Here's a famous example that illustrates this thread's topic.

The band released this song a couple of years before the next two recordings.

Paul wrote the majority of this song (contrary to what most think). He comes up with quite the chord change sequence after "went into a dream". (It's the "ah" part.) Paul threw in some notes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Dh-I0_m5Y "A Day In The Life" Beatles

Joe South wrote quite a good rocker based on that chord sequence, adding some notes here and there, and a good beat. He sings "nah, nah, nah, nah". (See how he added the "n" to change things up!)


Joe South was a brilliant songwriter (IMO), one of my favs.

Paul was a brilliant songwriter, one of my favs. In addition, he was one of the two most famous (and powerful) songwriters in the world at that time.

"Hush" is credited solely to Joe South. If any songwriter could ever have claimed copyright infringement due to a chord sequence, that would have been the time and the claimant.

Here's Joe South's superior original (IMO) of "Hush" and the biggest cover hit by Deep Purple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M9se64HoTg "Hush" Joe South

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1PNvopXjbg "Hush" Deep Purple