Got My Mojo Working - adaptation of Hand's Off?

Muddy Waters was the first to record Got My Mo-Jo Working (But It Just Won't Work on You) in 1957, however it is very similar to Hands Off from 1955. Indeed, when Elvis recorded his version of Got My Mojo Working he actually included verses from Hand's Off.

Thoughts? Should Got My Mojo Working actually be reindexed as a cover/adaptation of Hand's Off?

If we go down that path, without specific evidence for a particular song, we'll probably end up categorizing every twelve bar blues in the world as an adaptation of one single ur-blues

There is some argument that the songs are related, as noted e.g. in Wikipedia, but I don't think it's enough to consider them adaptations, considering the limited form in which the two are operating.

Quote from microtherion

If we go down that path, without specific evidence for a particular song, we'll probably end up categorizing every twelve bar blues in the world as an adaptation of one single ur-blues

There is some argument that the songs are related, as noted e.g. in Wikipedia, but I don't think it's enough to consider them adaptations, considering the limited form in which the two are operating.

Perhaps, but there's less connection between, say, Chuck Berry's Promised Land which is listed as an adaptation of Wabash Cannonball which I don't agree with personally at all, to use one example. I don't actually see Mojo and Hands Off as being 12 bar blues at all. I see them as having very near the exact same melody, something that is put into the bright spotlight by Elvis' mashup.

I don't actually see Mojo and Hands Off as being 12 bar blues at all.

12 bar blues has a clear technical definition (and apologies in advance if my explanation is old news to you), which both songs follow to a T. Both of them consist of a repeating 12-measure pattern, with the harmony

I / I / I / I 

IV / IV / I / I

V / IV / I / I (V) 

And actually, they are not exactly identical 12 bar blues, because Hands Off is played with an "I" in the 12th bar, while Mojo is played with a turnaround "V", but both of these are very common variations.

I see them as having very near the exact same melody

Yes, the melody in the first stanza of Hands Off is similar to the melody of Mojo, but as I said, there are only so many different blues melodies, and this particular one is very typical.

But then in the second stanza, Hands Off reminds me more of That's All Right Mama

I'm not sure that musical/lyrical similarities alone are sufficient to classify one song as an adaptation of another. As pointed out, there are lots and lots of blues songs that are musically similar (and this is true in other genres, as well). There are also lots of lyrical similarities among songs simply because they are about similar subject matters or experiences and there are only so many ways to write songs about those (see, e.g., a substantial number of gospel songs). In some cases, that one song was adapted from another will be obvious (an example, I think, might be "Hey Good Lookin'" by Cole Porter being adapted into the Hank Williams song, although the SHS data base does not record this). But I think an adaptation is likely to have some historical information that would help establish that song B was actually related to song A -- a plagiarism determination for example, or a composer acknowledging that s/he wrote one song based on another, or common and public acceptance of the relationship (parodies and "answer songs" are examples here, although most of those are obvious, as well). In most cases, I, myself, am hesitant to conclude that one song is an adaptation of another without historical information augmenting musical/lyrical similarities.

Quote from Jeff Chamberlain

In most cases, I, myself, am hesitant to conclude that one song is an adaptation of another without historical information augmenting musical/lyrical similarities.

I agree. Adaptations shouldn't be made lightly. Providing a comment about certain similarities is the way to go, in my opinion.

Sorry for the delayed reply on this. All this is very fair; in that case and based on the comment above, do we have proof then that Chuck Berry's Promised Land is an adaptation of Wabash Cannonball? If not, then they need to be separated because they don't satisfy the criteria set out above, they just happen to have similar melody.

Quote from 23skidoo

Sorry for the delayed reply on this. All this is very fair; in that case and based on the comment above, do we have proof then that Chuck Berry's Promised Land is an adaptation of Wabash Cannonball? If not, then they need to be separated because they don't satisfy the criteria set out above, they just happen to have similar melody.

I don't agree. That melody is very distinct, recognizable, not generic.

If you're not convinced by this, please file a report at the song itself.