Red Hot Chilli Peppers accused of plagiarism

Sol · 4 Jun 2006 at 11:40

How on earth can you patent a chord progression, no doubt there were hordes of songs before the Tom Petty one that had the same chord progression and the fact that it sounds similar is irrelevant. Maybe if the lyrics were the same then there would be a case.

Oasis would be in prison for life if they were dragged up on similarities. Anyway Dani California sucks great big monkey plums though so it deserves to make them burn

.

SexyGreyFox · 4 Jun 2006 at 11:44

As soon as I first heard RHCP I said it was like Sweet Home Alabama and said it in these forums.

The most famous case was The Chiffons He's So Fine v George Harrisons My Sweet Lord.
The case went to court, The Chiffons won and I think they got 6 million and both records sold in their millions.
HOWEVER, what wasn't known at the time was that both songs were produced and arranged by Phil Spector and he would have definitely known what he was doing so the story is that it was a stunt where everybody won.

Led Zeppelin have lost a few cases too including Whole Lotta Love and Stairway To Heaven.

xyphic · 4 Jun 2006 at 12:14

I only listened to the first half of that (that presenter has just jumped right to the top of my 'most annoying people in the world' list) but from what I heard, their case is that 10-15 seconds of instrumental and a similar lyrical style is plagiarism?

I'd be more inclined to believe it if it were something a bit more substantial than a simple three-chord progression. I can believe there are influences there, but I doubt it was intentional. There are very few bands that produce truly original music - most sounds like something else if you think about it enough.

cleanbluesky · 4 Jun 2006 at 12:43

They're not the first band to be accused of similar, not the last - I doubt its intentional.

The tempo of the song completely changes the song... also, Im sure that endless list of those people have used that chord progression...

JonnyGLC · 4 Jun 2006 at 12:44

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7117651#post7117651

I guess everyone ignored my post from last week then

Doohickey · 4 Jun 2006 at 12:45

A random name said:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7117651#post7117651

I guess everyone ignored my post from last week then

Did someone say something?

JonnyGLC · 4 Jun 2006 at 12:46

Doohickey said:
Did someone say something?

I'll just go crawl back under the rock i came out of.

brb

cleanbluesky · 4 Jun 2006 at 12:47

A random name said:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7117651#post7117651

I guess everyone ignored my post from last week then

If you'd have had confidence to start a new thread you could have gotten the attention you crave...

JonnyGLC · 4 Jun 2006 at 12:49

cleanbluesky said:
If you'd have had confidence to start a new thread you could have gotten the attention you crave...

Nah, no attention needed and there was no need to start a new thread either. I'm not trying to whine or start an arguement at all, it just slotted right in with iCraigs original post, saying that he'd heard the song before somewhere.

Skunkworks · 4 Jun 2006 at 13:11

I want to know who the mystery voice is!

Sparky191 · 4 Jun 2006 at 13:16

Lots of songs sound the same, especially modern bands. I guess its all the stuff they've listened to over the years.

Joe T · 4 Jun 2006 at 14:03

Remember guys, there's nothing truly new in music.

sjt269 · 4 Jun 2006 at 14:40

A random name said:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7117651#post7117651

I guess everyone ignored my post from last week then

lol

That's why I said in my post earlier in this thread, 'I heard that the other day (I think - the link didn't download right for me, but I got a bit of it). Was going to post it here, but did a search and found it had already been posted, so I didn't bother.'

See? I didn't ignore you.

Christo · 4 Jun 2006 at 16:05

They were guilty of copying their own music the majority of their career.

SexyGreyFox · 4 Jun 2006 at 16:31

A random name said:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7117651#post7117651

I guess everyone ignored my post from last week then

I doubt that anybody had heard the Tom Petty version on these forums including me and I have most of his albums.
Most people heard Sweet Home Alabama in it.

cleanbluesky · 4 Jun 2006 at 16:34

dmpoole said:
I doubt that anybody had heard the Tom Petty version on these forums including me and I have most of his albums.
Most people heard Sweet Home Alabama in it.

I heard last dance, but it has a completely different feel, especially the chorus and wouldn't have put the two songs together...

Doohickey · 4 Jun 2006 at 16:52

cleanbluesky said:
I heard last dance, but it has a completely different feel, especially the chorus and wouldn't have put the two songs together...

True, the chorus is not the same at all, but you don't really need to rip off a whole song from top to bottom to be reasonably accused of plagiarism, that would just be a little too obvious. Oasis - Shakermaker has the same verse as The New Seekers - I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, but both choruses are different, I'd still say Noel Gallagher ripped the song off.

iCraig · 4 Jun 2006 at 17:01

I wonder how many more songs they'll release that are about ****ing California?

elroberto · 4 Jun 2006 at 22:01

dmpoole said:
As soon as I first heard RHCP I said it was like Sweet Home Alabama and said it in these forums.

The most famous case was The Chiffons He's So Fine v George Harrisons My Sweet Lord.
The case went to court, The Chiffons won and I think they got 6 million and both records sold in their millions.
HOWEVER, what wasn't known at the time was that both songs were produced and arranged by Phil Spector and he would have definitely known what he was doing so the story is that it was a stunt where everybody won.

Led Zeppelin have lost a few cases too including Whole Lotta Love and Stairway To Heaven.

Whole Lotta Love was a case of the lyrics nbeing appropriated but not the actual backing music, didn't know Stairway had been taken to court though.

Thinking about it, I can now hear Sweet Home Alabama in the RHCP song...even so I still don't like the song.