In
popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...
, interpolation (also called a replayed sample) refers to using a
melody—or portions of a melody (often with modified lyrics)—from a previously recorded song but re-recording the melody instead of
sampling it. Interpolation is often used when the artist or label who owns the piece of music declines to license the sample, or if licensing the piece of music is considered too costly.
Interpolation examples
Interpolation is prevalent in many
genres of popular music; early examples are
the Beatles interpolating "
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du ...
" and "
She Loves You", among three other interpolations in the 1967 song "
All You Need Is Love", and
Lyn Collins interpolating lyrics from
the 5 Royales' "
Think" in her similarly titled 1972 song "
Think (About It)".
One genre where interpolating (as well as
sampling) is highly prevalent is
hip hop music; prominent examples include
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
's "
Pastime Paradise" interpolated in
Coolio's hit song "
Gangsta's Paradise
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's 1976 song " Pastime Paradise", and featuring American singer L.V., the single was released on August 1, 1995. Certified Platinum in October, the song was ...
",
and
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
's "
Shape of My Heart" interpolated in
Juice WRLD's 2018 hit "
Lucid Dreams".
In
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describ ...
, notable examples include
Anne-Marie's "
2002" which interpolates lyrics from six songs,
Portugal. The Man
Portugal. The Man is an American rock band from Wasilla, Alaska, currently based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Jason Sechrist, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville. Gourley and Carothers met a ...
's "
Feel It Still" which interpolates
the Marvelettes' 1961 hit "
Please Mr. Postman
"Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the ...
"
and "
Bad Liar" by
Selena Gomez which interpolates the bassline of "
Psycho Killer" by
new wave band
Talking Heads.
The 1992 song "
Murder She Wrote" by
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...
duo
Chaka Demus & Pliers has been interpolated in
Omarion and
Chris Brown's "
Post to Be",
in
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
's "
El Taxi
''Dale'' (; Spanish for "Hit it") is the second Spanish album and ninth studio album by American rapper Pitbull (rapper), Pitbull. It was released July 17, 2015, through Mr. 305 Inc., Mr. 305 and Sony Music Latin. This album arrived almost five ye ...
",
in
Jason Derulo's "
Too Hot" and in the remix version of
Black Eyed Peas' "
Ritmo" featuring
Jaden Smith,
among many other songs.
See also
*
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...
*
List of interpolated songs
This list is of songs that have been Interpolation (popular music), interpolated by other songs; songs that are parodied, a cover version or use a Sampling (music), sample of another song are not "interpolations". It is organized under the name ...
*
Interpolation (classical music)
*
Musical quotation
References
External links
WhoSampled– a user-generated database of interpolations and samples in all types of music, as well as covers and remixes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interpolation (Music)
Musical techniques