In May, the Colombian singer Karol G released “Mi Cama,” a pinging, propulsive single that offers one potential path for getting over a two-timing ex-boyfriend. “My bed sounds,” Karol G announces (in Spanish), “and your memory fades.” The hook is made up entirely of a sample that evokes squeaking mattress-springs … connect the dots.

Earlier this month, a very similar sample resurfaced in a markedly different context: “Tempo,” the new single from the nine-member Korean pop group Exo. This track is set in the infatuation phase of a relationship, rather than the vengeful aftermath,...