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'Amen, Brother' / 'Straight Outta Compton' -

Originally a forgotten B-side from the late 1960s, The Winstons’ ‘Amen, Brother’ has since become the most sampled song in history. Salt-N-Pepa got the ball rolling in 1986, using the drum break, now known famously as the “Amen Break,” in their song ‘I Desire.’ The six-second sample cemented its popularity in 1988 when NWA used it in their breakout hit ‘Straight Outta Compton.’

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'Move On Up' / 'Touch the Sky' -

The triumphant trumpet hook from Curtis Mayfield’s 1970 hit ‘Move On Up’ is instantly recognizable and almost universally loved. Kanye West slowed the sample down just a little bit before building a beat around it for his iconic 2005 track ‘Touch the Sky.’

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'Bam Bam' / 'Lost Ones' -

Sampled in over 130 songs, Sister Nancy’s 1982 reggae track ‘Bam Bam’ is infectiously catchy. Multiple artists have recognized this, and have used numerous elements of the song to their advantage. Legendary hip-hop and R&B artist Lauryn Hill used the iconic adlib hook from the original song as the foundations of her hit song ‘Lost Ones’ in 1998.

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'Cola Bottle Baby' / 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' -

In 1979, funk musician Edwin Birdsong released ‘Cola Bottle Baby,’ to relatively little buzz. However, the track finally got the recognition it deserved after its synth keyboard lead was sampled in Daft Punk’s 2001 dancefloor super-hit ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.’

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'Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)' / 'Hung Up' -

A song that was already a worldwide success and didn’t need much help in that department, ABBA’s ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)' gained further popularity after it was heavily sampled in Madonna’s 2005 hit ‘Hung Up.’ Madonna had told her producer she wanted a song that sounded like “ABBA on drugs,” and thankfully the notoriously possessive Swedish group decided to clear the sample for use.

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'Edge of Seventeen' / 'Bootylicious' -

Arguably Stevie Nicks’ greatest hit as a solo artist, ‘Edge of Seventeen' has been sampled by numerous artists, most famously in Destiny’s Child’s 2002 dance hit ‘Bootylicious.’

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'Walk on the Wild Side' / 'Can I Kick It?' -

One of the most famous and instantly recognizable intros in hip hop, A Tribe Called Quest’s hit song ‘Can I Kick It?’ took the simple-but-catchy guitar hook from Lou Reed’s 1972 track ‘Take a Walk on the Wild Side.’ The sample wasn’t changed very much—it was already perfect for what the group was looking for.

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'Vintage Funk Kit 03' / 'Umbrella' -

Sometimes, producers don’t need to go searching far and wide for the perfect sample. For Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, the producer of Rihanna’s 2007 hit ‘Umbrella,’ the free music production software that comes preinstalled on all Mac computers had everything that was needed. GarageBand’s now-famous generic ‘Vintage Funk Kit 03’ sample was barely tweaked before providing the background for Rihanna’s chart-topper.

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'Summertime Madness' / 'Freak Like Me' -

American R&B singer Adina Howard burst onto the scene in 1995 with her debut single ‘Freak Like Me,’ which reached the no. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. A few different funk classics were sampled for this song, including Kool & the Gang’s 1974 hit ‘Summertime Madness.’

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'If You Were Here Tonight' / 'Work' -

Another of Rihanna’s classics, 2016’s ‘Work,’ still dominates clubs and dancefloors. The infectious, percussive bassline was taken from the 1998 riddim hit ‘Sail Away,’ by Richie Stephens and Mikey 2000, who in turn took the bassline from Alexander O’Neal’s 1985 soul track ‘If You Were Here Tonight.’

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'Pastime Paradise' / 'Gangsta's Paradise' -

Coolio’s 1995 superhit ‘Gangsta’s Paradise,' which became the first rap song to chart at no. 1 on Billboard’s Top 100 list, borrowed a few things from Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song ‘Pastime Paradise.’ The sinister strings that mark the beginning of ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ were taken directly from Wonder’s original. The melody and chorus were also adapted to better fit Coolio’s message.

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'Concerto No. 2 in C minor' / 'All By Myself' -

Reaching no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, Eric Carmen’s ‘All by Myself’ has become a favorite for bleeding hearts and karaoke soloists the world over. Carmen went 70 years in the past to find inspiration for his famous piano intro, and took parts of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s beautiful composition from the start of the 20th century, ‘Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor.’

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'34 Ghosts IV' / 'Old Town Road' -

Lil Nas X took the world by storm in 2018 with his genre-bending single ‘Old Town Road.’ Blending cowboy accents and aesthetics with hip hop, the rap sensation’s first single also contains a surprising sample from a little-known Nine Inch Nails song, ‘34 Ghosts IV,’ released in 2008.

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'La Di Da Di' / 'Party' -

One of the singles off Beyoncé’s fourth album ‘4,’ released in 2011, was an infectious R&B track called ‘Party.’ Throughout the track’s happy, midtempo production, are sprinklings of Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s 1985 beatbox track ‘La Di Da Di.’

