THE LITTLE MERMAID and Be Our Guest from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST are the same melody, with different lyrics. (These were both written by Alan Menken.)

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 8:50am

I just realized the opening of The Civil War (like the first seven or eight notes) is exactly the same as the theme from Back to the Future.

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 10:37am

The "Unlimited" motif in Wicked famously uses the first seven notes of "Over the Rainbow".

I realized that "On My Own" from Les Mis and "Those You've Known" from Spring Awakening have almost the exact same rhythm when it comes to syllables. Also, my personal favorite, "Red and Black"/"Do-Re-Mi" (Red, the blood of angry men/ Tea, a drink with jam and bread).

[Broadway kid 2]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 10:43am

[hork]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 11:00am

People have a weird definition of "exactly the same."

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 3:04pm

'Before the parade passes by' HELLO DOLLY/'A parade in town' ANYONE CAN WHISTLE...

while these songs don't really sound alike they are exactly alike in sentiment and theme IMHO

[Movidude742]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 3:27pm

There is a line from Kindergarten Boyfriend in Heathers that is uncomfortably and Old Red Hills of Home in Parade

compare the melody for the line  

I go to fight for these old hills behind me
These Old Red Hills of Home

and

Last night I dreamed a horse with wings
Flew down into my home room

[rob136]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 3:29pm

Every reprise ever with the song it reprised.

 

/thread

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 12/12/15 at 4:17pm

The Book of Mormon score is made up of parody songs.  A lot of the melodies and ideas are taken directly from classic tunes (ex. I Believe/I Have Confidence or Sal Tla ka Siti/Somewhere that's Green or You and me (but mostly me)/The Wizard and I).

The show's fun and all, but I would hardly call it "original" or "brilliant."

Also, the opening vamp of "Tight Knit Family" from Falsettos always reminds me of "The Little Things" from Company (especially on the 2007 cast recording).