The claimants said the two songs are “nearly identical.” According to the suit, Stewart “had access to the Carter songs at the time they recorded and produced the infringing Song due to the Carter song’s popularity and fame as well as its prominent publication since at least 1929.” 8. The heirs of blues singer Armenter “Bo Carter” Chatmon sued Stewart claimed that the bonus track “Corrina, Corrina” on Stewart’s 2013 album Time plagiarizes Chatmon’s “Corrine, Corrina,” written in 1928. That wasn’t the end of Stewart’s plagiarism accusations.
“Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” is arguably Rod Stewart’s most recognized song, so it’s a shame he borrowed a pretty significant part of it from musician Jorge Ben’s 1976 song “Taj Mahal.” Stewart admitted the hook was the same, although he asserted it was simply a matter of “unconscious plagiarism.” As part of the settlement, he agreed to donate a portion of his song’s proceeds to UNICEF. However, “On the Floor” has also been accused of borrowing from Hispanic singer Kat DeLuna’s 2010 single “Party O’Clock” and Romanian musician Edward Maya’s 2009 club hit “Stereo Love.” 6. But honestly, the song has been covered so many times (17 or so, by our count) that it’s hard to distinguish what got the green light and what didn’t. It’s quite clear that J.Lo’s “On the Floor” sounds similar to the song “Lambada” by French pop group Kaoma. Influential rock musician Chuck Berry sued John Lennon in 1973 under the premise that the Beatles’ hit “Come Together” borrowed both lines and melodies from Berry’s song “You Can’t Catch Me.” 5. Why would they need to steal from anyone, right? Wrong, apparently. Ultimately, Trainor was not hit with a lawsuit. But did you know Trainor was accused of lifting the melody from a 2006 song called “Happy Mode” by the South Korean pop band Koyote? The songwriter, Joo Young-hoon, tweeted that he was consulting with a specialized lawyer. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight weeks. You might remember Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” becoming a smash hit in 2014, making its way to No. Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” vs. Rae claimed that Sheeran’s song “The Rest of Our Life,” which he wrote for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, was “almost note for note copy” of her song “When I Found You.” The suit is still ongoing. In January 2018, Australian country music star Jasmine Rae filed a lawsuit against Ed Sheeran. Ed Sheeran, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, “The Rest of Our Life,” vs. Things don’t run we,” as compared to May’s lyrics, “We run things.
In March 2018, Jamaican reggae musician Michael May, who performs under the name Flourgon, filed a lawsuit claiming Miley Cyrus’ hit song “We Can’t Stop” substantially pulls from his 1988 song “We Run Things.” According to NME, May’s lawyers claim Cyrus “substantially incorporated” his “‘vocal melody/rhythm/cadence/inflection,” pointing to a “substantially similar hook,” namely Cyrus’ hook “We run things. Let’s take a look at 35 songs accused of being plagiarized. It’s happened to virtually everyone too, from the Beatles to Jay-Z. But when it becomes more than a vague similarity or simply sampling that things get messy - and copyright infringement lawsuits get involved. Or maybe an artist has intentionally sampled another and given credit where credit’s due. Maybe you’ll hear a chord progression that reminds you of another song.