Sampling can turn music history into a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A drum break recorded decades ago becomes the backbone of a hip-hop hit. A tiny vocal fragment becomes the hook of a dance track. A forgotten soul record suddenly reaches millions of people because a producer hears something inside it that nobody else noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some samples are obvious. Others are buried so deeply in the production that you can hear the song hundreds of times without realising another recording is hiding inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are 25 famous examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A quick note: sampling and interpolation are not exactly the same thing. A sample uses part of an existing recording. An interpolation recreates part of an earlier composition. Pop records can also combine both techniques, so the relationships below are described in practical listening terms rather than pretending every connection works identically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Etta James \u2013 Something\u2019s Got a Hold on Me<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soulful vocal that bursts through Levels comes from Etta James. Avicii places that older blues-and-R&B performance inside a completely different electronic world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Daft Punk \u2013 Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most obvious and effective sample relationships in modern pop. Kanye turns Daft Punk\u2019s robotic vocal into the central hook of a hip-hop record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Dido \u2013 Thank You<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening of Dido\u2019s Thank You becomes the haunting foundation for one of Eminem\u2019s most famous storytelling tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: The Chi-Lites \u2013 Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The explosive horn figure that announces Crazy in Love comes from a 1970s soul recording by The Chi-Lites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: The Clash \u2013 Straight to Hell<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paper Planes builds its hypnotic musical foundation around a sample from The Clash, creating a connection between punk, hip-hop and global pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source connection: Etta James \u2013 Something\u2019s Got a Hold on Me<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same Etta James performance associated with Avicii\u2019s Levels also became central to Good Feeling, although the production contexts are completely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: ABBA \u2013 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ABBA have historically been selective about sampling permissions, which makes the instantly recognisable musical connection in Hung Up especially notable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Rick James \u2013 Super Freak<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The groove of Super Freak is so central to U Can\u2019t Touch This that hearing one song almost automatically makes you think of the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Mtume \u2013 Juicy Fruit<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Juicy turns Mtume\u2019s smooth 1980s groove into the backdrop for one of hip-hop\u2019s best-known success stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Tom Tom Club \u2013 Genius of Love<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The playful groove from Genius of Love fits Mariah Carey\u2019s Fantasy so naturally that the two records now feel permanently connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Timmy Thomas \u2013 Why Can\u2019t We Live Together<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sparse rhythm and organ of Timmy Thomas\u2019 recording provide much of Hotline Bling\u2019s distinctive atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Camille Yarbrough \u2013 Take Yo\u2019 Praise<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A brilliant example of a producer hearing possibility inside an older vocal and rebuilding it into something completely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Otis Redding \u2013 Try a Little Tenderness<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than hiding the source, Otis celebrates it. The chopped Redding vocal is the entire personality of the beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source recording: The Andrew Oldham Orchestra \u2013 The Last Time<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The famous string loop comes from an orchestral recording connected to The Rolling Stones\u2019 The Last Time. The rights history around the song became almost as famous as the track itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source composition: Stevie Wonder \u2013 Pastime Paradise<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gangsta\u2019s Paradise reworks the musical idea of Stevie Wonder\u2019s Pastime Paradise into something darker and more cinematic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Patrice Rushen \u2013 Forget Me Nots<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bassline and groove of Forget Me Nots give Men in Black much of its instantly familiar feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Diana Ross \u2013 I\u2019m Coming Out<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of disco\u2019s great grooves becomes the musical backbone of a glossy late-1990s hip-hop hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Ray Charles \u2013 I Got a Woman<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gold Digger draws directly on the musical identity of Ray Charles\u2019 classic, reframing it within a modern hip-hop production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Joe Cocker \u2013 Woman to Woman<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The record combines multiple musical influences, but the Joe Cocker connection forms an important piece of its sample-based construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Queen & David Bowie \u2013 Under Pressure<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The famous bassline relationship became the subject of years of discussion, but to listeners the connection is immediate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Nine Inch Nails \u2013 34 Ghosts IV<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest crossover hits of the streaming era began with a sample from an atmospheric Nine Inch Nails instrumental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Lou Reed \u2013 Walk on the Wild Side<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lou Reed\u2019s bassline provides the relaxed musical foundation for one of A Tribe Called Quest\u2019s most recognisable tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: King Crimson \u2013 21st Century Schizoid Man<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POWER uses a striking vocal fragment from King Crimson\u2019s progressive-rock classic, placing a piece of 1969 inside a huge modern hip-hop production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Chaka Khan \u2013 Through the Fire<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kanye speeds up Chaka Khan\u2019s vocal and turns it into both the musical hook and a clever part of the song\u2019s title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Eddie Johns \u2013 More Spell on You<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The source material is heavily processed, making this a great example of sampling that can be difficult to identify even when the final record is extremely familiar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the answer is musical. An old record contains a drum sound, chord, vocal or texture that would be difficult to reproduce in exactly the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes it is cultural. Sampling lets a producer reference another era or deliberately connect a new song with an older one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And sometimes a tiny piece of music simply inspires a completely new idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why exploring samples can be such an addictive way to discover music. Start with a track you know, find the record underneath it, then investigate the artist behind that record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One song can lead backwards through decades of music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A sample normally uses audio from an existing recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An interpolation recreates a melody, lyric or musical element without necessarily using the original master recording itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For listeners, both techniques can create the same moment of recognition: the sudden feeling that you have heard part of the song somewhere before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And once you start listening for those connections, popular music begins to sound like one enormous family tree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sampling can turn music history into a conversation. A drum break recorded decades ago becomes the backbone of a hip-hop hit. A tiny vocal fragment becomes the hook of a dance track. A forgotten soul record suddenly reaches millions of people because a producer hears something inside it that nobody else noticed. Some samples are obvious. Others are buried so deeply in the production that you can hear the song hundreds of times without realising another recording is hiding inside it. Here are 25 famous examples. A quick note: sampling and interpolation are not exactly the same thing. A sample…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2033,43,2032,1301],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-3363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-famous-tracks","tag-music","tag-music-sampling","tag-sampling"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n