Spinner

Rock 'n' Roll Ripoffs: 10 Cases of Music Plagiarism, From Blatant to Bizarre

Getty Images (2) | AFP

George Harrison once said, "99 percent of the popular music that can be heard is reminiscent of something or other." The problem, as the Beatles guitarist found out, is that sometimes songs can be too reminiscent of others -- and then the lawyers get involved. When it comes to musical plagiarism, there are instances of blatant ripoffs, greedy managers and accidental soundalikes. Inspired by recent accusations that Rihanna and Azaelia Banks stole visuals from artists, we compiled some of the most landmark -- and sometimes downright bizarre -- cases of artists who've been caught stealing or just got unlucky. As a bonus, we've presented the tracks for comparison, so you can be the judge.

The Song: George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"
Stolen From: The Chiffons' "He's So Fine"
What Happened: The Quiet Beatle's first solo single was a hit, but it was soon pointed out that he basically copped the melody from the Chiffons song. Allen Klein, the underhanded former manager of the Rolling Stones, tried to work out a settlement on Harrison's behalf, but negotiations failed. After a trial, in which music experts dissected the song on behalf of both parties, a judge ordered Harrison to pay nearly $1.6 million. Then, while that figure was being argued, Klein went ahead and purchased the rights to "He's So Fine," meaning that Harrison would actually have to pay him. The dispute was a landmark example of music plagiarism and law, and wasn't ultimately settled until 1998.



The Song: The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony"
Stolen From: Andrew Loog Oldham's orchestral version of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time."
What Happened: The Verve got permission to sample the Stones track but the lawsuit-loving Allen Klein -- who owned copyright on much of the band's songs -- sued on the grounds that the younger British band had taken "too much" of the original song. Despite the fact that singer Richard Aschroft's lyrics were original, the Stones and Klein were awarded 100% of the royalties to "Bitter Sweet Symphony." A pissed-off Ashcroft called "Bitter Sweet Symphony" the "best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years," while Keith Richards said, "If the Verve can write a better song, they can keep the money." Ouch.

Andrew Loog Oldham's "The Last Time"

The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony"

The Song: Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby"
Stolen From: Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure"
What Happened: The white rapper's chart-topping single basically took the bass-and-piano riff straight from the Queen and Bowie tune without giving them any credit. His defense? The "Ice Ice Baby" version added an extra note. After the song became a hit, Ice had to pay up, and Bowie and Queen were given songwriting credits.


The Songs: Led Zeppelin's "Bring It on Home," "The Lemon Song" and "Whole Lotta Love" (among others)
Stolen From: Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bring It on Home," Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" and Willie Dixon's "You Need Love"
What Happened: In all three cases, the British quartet basically said, "Hey, these blues lyrics are good. Let's use them and not give anyone else credit." They were later sued and lost, with the bluesmen receiving royalties and writing credits.

Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bring It on Home"

Led Zeppelin's "Bring It on Home"

The Songs: Oasis' "Whatever," "Shakermaker" and "Step Out"
Stolen From: Neil Innes' "How Sweet to Be an Idiot," the New Seekers' "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" and Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"
What Happened: Oasis were criticized for constantly aping the Beatles (remember their haircuts?), but their penchant for copying other artists landed them in court. In the first two cases, the band was successfully sued after they didn't properly give writing credits to Innes and the New Seekers. The last song, "Step Out," was originally intended for the band's second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? but it was left off after Wonder demanded 10% of the royalties. The track ended up as the B-side of the "Don't Look Back in Anger" single with credits given Wonder and his co-writers.

Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"


Oasis' "Step Out"

Five More Cases of Plagiarism

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

3 Comments

Filter by:
kerrbearram

NEWS TO ME.

November 18 2012 at 8:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Aidan10

Wonderwall ripped off a Cranberries song.

November 18 2012 at 4:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ben Johnson

This hardly news I have a game called "The Will Smith game" in which you play a Will Smith song and try to guess which song he ripped off to make it. This is why rappers are such experts on music, they are looking for new stuff to steal later.

November 18 2012 at 11:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply