The bassline Weezer stole from Smokey Robinson more than once: “Compound theft”
French philosopher and anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon once declared that “property is theft” and, while we do not have the time nor attention span to delve into the ins and outs of anarchist theory, that quote seems particularly relevant when it comes to musical composition. After all, there are only so many notes within the musical world, and only so many sequences those notes can fit inside. With so much music being produced year after year, it is inevitable that artists like Weezer might find themselves unknowingly committing plagiarism.
Artistic plagiarism is a big issue within the music industry, and it has been at the root of multiple feuds and lawsuits over the years. One artist might land upon a catchy riff or chord progression, only to find it stolen from them years later by another successful artist. Everybody from Noel Gallagher to Lana Del Rey has been accused of lifting melodies from pre-existing artists but, in truth, it is often unintentional.
For instance, you could take any modern rock song, strip it down to its smallest components, and you would likely see the resemblance to the trailblazing sounds of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, or The Kinks. In turn, you could examine the works of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones and find their origins in age-old blues music. Music and musical trends are cyclical, but one sound that seems to come up over and over again is that of soul and disco.
Back in the 1960s, Motown reigned supreme over the music scene of America, laying down a plethora of iconic sounds that forever changed the lineage of popular music. As a result, the inherent sound of Motown’s soul and disco tracks has been utilised by countless later artists, including Weezer. While the Los Angeles group have never overtly created a soul or disco track, their basslines, in particular, routinely lift from the infectious sounds of Berry Gordy’s label.
Smokey Robinson was among the brightest sparks of the Motown age, and he produced countless colossal hits for Gordy and the label. In many ways, Robinson’s material defined the soul sound of the era, and his impact has been incredibly long-lasting. Unknowingly, Robinson has provided inspiration for multiple basslines over the course of Weezer’s tenure, yet the band have managed to escape accusations of plagiarism, opting instead to call the obvious parallels a ‘homage’.
Speaking about the 2016 Weezer track ‘King of the Road’, songwriter Rivers Cuomo readily admitted to the fact that he has lifted basslines from Robinson going back to his band’s debut. “This has the same bassline as a song on our first record called ‘Only In Dreams’,” he shared, adding: “And, in fact, that bassline I took from a Smokey Robinson song. So this was a compound theft!”
Explaining the reasons for the bassline theft, Cuomo shared, “Sometimes it happens – you write something you think is original, and then you realize it sounds like something else. But then sometimes you hear something on the radio and think, ‘Oh, that’s a really cool idea, I’m going to use that.'” It is unclear if Robinson feels quite the same way, though it doen’t seem like he’ll be chasing Weezer for royalties anytime soon.
Cuomo never expanded upon which specific Smokey Robinson track the bassline came from. The ‘King of the Road’ bassline doesn’t sound all that dissimilar to Robinson’s classic ‘Just To See Her’ but then again, Robinson and a multitude of other soul and R&B artists were often known to reuse the same basslines over and over themselves. So, perhaps Cuomo can be forgiven for this outspoken instance of bassline plagiarism.
