While “ROCKMAN” by Mk.gee came out last year, it’s only recently gotten on my radar through a medium that most think is dead or dying — and has been for decades. I’m talking about radio. As I reassess my listening habits, I’ve been playing music radio in the morning while I get dressed for work. And since I’m a fan of alternative rock, I’ve been tuning into the only alternative rock station in my neck of the woods (Live 105). Mostly, the station plays tried and true songs that are roughly 15 to 40 years old, but they spike in some current titles now and then.
A case in point is the current single by Mk.gee, “ROCKMAN.” MK.gee is 28-year-old New Jersey musician Mike Gordon who played this song in November 2024 on SNL. I missed that performance, but the song has been played on Live 105 for a few weeks now and, well, it seems designed to appeal to my tastes (i.e., an old Gen X’er). Chart positions don’t seem to matter anymore — at least to those who stream their music. So, I looked at the streaming numbers on Spotify, and the song has been played over 10 million times. Now, let’s be honest here. What counts as a “play” on Spotify? If someone comes to my blog and bounces out in a few seconds, I still get the “view” credit on my metrics. Did that person bother to read anything? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The same could go for streaming. People could play 10 or 15 seconds of a song and click on something else, yet the artist gets credit for it as a “play.” Radio, on the other hand, does report to music publishing companies how many times an entire song gets played on the air (i.e., spins), and that determines how much the station has to pay to play the music. Yes, radio is free for the listener, but it’s a business that has costs that are much steeper than streaming services.
But that’s the business side of things. What about this song? Well, if you don’t hear The Police or The Police-like references in the music, I can’t help you. But, if you’re like me, your ear perked up when you first heard this song — because it sounds so familiar.
See what I mean? Sting, Andy, and Stewart of The Police would be proud of what this Gen Z’er is doing. I rather like the song as well. Sure it’s derivative, but what music isn’t? I mean, if you’re a fan of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal,” and you’re an old like me, you clearly hear “Pump It Up” by Elvis Costello on the guitar riff. But even Costello admitted that Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” was his inspiration for the vocal melody of “Pump It Up.” I guess my point is that people rip each other off all the time, and even though “ROCKMAN” doesn’t directly rip off a Police song, it sounds very much like that style The Police made tons of money off of. So, good for Mk.gee. Find inspiration in the carcass of dead bands. You never know where that’ll lead you. Well, in the case of Mk.gee, it led him straight to SNL and getting radio airplay.
Jeff Giles
January 16, 2025 at 8:53 amYou’re right — this is quite Police-like. I’ve enjoyed a number of Mk.gee’s songs in the past; looks like it’s time to add another one to the list!
Ted
January 16, 2025 at 9:34 amI’ve honestly never heard of Mk.gee until “ROCKMAN.” I guess I’ll have to see what else he’s created. Kind of cool to hear atypical chords in a alternative rock song again, though.
SJ
January 25, 2025 at 1:39 pmI actually saw or heard the performance on SNL sometimes they do have good musical guests, I immediately thought of the Police listening to that song and was looking up the credits to find out which song of theirs had been sampled as I recently got wind that Sting approved quite a few of his works for young artists to be used in their songs, I am surprised that there are no credits whatsoever. Nonetheless a very catchy tune.
Also FYI you have to listen to a song on Spotify for more than 30 seconds for it to count as a listening credit, i.e. it won’t count if you play the song for less than 30 seconds obviously still not a full play but I usually am quite quick to determine if I like a song or not, so I either play the full track or I tend to skip under 30 seconds.
Although you probably still can’t trust the numbers since fandoms and business savvy industry folk have their way to manipulate any stat to their wishes.
Doesn’t matter to me however I like what I like, i do not pay any mind to any chart or list or stat whatsoever. I also do not listen to the radio since they too only push “popular” music I like Spotify since i can make my own playlists and sometimes I check what Spotify recommends based on my listening preferences, but overall i find music randomly.
Ted
January 25, 2025 at 4:53 pmThanks for stopping by and commenting SJ.
It’s likely there are some bots that stream a lot of music on Spotify to jack up the plays so more money goes…well, some to the artist and a whole lot to Spotify.
Regarding the influence of The Police, I’m thinking of folks like Bruno Mars or Gotye who really channel that Sting and Police vibe in some of their songs.
SJ
January 27, 2025 at 12:29 pmHey, thank you for making this post. As I was searching for the song credits to include the Police and came up empty handed, I searched for the song name, artist and the Police next as I was sure someone else must have heard this song and made the connection and your Blog came up. What you call “derivative” or “rip off” I call “Frankenstein songs” allot of these new sensations chart toppers which are being hyped up to the max have “hits” that are Frankenstein songs, when I come across one of those and I hear it is made up of sometimes 3 or 4 different songs and it isn’t even subtle, but then mostly there are no credits because it seems to be given credit it needs a certain amount of bars and if you just change up one note in between it already is a new song. Anyway it has become somewhat of a fun sport for me to identify the original songs.
