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Today’s music scene makes no secret of its deep love affair with the past. You hear a new release and think, Wait a minute… haven’t I heard that before? Maybe it’s a throwback ‘90s R&B melody such as Lil Uzi Vert’s That Way. It’s as if today’s artists and producers are crate-digging through the sounds of decades past, pulling out bits of magic we’ve already felt and reworking them into something fresh.
 

With so many recognisable sounds resurfacing, it’s natural to wonder, “Is that a sample? A cover? Or something else entirely?” Enter: interpolation. One of the most widely used – and often misunderstood – tools in modern music production.

What is interpolation, really?

Unlike sampling, where a literal snippet of the original recording is lifted and inserted into a new track, interpolation is about creatively re-recording a recognisable part – be it a melody, lyric, rhythm or chord progression. It’s a way to capture the essence of a song without using its actual audio. That subtle distinction offers artists more creative freedom to reshape an idea into something new – and, sometimes, could help them avoid a few legal hurdles in the process.

Spotting interpolation

Recognising interpolation isn’t always easy – and that’s exactly why artists lean into it. Because the part is re-recorded – often with slight tweaks to the melody, rhythm or phrasing – it can sound familiar without being immediately obvious. You’ll catch yourself wondering where you have heard it before without being able to place it. That’s what makes interpolation so clever, it doesn’t just echo a past sound, it repurposes the feeling of it in a whole new context. Unless the original track was a massive hit, or you’re a music nerd,it can fly under the radar.

Take Olivia Rodrigo’s Good 4 U. The phrasing in the verses closely mirrors Paramore’s modern classic Misery Business, from the melody to the vocal delivery, even featuring a similar dropdown section toward the end of the track. It’s not a direct lift, but the energy is unmistakably similar. Rodrigo’s Brutal plays in the same space, opening with an acoustic guitar line that clearly nods to the janky, angular riff of Elvis Costello’s Pump It Up. Both tracks are strong examples of how interpolation can pay homage without being a replica – offering a glimpse into Rodrigo’s songwriting DNA and the influences that shape her sound.

Interpolation vs sampling

At a glance, interpolation and sampling might look like two sides of the same coin, but look closer and the creative (and legal) differences become obvious. Sampling is about directly taking a piece of audio, a hook, beat or texture, from an existing recording and inserting it into a new one. Because of that, you usually need permission from both the recording’s owner (typically a label) and the original songwriters.

Interpolation, on the other hand, avoids using the original audio altogether. Artists re-record the part they want, often tweaking or modernising it along the way. This usually means they only need permission from the songwriters, not the label, which can save a significant amount of time and money.

The sonic difference is noticeable too. Sampling often carries the grainy charm of the original recording, while interpolation sounds cleaner and more current, giving producers more room to change the key, update instrumentation, or flip the vibe entirely.

Take Kanye West’s I Wonder, which samples Labi Siffre’s My Song, using a soulful vocal line lifted straight from the source. That’s sampling, no question. Compare that to Eminem’s My Name Is, which interpolates another track from Siffre’s catalogue – the catchy Rhodes riff that appears halfway through I Got The…, a hidden gem that might’ve flown under the radar for a modern generation. Eminem and Dr. Dre re-recorded and reimagined that keys riff, transforming it into the main hook for Eminem to rap over. In doing so, they reintroduced the part to the music world – and arguably made the riff even more recognisable than it originally was.

Why artists interpolate

So, why interpolate at all? It usually comes down to three things: creative flexibility, legal simplicity, and musical homage.

The rise of ‘90s Hip-Hop marked the beginning of widespread sampling, but it also saw producers leaning into interpolation, reimagining parts instead of lifting audio directly from original tracks – often because getting a clean sample from an old song wasn’t very achievable. From a creative standpoint, interpolation gave these artists and producers more room to experiment. It let them reshape melodies, shift keys, and rebuild production from the ground up – all while giving a subtle nod to something familiar. 

