The Great Kubla Boss圜ougar made something that anyone with ears (and some vague cognizance of 1980s musical culture) knows sounds exactly like someone else’s song. Everyone was so afraid of them, so awed by their god-like presence, that even when they recorded something that is an utter replicable of someone else’s song, no one said boo. Not ONE of the dozens and dozens of people in the long chain of production and release of “Did You Say Such a Thing” DARED tell these ROCK STARS, these veritable KAISERS of the working man, these KHANS in Doc Martens, that they had made a carbon copy of someone else’s song. You are so powerful, and inspire such an utter, complete and Sun King-like awe amongst your minions, that when you record a song that sounds exactly like someone else’s song, not one single soul dares to tell you. So, HOW DOES SUCH AN OUTRAGEOUS THING HAPPEN, this veritable and total defenestration of all standards of geometry, theology, and copyright? Ronnie (by which I mean Ron Hart, ladies an’ gentleman, my fine and tolerant editor), can you stick a video in here of Danny Thomas doing a spit take? And while we’re at it, can we give a shout out for Hans Conried as Uncle Tonoose? I know that’s not actually remotely relevant here, but see, it is going to take a LOT of cultural-reference palate clearing to make me get past the sheer horror of this bit of BossyMellen artistic thievery. And I mean a good, old fashioned, Danny Thomas-style spit take (a reference Springsteen and Mellencamp are old enough to enjoy, though probably not many of y’all). This is the worst case of this sort of mishegas I’ve heard in a long time, and at the hands of two such iconic and well-toned senior superstars, too. Yet we are supposed to believe that somehow neither of ‘em noticed that they had written and recorded a song that had already been written and recorded by someone else? The other one is, well, whatever Mellencamp is (a halfway decent painter, and I mean that sincerely). One of these guys is a billionaire (or damn close to it). I mean, this is one of those “ Oh WHAT the factual uncle, COME ON, they’re not SERIOUS, are they?!? SHUT THE DOOR HENRY, this HAS to be a joke, right?!?”īut it’s not a joke. “Did You Say Such a Thing” is unreservedly, unapologetically, and unmistakably a COMPLETE and utter rip-off of Van Halen’s “Finish What Ya Started.” This is unaraguable, and by unarguable, I mean inarguable. VIDEO: Van Halen “Finish What Ya Started” I’ll wait here and think about Hawkwind and/or Chogyam Trungpa. Then we shall continue with this article. Right now, I want you to listen to both, or a little of both, anyway. Probably the most astonishing thing about the Springsteen/Mellencamp version of “Finish What Ya Started” is that they changed the lyrics around a bit, gave it a different name - “Did You Say Such A Thing” - AND THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT IT’S A DIFFERENT SONG ENTIRELY, one that John wrote all by his little own self!” But our ears know the truth. Press play to hear a narrated version of this story, presented by AudioHopper. Springsteen is well known for his often unexpected covers, but this one still took many of us by surprise. Hurray! People who really, really really care about college football will be so excited! Curiously, one of these three recordings is a fairly exact cover of Van Halen’s “Finish What Ya Started.” True, Mr. John Mellencamp’s new album, Strictly A One Eyed Jack, features three collaborations with Bruce Springsteen. Did Mellencamp pinch a riff off his pals in Van Hagar? (Images: Amazon)
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