Zakk Wylde says the riff for Miracle Man was inspired by this classic Jimi Hendrix song
Ever heard a riff so darn good you wish you’d written it? It’s happened to most of us, and those moments invariably inspire us when we write our own riffs later down the line.
In a February interview with the Garza Podcast, Zakk Wylde touches on Ozzy Osbourne‘s tendency to borrow ideas from his favourite riffs. The guitarist explains that the Prince of Darkness was particularly inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s Foxey Lady, which inspired the riff for Ozzy’s 1988 track, Miracle Man.
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Plenty of artists take inspiration from their peers, using music as a springboard to create something new. “That’s why I always tell kids [songwriting] is just like cooking,” Wylde explains [via Ultimate Guitar]. “You learn how other songs are written, and you’re inspired or influenced by them. Or you remember it, and then you tweak it and bend it [to make a new song].”
Wylde goes on to explain that Ozzy was inspired by other artist’s riffs throughout his career. The guitarist picks out N.I.B from Black Sabbath’s 1970 debut as a case in point, noting how it twists elements of Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love. “You end up mutating it, bending it, and changing it,” he says. “Then it’s a whole new song, which is awesome.”
Even the most legendary and accomplished guitarists take inspiration from their heroes when writing guitar parts. Wylde also notes how late Pantera axeman Dimebag Darrell compared an unspecified track with its inspirational origin. “I went ‘If you didn’t tell me that, I would have never got it, because you changed it around a bit,’” he says. “But that spark of inspiration led [him] to where [he] ended up with a specific song.”
Countless riffs have been borrows and twisted, from Metallica nabbing a riff from David Bowie’s Andy Warhol for Master of Puppets, to the Red Hot Chili Peppers taking inspiration from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Mary Jane’s Last Dance for their 2006 smash hit Dani California.
On the flip side, those whose riffs serve as inspiration for others often don’t mind. In 2006 rumours floated around that Petty was going to sue the Chili Peppers, but he quickly shut that down in an interview with Rolling Stone. “I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent [from the Red Hot Chili Peppers],” he said. “It doesn’t bother me,” he confirmed. “If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe. But I don’t believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs.”
“A lot of rock and roll songs sound alike,” he adds. “Ask Chuck Berry! The Strokes took American Girl [for 2011’s Last Nite]. I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, ‘OK, good for you!’”
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