Interpolation (popular music)

Rerecording music to use in another recording

For interpolation in classical music, see Interpolation (classical music).

In popular music, 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 directly sampling it.[1][2] Interpolation is often cited as a legal defence to mask unlicensed sampling when the artist or label who owns the recording of the music declines to license the sample, or if licensing the piece of music is considered too costly.

## Interpolation examples

[edit]

Main article: List of interpolated songs

Interpolation is prevalent in many genres of popular music; early examples are the Beatles interpolating "La Marseillaise" and "She Loves You", among three other interpolations in the 1967 song "All You Need Is Love",[3] 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's "Pastime Paradise" interpolated in Coolio's hit song "Gangsta's Paradise",[4] and Sting's "Shape of My Heart" interpolated in Juice WRLD's 2018 hit "Lucid Dreams".[5]

In pop music, notable examples include Anne-Marie's "2002" which interpolates lyrics from six songs, Portugal. The Man's "Feel It Still" which interpolates the Marvelettes' 1961 hit "Please Mr. Postman",[4][5] "Bad Liar" by Selena Gomez which interpolates the bassline of "Psycho Killer" by new wave band Talking Heads,[6][5] and Ariana Grande's 2019 hit "7 Rings" which interpolates "My Favorite Things" written by Rodgers & Hammerstein and made famous by Julie Andrews.[7]

The 1992 song "Murder She Wrote" by reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers has been interpolated in Omarion and Chris Brown's "Post to Be",[5] in Pitbull's "El Taxi",[8] in Jason Derulo's "Too Hot" and in the remix version of Black Eyed Peas' "Ritmo" featuring Jaden Smith,[5] among many other songs.

In 2023, Spanish pop singer Abraham Mateo interpolated the 1983 song "Maniac" by Michael Sembello in the song "Maníaca". It achieved a platinum record certification in Spain, the same as the original version which also went platinum there.

## See also

[edit]

* List of interpolated songs
* Cover version
* Interpolation (classical music)
* Musical quotation

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "What Is the Difference Between a Sample and an Interpolation?". help.songtrust.com.
2. ^ Barilla, Chris (July 29, 2022). "Beyoncé's Interpolation of Kelis's 'Milkshake' Has Stirred up Controversy in the Music World". Distractify.
3. ^ Robinson, Douglas (December 6, 2019). Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation. Routledge. ISBN 9781000763539 – via Google Books.
4. ^ a b Leight, Elias (July 5, 2018). "Why You're Hearing More Borrowed Lyrics and Melodies on Pop Radio". Rolling Stone.
5. ^ a b c d e Billboard, Staff (October 28, 2021). "The 50 Best Song Interpolations of the 21st Century: Staff Picks". Billboard.
6. ^ "10 Times New Pop Interpolated Old Pop". Cool Accidents.
7. ^ Blais-Billie, Braudie (19 March 2019). "90% of Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" Royalties Go to Rodgers & Hammerstein". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
8. ^ "Pitbull bites into a dancehall classic". Jamaica Observer. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* WhoSampled.com – WhoSampled is a user-generated database of interpolations and samples in all types of music, as well as covers and remixes
* Delineation made by U.S. Copyright Office between interpolation and sampling, namely that the former requires a license from the copyright holder while the latter requires a license from both the copyright holder and the recording artist

* v
* t
* e

Music production

Engineering|

* Audio filter
* Audio mastering
* Audio mixing
* Critical distance
* Effects loop
* Effects unit
* Talk box
* Wah-wah pedal
* Diffusion
* Microphone
* Overdubbing
* Ping-ponging
* Punch in/out
* Sound recording
* Tape loop

Signal
processing|

* Pitch shift
* Auto-Tune
* Chorus effect
* Compression
* Delay effect (STEED)
* Distortion
* Double tracking (ADT)
* Ducking
* Equalization
* Exciter effect
* Flanging
* Octave effect
* Noise gate
* Phaser
* Pumping
* Reverb
* Reverse echo

* Practices

aesthetics

* Hip hop production
* Lo-fi
* Overproduction
* Recording studio as an instrument
* Sampling
* Turntablism
* Wall of Sound
* Xenochrony

* Roles

professions

* Arranger
* Audio engineer
* Backup band
* Bandleader
* DJ
* Ghostwriters in music
* Horn section
* Orchestrator
* Record producer
* Rhythm section
* Session musician
* Backup singer
* Ghost singer
* Vocal coach

Other|

* Click track
* Interpolation
* Loudness war
* Mashup
* Medley
* Music technology (electric)
* Music technology (electronic and digital)
* Remix

