I’ve heard this song before… but by someone else.
“7 Rings” is Ariana Grande’s most recent studio single that has triumphantly combined enough of other artists’ melodies, lyrics, and beats to be monetized and virally marketed as an original. Well, what’s the problem then? If the song is a blatant rip-off of other artists’ work then why is it being spread around the internet, topping Billboard 100’s and receiving millions of streams on iTunes and Spotify? Shouldn’t it be taken down by the artists? Why hasn’t anyone sued yet? The simple response to all your questions is: Ariana Grande is a sneaky and cunning, musical prodigy.
If you haven’t listened to “7 Rings,” then here’s the run-down. The song is melodically identical to “My Favorite Things”- The Sound Of Music and lyrically similar to the songs “Gimme the loot”- Notorious B.I.G., “Mine”- Princess Nokia, “Pretty Boy Swag”- Soulja Boy, and “Spend it”- 2 Chainz. Now if you’re as petty as myself, immediately from listening to the song you thought—Twitter is going to have a field day with Ms. Grande. And, in a way, it did.
One of the first artists to chime in on the blatant “plagiarism” was Princess Nokia (yes, pronounced like the phone company). In a video, posted to Instagram then to Twitter, Nokia compared the flow of “7 Rings” to her rap song “Mine”… then took both posts down later that week. Just as (allegedly) Grande did to her, Princess Nokia stole a song, an entire song, prior to “7 Rings,” from singer and songwriter Kali Uchis. Nokia was swift with her response to the blatant two-facing and proceeded, rightfully-so, to deleting her ‘call-out’ videos.
There’s a likelihood that if you’re reading this, you grew up with the rhythmic composition of “Crank That” by Soulja Boy. Soulja Boy, and trailing behind him: 2 Chainz, also called Grande out for copying his song “Pretty Boy Swag.”
The only people who haven’t come forward about the copying are Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, the people behind The Sound Of Music. Of course, they can’t really defend themselves… because they’re dead. The only person relevant that may have some idea about the rights to this song would be Julie Andrews.
To clear up what Ariana Grande did, we’d need to know what plagiarism means. Merriam Webster defines plagiarism as “to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one's own.” Technically, and musically speaking, Grande did not plagiarize. Enough of the song is her own. Her producers Tommy Brown, Charles Anderson and Michael Foster, the ones responsible for the song, interpolated the melody of “My Favorite Things.” Since the track is interpolated, it technically is their own work. Interpolation 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 directly, hence them being able to use the melody without being sued.
Now on the topic of lyrics. Grande uses small sections of other artist’s songs and lyrics to produce something new. Taking the rhythmic composition of all the earlier mentioned songs, she would be sued, BUT because she’s changed the lyrics and spliced together minute sections, it isn’t strong enough of a case to dispute in court.
2 Chainz went far enough to ask Grande to be a part of the song, and later Grande released a remix of “7 Rings” featuring 2 Chainz. In short, the remix didn’t do well, barely scratching Billboard’s Hot 100’s. Many listeners agreed with the notion that 2 Chainz just wanted attention, which he did receive, but not much of it. The feature wasn’t enough to bring 2 Chainz back into relevance.
So, is “7 Rings” deserving of the praise it received? Yes. It’s a catchy tune and ultimately a positive to The Sound of Music, many new listeners tuning in to compare “My Favorite Things” to “7 Rings.”
Ms. Grande tread through loopholes in order to make her rich and famous which doesn’t necessarily sit right with me. The way she did it is very astute. In the song “My Favorite Things” Julie Andrews reminds us, “now children. Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, and so on, are the tools we use to build a song.” Once you have these notes in your head you can sing a million other songs too, and if you’re Ariana Grande you can evade legal battles, top the charts, and provide an anthem that, not only draws inspiration from others, but can inspire.
It definitely inspired me to write this article.
“7 Rings” is Ariana Grande’s most recent studio single that has triumphantly combined enough of other artists’ melodies, lyrics, and beats to be monetized and virally marketed as an original. Well, what’s the problem then? If the song is a blatant rip-off of other artists’ work then why is it being spread around the internet, topping Billboard 100’s and receiving millions of streams on iTunes and Spotify? Shouldn’t it be taken down by the artists? Why hasn’t anyone sued yet? The simple response to all your questions is: Ariana Grande is a sneaky and cunning, musical prodigy.
If you haven’t listened to “7 Rings,” then here’s the run-down. The song is melodically identical to “My Favorite Things”- The Sound Of Music and lyrically similar to the songs “Gimme the loot”- Notorious B.I.G., “Mine”- Princess Nokia, “Pretty Boy Swag”- Soulja Boy, and “Spend it”- 2 Chainz. Now if you’re as petty as myself, immediately from listening to the song you thought—Twitter is going to have a field day with Ms. Grande. And, in a way, it did.
One of the first artists to chime in on the blatant “plagiarism” was Princess Nokia (yes, pronounced like the phone company). In a video, posted to Instagram then to Twitter, Nokia compared the flow of “7 Rings” to her rap song “Mine”… then took both posts down later that week. Just as (allegedly) Grande did to her, Princess Nokia stole a song, an entire song, prior to “7 Rings,” from singer and songwriter Kali Uchis. Nokia was swift with her response to the blatant two-facing and proceeded, rightfully-so, to deleting her ‘call-out’ videos.
There’s a likelihood that if you’re reading this, you grew up with the rhythmic composition of “Crank That” by Soulja Boy. Soulja Boy, and trailing behind him: 2 Chainz, also called Grande out for copying his song “Pretty Boy Swag.”
The only people who haven’t come forward about the copying are Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, the people behind The Sound Of Music. Of course, they can’t really defend themselves… because they’re dead. The only person relevant that may have some idea about the rights to this song would be Julie Andrews.
To clear up what Ariana Grande did, we’d need to know what plagiarism means. Merriam Webster defines plagiarism as “to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one's own.” Technically, and musically speaking, Grande did not plagiarize. Enough of the song is her own. Her producers Tommy Brown, Charles Anderson and Michael Foster, the ones responsible for the song, interpolated the melody of “My Favorite Things.” Since the track is interpolated, it technically is their own work. Interpolation 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 directly, hence them being able to use the melody without being sued.
Now on the topic of lyrics. Grande uses small sections of other artist’s songs and lyrics to produce something new. Taking the rhythmic composition of all the earlier mentioned songs, she would be sued, BUT because she’s changed the lyrics and spliced together minute sections, it isn’t strong enough of a case to dispute in court.
2 Chainz went far enough to ask Grande to be a part of the song, and later Grande released a remix of “7 Rings” featuring 2 Chainz. In short, the remix didn’t do well, barely scratching Billboard’s Hot 100’s. Many listeners agreed with the notion that 2 Chainz just wanted attention, which he did receive, but not much of it. The feature wasn’t enough to bring 2 Chainz back into relevance.
So, is “7 Rings” deserving of the praise it received? Yes. It’s a catchy tune and ultimately a positive to The Sound of Music, many new listeners tuning in to compare “My Favorite Things” to “7 Rings.”
Ms. Grande tread through loopholes in order to make her rich and famous which doesn’t necessarily sit right with me. The way she did it is very astute. In the song “My Favorite Things” Julie Andrews reminds us, “now children. Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, and so on, are the tools we use to build a song.” Once you have these notes in your head you can sing a million other songs too, and if you’re Ariana Grande you can evade legal battles, top the charts, and provide an anthem that, not only draws inspiration from others, but can inspire.
It definitely inspired me to write this article.