Ever since technology took over the music industry, artists have been sampling from other artists nonstop. Folks have contrasting views about this phenomenon, as some view it as unoriginal and lazy, whereas others see it as innovative and compelling. Regardless, it happens a lot, and generally, it is a practice that helps the artists of the original piece and the artist recycling it. This particularly happens in pop music quite frequently.

Every genre samples music; however, pop music is surely the one that does so the most. Rap is a close second, but as of now, it seems pop music is in the lead. Nevertheless, when pop samples other songs, it is typically within the rock genre. That being so, here are three rock songs that have been sampled for popular music.

One of the Talking Heads’ biggest hits is undeniably their 1977 single, “Psycho Killer.” Following the song’s release, it peaked at No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, that would not be the last time the song charted, as Selena Gomez sampled the song for her 2017 single, “Bad Liar.”

Gomez utilized the Talking Heads’ song in the intro of her single. People seemingly recognized the use of the song immediately, which surely helped the song garner the incredible chart success it achieved. After the release, “Bad Liar” peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Clash’s “Straight to Hell” never reached the international acclaim that “Should I Stay or Should I Go” did. However, that changed drastically after M.I.A. sampled The Clash’s intro for their 2008 pop and alternative hip-hop single, “Paper Planes.”

The intro to “Paper Planes” is the most memorable part of the song, and consequently, one of the main reasons it had the chart run that it did. Upon its release, “Paper Planes” became a smash hit as it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. To this day, it is M.I.A.’s biggest commercial success.

The Cure encompasses a lot of different genres, hence, rock is a fair genre tag to place upon them. Nonetheless, The Cure’s 1983 “Let’s Go To Bed” has had a lifespan expanding far beyond their reach, and that is thanks to one of the 21st century’s biggest pop stars, Rihanna.

Rihanna sampled The Cure’s 1983 single for her smash hit pop single, “S&M.” Rihanna’s single was released in 2010, shortly after, it climbed to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was Rihanna’s 10th No. 1 single, she was just 23 years old, and she seemingly could have done it without legally borrowing from The Cure.

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