Record production portal

* v
* t
* e

DJing and turntablism

Equipment|

* CDJ
* DJ mixer
* DJ software
* Drum machine
* Effects unit
* Reverb
* Digital delay
* Headphones
* iPod
* Magnetic cartridge
* Mixing console
* Monitor speaker
* Phono input
* PA system
* Record player
* Direct-drive turntable
* SL-1200
* Laptop
* Microphone
* Minutoli
* Monitor speaker
* Pitch control
* Sampler
* Slipmat
* Sound system (DJ)
* Sound system (Jamaican)
* Speaker enclosure
* Subwoofer
* Synthesizer
* Two turntables and a microphone
* Vinyl emulation software

Techniques|

* Audio mixing
* Back spinning
* Beat juggling
* Beatmatching
* Beatmixing
* Break
* Chopped and screwed
* Chopping
* Covered
* Cue
* Cut
* Drop
* Harmonic mixing
* Interpolation
* Mashup
* Medley
* Music loop
* Needle drop
* Phrasing
* Remix
* Sampling
* Scratching
* Slip-cueing
* Pitch cue
* Voice-tracking
* Video scratching

Scratches|

* Orbit
* Tear
* Transform
* Flare
* Chirp
* Crab

Releases and distribution|

* DJ mix
* Battle records
* Rare groove
* Digital pool
* Remix service
* Mixtape

Related articles|

* Controllerism
* Hip hop production
* Rave
* Record collecting
* Record producer

* v
* t
* e

Appropriation in the arts

By field|

| Music|

* Bootleg recording
* Chopped and screwed
* Contrafact
* list
* Contrafactum
* Cover version
* DJ mix
* Interpolation
* Medley
* Music mashup
* Music plagiarism
* Musical quotation
* Nightcore
* Parody music
* Pasticcio
* Plunderphonics
* Potpourri
* Quodlibet
* Remix
* Riddim
* Sampling
* Sound collage
* Standard
* Tribute act
* Trope
* Variation
* Vaporwave

|

Literature / theatre|

* Assemblage
* Cut-up technique
* Flarf poetry
* Found poetry
* Jukebox musical
* Trope
* Verbatim theatre

Visual arts

* Collage
* Combine painting
* Photographic mosaic
* Readymades of Marcel Duchamp
* Swipe

By source material|

* Mona Lisa
* Michelangelo's David
* Michelangelo's Pietà
* Statue of Liberty

Cinema / television / video|

* Abridged series
* Anime music video
* Collage film
* Found footage
* Literal music video
* Parody film
* Re-cut trailer
* Remake
* Shot-for-shot
* Supercut
* TV format
* Vidding
* Video mashup
* YouTube Poop

Other arts|

* In-joke
* Internet meme
* Joke theft
* Parody advertisement
* Revivalism (architecture)
* Video game modding

General
concepts|

| Intertextual figures|

* Allusion
* Calque
* Parody
* Pastiche
* Plagiarism
* Quotation
* Translation

|

Adaptation|

* Film
* Literary
* Theatre

Other concepts|

* After (art)
* Assemblage (art)
* Bricolage
* Citation
* Détournement
* Found object
* Homage
* Imitation in art
* Mashup
* Reprise
* Satire
* Source criticism in the arts

Related artistic
concepts

* Aesthetic interpretation
* Anti-art
* Archetypal literary criticism
* Artistic inspiration
* "The Death of the Author"
* Divine inspiration
* Afflatus
* Genius (literature)
* Muses
* Fan labor
* Fan fiction
* Genre
* Genre studies
* Originality
* Simulacrum
* Western canon

Standard blocks
and forms

* Archetype
* Formula fiction
* Genre fiction
* Jazz standard
* Plot device
* Stock character
* Story structure

Epoch-marking
works

* L.H.O.O.Q. (1919)
* "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" (1939)
* Reality Hunger: A Manifesto (2010)

Theorization|

* Dada
* De Copia Rerum
* Diegesis
* Dionysian imitatio
* Mimesis
* Nachahmung
* Palimpsests: Literature in the Second Degree
* The Pictures Generation
* Pop art
* Postmodernism
* Russian formalism

Related non-
artistic concepts

* Academic dishonesty
* Appropriation in sociology
* Articulation in sociology
* Cultural appropriation
* History of printing
* Information society
* Intellectual property
* Copyright infringement
* Derivative work
* Fair use
* Meme
* Open source
* Participatory culture
* Pirate politics
* Recontextualisation
* Remix culture

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template