{
  "id": 9000131,
  "title": "Modern English Acknowledge The Strokes “Completely Ripped Off” “I Melt With You,” But Still Love Them",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/modern-english-acknowledge-the-strokes-completely-ripped-off-i-melt",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-21T20:28:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Stereogum",
    "slug": "stereogum",
    "url": "https://stereogum.com/2512145/modern-english-acknowledge-the-strokes-completely-ripped-off-i-melt-with-you-but-still-love-them/news/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Strokes' second single from their 2020 album \"The New Abnormal\" sparked conversations among fans who noticed striking similarities between the song and Modern English's 1982 hit, \"I Melt With You.\" Rather than taking the resemblance seriously, the band playfully acknowledged the connection in a new video captioned, \"We have beef with the Strokes.\"\n\nFormer Modern English member Mick Conroy and singer Robbie Grey got in on the joke, with Grey jokingly stating, \"Yeah, about 30 years ago,\" when discussing the influence of their band's song on the Strokes'. Conroy added, \"Yeah, they had a song and they completely ripped off 'I Melt With You.'\"\n\nThe video caption playfully concluded with the phrase, \"just kidding we still love them,\" despite the Strokes' direct acknowledgment of the musical borrowing. Interestingly, writers of Billy Idol's 1981 classic \"Dancing With Myself\" are credited on \"Bad Decisions,\" Modern English's song, but Modern English themselves are not listed among the songwriters.\n\nAmidst the humorous exchange, Olivia Rodrigo recently praised \"I Melt With You\" as a perfect wedding song, adding another layer to the enduring appeal of the 1980s hit.",
  "summary": "When the Strokes released \" Bad Decisions ,\" the second single from their 2020 album The New Abnormal , fans noticed the resemblance between that song and Modern English's 1982 hit \"I Melt With You.\" Today, the new wave veterans playfully acknowledged it in a new video captioned \"We have beef with the Strokes.\" The post Modern English Acknowledge The Strokes “Completely Ripped Off” “I Melt With…",
  "key_points": [
    "Strokes acknowledge resemblance to Modern English's 1982 hit",
    "Former Modern English member Mick Conroy jokes about 30-year rip-off",
    "Video ends with \"just kidding we still love them\""
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}