I am all for people feeling the music and creating their own art based on their experiences, there is no way to invent a wheel twice. Though at times it seems as though these producers/ writers are simply trying to put together the next hit song and not actually writing music from the heart. The difference is stark.
I would like to think Mk.gee had no such intention, ROCKMAN feels like more of an homage to a sound that will never be dead or forgotten, because it is simply too good. Music with a purpose, heart and soul is always timeless. After listening to it several times I think I hear another familiar melody which is not the Police XD It is a good song.
Ted
January 28, 2025 at 10:47 amI think the style of guitar playing, the tone of the guitar’s sound, and even the chord progression are very much in Andy Summers’s style. You’re right about the lack of information on the song’s creation beyond the songwriters listed (Michael Gordon and Zack Sekoff), but that’s likely because it’s a digital single. Who presses 45s with full production credits listed these days? 🙂
Frankensteining a hit song or getting right up to the line of plagiarism is something that musicians have been doing for a long time. When I was working in radio, one of the companies that supplied us with music to produce radio ads said that they often create songs that are designed to sound almost like a hit song. The company created a 30 and 60 instrumental “Sounds like Bon Jovi” versions of “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Once the songs were recorded, they ran them by their attorneys to see if they were too close to Bon Jovi’s song. When they found a sweet spot version that would likely keep them out of court, they put the instrumental in their subscription library.
SJ
January 29, 2025 at 10:09 amOh the credits are complete, there are several places where they can be looked up. For example genius.com has all the information.
I guess you are right maybe it has always been that way and the reason why I am noticing it so much now is because I am finally old enough to be present for a full recycling loop which happens every 15 – 20 years and when I was young music mostly was new to me, as it is to the kids and younger people of today.
It just feels like every popular song from today is based on at least one song that has been written before and 20 years ago or even more it wasn’t “every” song. Same goes for movies how many remakes & Superhero movies etc are there going to be, I do get the strong impression no matter what there is literally nothing “new”, instead people are just using the same concept over and over and not even making an effort to hide their laziness. I also learned that Producers/ writers can legally sell their works twice once in the West (US, Europe) and again to the Asian (China, Japan, Korea etc) market legally since in most cases these markets do not overlap.
The practices you describe are not unfamiliar to me either, worked at Radio stations both big and small, am a singer myself and have had experience going through the journey of recording songs, production and writing, having a manager and being so close to getting signed by a major Label. My Music taste is also very eclectic since my adult years, while growing up it was more Pop, R&B, Soul and Hiphop because of my parents and some classical & Folk through my grandparents, it changed to anything that is good. My brain thinks music to no end, often I think in songs and notice even subtle similarities. My stance on “plagiarism” is can it actually exist, as just because you thought of something first it is not yours alone while everybody who happens to come after even if they never heard your idea and came up with it on their own is stealing…it is a complicated subject imo.
For me intent matters more than anything, if you are of a greedy hands like a rake neck like a snake mindset only thinking of your own benefit or do you actually create something from the heart with affection to bring joy to the world.
Ted
January 29, 2025 at 10:33 amI mentioned 45s because they used to have all sorts of information on the actual label of the recording and the sleeve. Not always complete or thorough, but the information was from an official source that distributed the music was uniform. But I get your point about many new songs having roots/inspiration from older titles. When I was a kid I used to love KISS (it was the ’70s and I liked their bombast, makeup, and fire and smoke). My 11-12 year old brain thought the band was wholly original — as in no one had done what KISS was doing. As an adult (and one who read some KISS biographies and interviews just for giggles), the unmasking (ha!) of their project showed how they borrowed, stole, inverted, and did whatever they had to do to find a sound and a look that would be their golden ticket to fame and fortune. One was an interview in Guitar World in the ’90s where Gene Simmons admits to ripping off (and slightly altering) “Bitch” by The Rolling Stones for KISS’s song “Duce.”
Gene Simmons: “That was the first song I ever wrote for Kiss; it was thrown together in about half an hour. I ripped off the lick from Bitch by The Rolling Stones and changed it so it starts in A and goes to a C.
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/kiss-paul-stanley-gene-simmons-classic-tracks
But I love and agree with your last sentiment: are you creating music for money or the joy it brings to the world. Well said!
SJ
February 7, 2025 at 2:25 amInteresting, so then knowing what you learned about the band do you think if had said information when you were a kid would you have not liked them or liked them less? Have you stopped liking them after you found out?
Ted
February 9, 2025 at 4:13 pmI was 11 when I started listening to KISS. I was probably 14 when I stopped listening to their music, so my view of them wouldn’t have changed if I knew how much they lifted from other artists. I still like their most popular albums, so there’s that (for what it’s worth). 🙂