Kelly Clarkson Gets Beyonce’s Sloppy Seconds

Kelly Clarkson‘s new single, “Already Gone,” probably sounds a bit familiar. That’s because you’ve already heard the music in Beyonce‘s love ballad, “Halo.” Evidently, music producer Ryan Tedder stupidly gave both ladies the same track, although they wrote very different songs to go with it. Beyonce beat Kelly out of the gate and by the time Kelly heard “Halo” and tried to stop the release of her song, it was too late. This snafu is causing all kinds of radio confusion—when Kelly’s song starts to play, people are expecting to hear “Halo.” And Kelly is very worried that people will label her a copycat. [Huffington Post]

Compare the two videos for yourself after the jump.

First, Kelly’s latest:

And now, Beyonce’s:

Personally, I think the two songs actually sound pretty different, even though the beat is the same. While Kelly’s twin-track was an honest mistake, here are some other singers whose songs sound “oddly similar” to previous hits:

• In the most unadulterated case of song-swiping ever, Vanilla Ice must have really dug Queen’s “Under Pressure,” because he came up with an essentially identical riff in “Ice Ice Baby.” Vanilla said they were different thanks to an extra drum ching, but Ice got sued and settled out of court. [Copyright]
• MC Hammer should really thank Rick James, cause “U Can’t Touch This” would never have happened without “Superfreak.” MC gave Rick James credit as a co-author on the song, though it’s unclear whether that was with or without permission. [In The 00s]
• “Oops, I Did It Again” ... and created a sugared-up, pop-infused version of a Barbra Streisand melody. Britney’s mega-hit sounds almost identical to Streisand’s “Women In Love.” [In The 00s]
• Rihanna’s “SOS” busts out of stereo speakers with the same memorable beat used by Soft Cell in “Tainted Love.” It’s like deja vu, all over again. In a good way. [Who Sampled]