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'Fate' / 'Music Sounds Better with You' -

One of the most famous and beloved dance songs from the 1990s, ‘Music Sounds Better with You’ was produced by house trio Stardust, who only existed for a brief moment in time and never returned after releasing their 1998 anthem. The song is built around a two-second long sample from disco legend Chaka Khan’s 1981 track ‘Fate.’

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'Woman to Woman' / 'California Love' -

Arguably Tupac’s most popular song, ‘California Love’ was released in 1995 and remains to this day one of the best tracks to cruise around the city to. The now-legendary piano hook that repeats throughout the song was taken from the hidden gem of 1972, Joe Cocker’s ‘Woman to Woman.’

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'Straight to Hell' / 'Paper Planes' -

In 2005, the Diplo-produced dancefloor favorite ‘Paper Planes’ turned singer and rapper M.I.A. into a household name overnight. The song, famous for its irresistible chorus, borrowed heavily from The Clash’s 1982 track ‘Straight to Hell,’ including the driving guitar lines that carry on throughout both songs.

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'Good Times' / 'Rapper's Delight' -

An early proto-hip-hop sensation, Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 hit ‘Rapper’s Delight’ took the world by storm and put hip hop on the map. The infectious bassline that rolls beneath the group’s witty wordplay was taken from Chic’s song from the same year, ‘Good Times.’

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'Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)' / 'Crazy in Love' -

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 2003 hit 'Crazy in Love' is a triumphant testament to the power couple’s feelings for each other. The high-energy intro was taken from a lesser-known funk song released in 1970 by Chi-Lites, titled ‘Are You my Woman? (Tell Me So).’

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'When the Levee Breaks' / 'Rhymin and Stealin' -

Everyone’s favorite hoodlums from the 1980s, the Beastie Boys used sampling extensively in their music that mixed elements of punk, hip hop, and rock. Their breakout hit, ‘Rhymin & Stealin,’ borrowed its slow, driving drum line from Led Zeppelin’s 1971 track ‘When the Levee Breaks.’

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'Thank You' / 'Stan' -

In 2000, Eminem released what would become one of his most enduring classics, ‘Stan.’ The chorus of this song was lifted directly from Dido’s 1996 ballad ‘Thank You.’ So much of the song was sampled by Eminem that Dido even has a credit on the single and features on the track.

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'The Big Beat' / 'Girl on Fire' -

Alicia Keys’ unmistakably triumphant 2012 song ‘Girl on Fire’ is backed by a driving track of simple bass drum and snare drum. This sample was taken from Billy Squier’s 1980 rock song ‘The Big Beat,’ which was also sampled by hip-hop heavyweights Jay-Z and Dizzee Rascal.

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'Before the Night is Over' / 'So Fresh, So Clean' -

With countless songs that have found their way into the hip-hop canon, Outkast is known as one of the most original and influential groups to ever do it. One of their most enduring hits, 2000’s ‘So Fresh, So Clean,’ borrowed the melody for its hook from Joe Simon’s 1977 track ‘Before the Night is Over.’

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'I Got the...' / 'My Name Is' -

Eminem’s first full-length studio album, 1998’s ‘The Slim Shady LP,’ starts with the deceptively catchy and irreverent ‘My Name Is.’ The beat, produced by Dr. Dre, is formed around a rhythm and guitar lick pulled from Labi Siffre’s 1975 funk track ‘I Got The…’

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'Soul Makossa' / 'Wanna Be Starting Something' -

One of the many timeless hits to come off of Michael Jackson’s 1982 album ‘Thriller’ was ‘Wanna Be Starting Something.’ A sing-along favorite, many find it irresistible to join in for the disco-influenced adlibs at the end of the track. This aspect was pulled from Manu Dibango’s iconic 1972 afro-funk hit ‘Soul Makossa.’

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'Genius of Love' / 'Fantasy' -

One of Mariah Carey’s most successful non-Christmas themed songs, 1995’s ‘Fantasy’ debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and kept this spot for eight weeks. The melody borrows heavily from Tom Tom Club’s 1981 track ‘Genius of Love,' which wasn’t wildly successful at the time of its release. But thanks to Mariah, it's now an easily recognizable and widely beloved song.

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'My Sharona' / 'It's Tricky' -

One of the greatest early hip-hop hits, Run-DMC's ‘It’s Tricky,’ from 1986, samples another hit from the previous decade, The Knack’s 1979 track ‘My Sharona.’ The rap group borrowed parts of The Knack’s guitar riffs, and slowed them down for a deeper sound.

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'Take Yo' Praise' / 'Praise You' -

Legendary big beat producer Fatboy Slim released one of the biggest hits of his career, ‘Praise You,’ in 1998. It would go on to reach no. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and became a defining song of a generation. The lyrics that introduce the song were taken from Camille Yarbrough’s 1975 song ‘Take Yo’ Praise,’ which has since been sampled a few more times.

Sources: (The Forty-Five) (NME) (WhoSampled)

See also: Songs that sampled famous films

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