A few clicks and a trip down the internet rabbit hole and I learned something I somehow missed.

"The Air That I Breathe was co-written in 1972 by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood. It was first recorded by Hammond on his solo album It Never Rains In Southern California. The song achieved international recognition two years later when it was recorded by The Hollies, and went to become a top ten hit in many countries....

Radiohead wrote the song Creep in the late 1980s and recorded it in 1992, releasing it as their debut single, which was a top ten hit in the UK and top 40 in the US. Hammond and Hazlewood noticed the similarity between Creep and The Air That I Breathe and contacted Radiohead's publisher Warner/Chappell Music.

"Radiohead agreed that they had actually taken it ... Because they were honest they weren't sued to the point of saying 'we want the whole thing'. So we ended up just getting a little piece of it.""

Hammond and Hazlewood vs Warner Chappell Music Ltd




And yes, I do know this story goes one step deeper.

That's pretty wild.
I also never noticed the similarities..

I can't imagine being that trio and trying to sing both songs at the same time like that lol...
That had to be so confusing to record!

Huh

I'm with huh? I don't hear enough similarities. The two songs sound very different to me, despite how they join them in that video.

Third part of the story is...

Put me into the I don't hear it camp. Honestly, all I hear is Albert Hammond ripping off The Beatles.

Don't let the lyrics get in the way.

Start around 15 seconds in:

Slow it down a tad and lose the drum.

The similarities are very noticeable, not just a little but a LOT.

The verse chord progression is almost identical.

Creep: Gmaj > Bmaj > C > Cmin

The Air That I Breathe: Gmaj > Bmaj7 > C > Cmin

With the singing muted, there is a definite similarity.

I hear it as well.

Same case with Offspring's "Why Don't You Get a Job" and The Beatles' "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" and Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia."

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
Don't let the lyrics get in the way.

Wow. I just listened to the first video and there’s no need for me to listen to the second because I know exactly which song it sounds like. I wouldn’t able to name that tune by artist and song, but I’ve heard the song enough to recognize it clearly.