Another Taylor Swift release, another accusation of theft against a pop artist.
Is she really out here stealing? Or is this just an easy go-to for haters she should be shaking off??
Well, as always we’ll let you be the judge!
Vote: Is Kim Kardashian Shading Taylor With This Snake Jewelry?
Taylor’s latest track is a duet with Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie, who has been on a strange journey over the last decade from emo theater rocker to goth lounge singer and finally to bubblegum pop star.
(Seriously, High Hopes is basically a Taylor Swift song already.)
But we digress.
Their collab is called ME!, and everything in it is candy-coated, from the ’50s musical-style video to the all-inclusive lyrics.
However, some critics don’t think it’s sweet. They think it’s hot.
As in stolen.
Quite a few fans have posted online about hearing a similarity between the chorus of ME! and that of Next To Me by Emeli Sandé.
https://twitter.com/iamvulnicura/status/1121632808345096192
ok I vibe with Taylor but doesn’t ME! sound a lot like Next to Me by Emeli Sandé?? #ME #TaylorSwift
— anyway (@heres_wonderwal) April 26, 2019
Is it just me or does the new Taylor Swift song sound like "Next To Me" by Emeli Sandé
— Emily (@StarrlessCity) April 26, 2019
Taylor swift after listening to Next To Me by emeli sandé pic.twitter.com/lZLvAkLj36
— kasandra (@_trounoir) April 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/NovaSoBored/status/1121629249436184576
I can’t be the only one who picked up #TaylorSwift ripping off the chorus of @emelisande ‘s song “Next to Me” in her new song #Me #TaylorSwiftME …. pic.twitter.com/qpE6qCztl9
— junkyGS ????️???? (@JunkyGS) April 26, 2019
Fans even pointed out Taylor once invited Emeli to perform her song onstage with her in 2014 — if nothing else, proof she knows and loves the tune:
OK, let’s look at the songs themselves.
There isn’t much lyrical similarity. This is the chorus of Emeli’s Next To Me —
Next to me – wooh hooo
Next to me – wooh hooo
Next to me – wooh hooo
You will find him, you’ll find him next to me
And here is Taylor’s ME! —
Me-e-e, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
I’m the only one of me
Baby, that’s the fun of me
Eeh-eeh-eeh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
You’re the only one of you
Baby, that’s the fun of you
And I promise that nobody’s gonna love you like me-e-e
Apart from the “me” aspect, not much to go on; Taylor does, however, extend “me” into three syllables, matching “next to me.”
The “me” followed by the “ooh” is pretty spot on, and we have to figure that’s what people are picking up on.
The rhythm is also pretty similar, with the drum beats doing basically the exact same work –though Tay’s are going for a marching band cadence style while Emeli’s are strictly R&B/soul.
Listen to both tracks side-by-side (below):
Do they really sound that much alike? Enough to accuse Taylor of stealing it??
Surprisingly, even an expert weighed in.
Grammy nominee Charlie Puth, who knows a thing or two about songwriting, tweeted then deleted:
“new taylor swift song reminds me of this”
…along with a vid of the Sandé song.
Maybe he deleted because he changed his mind, maybe it’s because he wanted to avoid controversy.
Who knows?
Right now we’re most interested in what YOU think, Perezcious music fans.
Do YOU think Taylor stole the song??
[Image via Taylor Swift/Emeli Sandé/YouTube.]
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