Hey, he steals it. His words, don’t correct the man.

The Axis of Awesome: 4 Chords (2011) Official Music Video

SONGS in 4 CHORDS (the same 4 chords)
Journey — “Don’t Stop Believing”
James Blunt — “You’re Beautiful”
Black Eyed Peas — “Where Is the Love”
Alphaville — “Forever Young”
Jason Mraz — “I’m Yours”
Train — “Hey Soul Sister”
The Calling — “Wherever You Will Go”
Elton John — “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” (from The Lion King)
Akon — “Don’t Matter”
John Denver — “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
Lady Gaga — “Paparazzi”
U2 — “With Or Without You”
The Last Goodnight — “Pictures of You”
Maroon Five — “She Will Be Loved”
The Beatles — “Let It Be”
Bob Marley — “No Woman No Cry”
Marcy Playground — “Sex and Candy”
Men At Work — “Land Down Under”
Theme from America’s Funniest Home Videos
Jack Johnson — “Taylor”
Spice Girls — “Two Become One”
A Ha — “Take On Me”
Green Day — “When I Come Around”
Eagle Eye Cherry — “Save Tonight”
Toto — “Africa”
Beyonce — “If I Were A Boy”
Kelly Clarkson — “Behind These Hazel Eyes”
Jason DeRulo — “In My Head”
The Smashing Pumpkins — “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
Joan Osborne — “One Of Us”
Avril Lavigne — “Complicated”
The Offspring — “Self Esteem”
The Offspring — “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid”
Akon — “Beautiful”
Timberland featuring OneRepublic — “Apologize”
Eminem featuring Rihanna — “Love the Way You Lie”
Bon Jovi — “It’s My Life”
Lady Gaga — “Pokerface”
Aqua — “Barbie Girl”
Red Hot Chili Peppers — “Otherside”
The Gregory Brothers — “Double Rainbow”
MGMT — “Kids”
Andrea Bocelli — “Time To Say Goodbye”
Robert Burns — “Auld Lang Syne”
Five for fighting — “Superman”
The Axis of Awesome — “Birdplane”
Missy Higgins — “Scar”

I’d like to see a real artist come here and deny all art is derivative.

Here is Jim Jarmusch golden rule no. 5

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery?celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from?it’s where you take them to.”

And btw, Picasso might actually have said “good artists copy, geniuses steal” (that’s how they say in Spain) and T S Eliot simply wrote about it. They had common friends who discussed these matters. Maybe they even met. I’m not sure. My point is it’s very hard to find the truth. Yes, there’s a writing by Eliot, but of course Picasso was not writing his thoughts. Eliot was. I’ve heard a Spanish friend say how typical for Americans to claim such a brilliant comment was made by one of their own. Eliot stole that view from Picasso… then pause and say, but of course Eliot was a genius and isn’t that what geniuses do?

Whether Picasso said it or not, he did “copy” others.

Just compare Picasso’s accordionist
http://i.imgur.com/0T0ZX.jpg

with Braque’s portuguese
http://i.imgur.com/4OWWM.jpg

And look at the copies Van Gogh made from other paintings. He probably did it because artists used to copy to study and master the technique or to give their own personal view of the work. I have the feeling since he was not an important painter while he was alive; he was probably having fun copying. He copied Rembrandt, who always had a high reputation as a painter, so maybe he was trying to emulate the masters too. Whatever the case, he was free to copy, emulate and create a new vision. He didn’t have to worry about the shackles of copyright. And he is among the greatest of all time.