Who is the most sampled musician of all time - is Elvis Presley or are ABBA on the list?

• Sampling and interpolations have become more and more commonplace in music over the last two decades.
• The act of “borrowing” certain moments from a song or re-interpreting a melody continues to cause many of us to stop in our tracks and ask “what is that song, originally?”
• But research undertaken has shown who is the most sampled, covered and interpolated artists in music - with the winner a costly surprise.

Have you ever found yourself walking around a shopping mall, popping the radio on or out in a nightclub or bar to hear the familiar refrain from a song that you know existed previously?

Welcome then to the world of sampling, where artists who may not be content with covering a song at times chop, screw and paste together moments from other songs to help compliment their own, or in some cases completely create a new work.

Interpolations have also been a common occurrence in music, with the phrase being used more and more to describe the practice of re-recording a segment of an existing song and incorporating it into a new composition. 

Unlike sampling, where a portion of the original audio recording is directly used, interpolation involves recreating the melody, lyrics, or other musical elements by performing them anew.

But even then, interpolation requires an original piece of music to “borrow” from; so who is the most sampled artist, be it through covers, interpolations or cut-and-pasting bits from their music? 

Those kind people over a Slingo took the guesswork out for all of us, as they analysed the most popular and significant tributes and covers of the world’s favourite artists over the years. Using search data, they’ve determined the most impersonated artists and compared their searches in the last year to the tribute band.

Who is the most sampled musician of all time?

Leading the list with nearly 12,000 samples are The Beatles, whose timeless ballads have resonated across generations. Their iconic track “A Day in the Life” (1967) was famously sampled in David Bowie’s “Young Americans” (1975). Another classic, “Here, There and Everywhere” (1966), found new life in Frank Ocean’s “White Ferrari” (2016), released 50 years later.

In second place is Frank Sinatra, with almost 2,400 samples to his name. As one of the best-selling music artists globally, with around 150 million records sold, Sinatra’s influence is undeniable. His “Theme From New York, New York” was incorporated into Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” (2009), while his classic “My Way” (1969) inspired Aretha Franklin’s 2006 rendition and Sid Vicious’ 1978 cover of the same title.

Elvis Presley, the legendary "King of Rock and Roll," takes third place with 2,040 samples. As a cultural icon of the 20th century, Presley’s music continues to inspire. His beloved ballad “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961) was reimagined by Twenty One Pilots in 2012 and later by Angelina Cruz in 2017 and more famously was covered by UB40 for their 1993 UK chart-topping album, “Promises and Lies.”

Do you think that The Beatles have been the most sampled, covered or interpolated artist in music, or did you think someone else might have held the record? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.