# “You son of a gun, I’m in”: Five artists who nearly pulled off musical heists

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/you-son-of-a-gun-im-in-five-artists-who-nearly-pulled-off-musical-heists/
- Published: 2026-11-08T12:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T12:20:37+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/five-artists-who-nearly-pulled-off-musical-heists/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Musical influence can become copying when artists borrow too closely.
- Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” prompted a 1985 lawsuit.
- Oasis openly acknowledged the T Rex influence on “Cigarettes and Alcohol”.

## Summary

The article explores five songs by major artists that it argues crossed the line from influence into copying, while noting that musical borrowing is a normal part of songwriting. Its central point is that artists can reshape older sounds for new listeners, but some examples drew criticism or legal action.

Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” is linked to Muddy Waters’ “You Need Love”, written by Willie Dixon, and led to a lawsuit in 1985; Robert Plant later called the lyrics “a nick” and said the matter was settled. Oasis openly acknowledged that “Cigarettes and Alcohol” borrowed the riff from T Rex’s “Get It On”, which Noel Gallagher described as a blues standard transformed for a new generation; the supplied article text ends while introducing The Beatles, so it does not provide the remaining examples.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.