3 Iconic Rock Songs From the 1980s That Have Endured Through Other Artists Sampling Them

The article revisits three 1980s rock songs whose music carried into later hits through sampling or borrowing. It argues that these later uses helped introduce the original songs to new listeners, while showing how memorable riffs and synth lines can outlast their era.

Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” provided the guitar riff for Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious”, while Rihanna’s “SOS” used the synth line from Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”. Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” borrowed the bass line from Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”; the article describes this as closer to a rip-off than a sample and notes the resulting tensions.