Ice Cube’s It Was a Good Day interpolates the slinky guitar, thumping bassline and laid-back drum groove from The Isley Brothers’ Footsteps in the Dark, and more recently in Thundercat’s Them Changes – an instrumental that now lives on in both Soul and Hip-Hop circles. No Diggity by Blackstreet, Dr. Dre and Queen Pen do a similar thing, channeling the early ‘70s rhythm and bounce of Bill Withers’ Grandma’s Hands through a slick ‘90s R&B lens. Same soul, new sound.

Nostalgia also plays a big role. Interpolation lets artists shout out the songs that shaped them. When DJ Khaled and Rihanna reworked the guitar line from Santana’s Maria Maria in Wild Thoughts, the arrangement shifts up in key, and the part is performed with noticeably less precision than Santana’s original. But that looseness, paired with the saturated, almost obnoxious guitar tone, fits perfectly within DJ Khaled’s production style. It gives the riff a gritty edge and helps it stand out as the main hook of the track. Interpolating Maria Maria doesn’t feel like a shortcut, it feels like a tribute, a loud and proud nod from DJ Khaled and Rihanna to a song and sound that helped shape their musical identities.

Interpolation keeps music culturally connected. It helps bridge the generational gap, keeping older styles alive and inviting newer audiences to discover what came before. The 1975’s Love Me is a prime example. It’s a clear homage to David Bowie, channeling the funk and swagger of Fame with its strutting guitar lines, punchy bass, and powerful vocal melodies. But instead of replicating the original, its musical parts draw close influence and are wrapped in glossy, modern production, reintroducing that iconic sound to a new generation. Later in the track, it even leans into Bowie’s Let’s Dance era, with a guitar solo that echoes Stevie Ray Vaughan – a likely wink to another of the band’s inspirations, without a single sample in sight. The result feels familiar yet fresh and modern, proving just how powerful interpolation can be when it’s done with intention and style.

Grey areas and legal drama

But for all its success, interpolation has led artists into murky legal territory. The line between honouring a track and copying it is often blurry. Kelly Clarkson’s Heartbeat Song treads incredibly close to The Middle by Jimmy Eat World, perhaps nodding back to her Rock influences after her massive hit cover of Since You’ve Been Gone by A Day to Remember. Heartbeat Song mirrors the chord progression, structure, eighth-note chugging pattern, and, most importantly, the melodic hooks. This track in particular blurs the line between inspiration and recreation, walking the tightrope of interpolation so closely it’s hard not to do a double take. Clarkson got away with this one but sometimes it gets expensive.

Kanye’s Gold Digger heavily references Ray Charles’ I Got a Woman, with Jamie Foxx re-singing the hook. There’s no sample, but the resemblance was close enough to raise eyebrows and debate. Then there’s the Blurred Lines debacle. Robin Thicke and Pharrell didn’t sample Marvin Gaye’s Got to Give It Up, but they channelled its groove so closely that Gaye’s family sued and won. Over five million dollars and a cut of future royalties later, the case became a cautionary tale: even vibe can be litigated.

The Gaye Estate also targeted Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud, claiming it borrowed the chord progression from Let’s Get It On. It sparked bigger questions: Can a chord progression be copyrighted? Does instrumentation influence how we interpret similarity? Thankfully for Sheeran, and the broader music industry, the court ruled in his favour. The takeaway? Maybe just don’t mess with Marvin Gaye’s legacy.

A balancing act

Copyright in music has always been complex, but the digital era has made it even trickier. With streaming platforms and stem-separation software making it easier than ever to dissect and remix songs, artists are under more scrutiny than ever. Paying tribute is no longer just a creative decision – it’s a legal risk.

As producers, we’ve got plenty of tools at our disposal to help us interpolate ideas we’ve heard. Loopcloud’s editor is a quick and easy way to shape and rearrange copyright-free samples into grooves and melodies that echo our inspirations. Its built-in AI features, like the similar sounds function, make it even easier to find sonic variations when a loop isn’t quite hitting the mark - letting you get closer to the vibe you’re chasing without directly copying the original.

As technology keeps evolving, the law is trying to catch up. What was once seen as a respectful nod can now see artists under the microscope for imitation and lead to courtroom battles over who owns what. It’s a reminder that in music, creativity and caution go hand in hand, especially when the past sounds so good.