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[Music] George Harrison vs the Chiffons



Icy Gull

Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
I have never quite got how My Sweet Lord and He’s So Fine could be taken as virtually the same song. Harrison was done for copyright infringement and lost the law suit.

This morning I stumbled across this and it does in fact sound like a complete rip off :shrug:

Have a listen to the merge on this link

Can you think of any other pair of songs that sound so alike that one could be considered a rip off?


http://performingsongwriter.com/george-harrison-my-sweet-lord/
 
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Johnny RoastBeef

Johnny RoastBeef

These aren't the players you're looking for.
Jan 11, 2016
3,157
Led Zep's "Stairway to heaven" is a rip off of Spirit's "Taurus", and "Whole lotta love" is suspiciously similar to Muddy Waters' "you need love".
 


happypig

happypig

Staring at the rude boys
May 23, 2009
7,955
Eastbourne
Dire Straits' Romeo & Juliet opening riff compared to Springsteen's Jungleland.
[yt]rC95MEenIxA[/yt]
[yt]JR_0nbEzVdY[/yt]
 








F

Fungus

Well-known member
NSC Patron
May 21, 2004
7,045
Truro
happypig said:
Dire Straits' Romeo & Juliet opening riff compared to Springsteen's Jungleland.
[yt]rC95MEenIxA[/yt]
[yt]JR_0nbEzVdY[/yt]
Click to expand...

Interesting. I'm a Bruce nut, and that's probably my favourite Dire Straits' track, but I'd never considered that before. I can see what you mean, but don't think I'd ever have thought of it myself.
 








lawros left foot

lawros left foot

Glory hunting since 1969
Jun 11, 2011
13,703
Worthing
I read an article in the late 70s that put forward the hypothesis that music would have run out of new tunes by 2020.
It stated, that such was the vast amount of tunes being produced that every combination of notes would have been exhausted.
I think it probably meant that you would have to change a significant amount of notes in a tune to make it a different tune, not just one or two, as obviously, the amount of tunes just changing one note, for example, would be infinitesimal.
 




GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,697
Gloucester
It's inevitable that there will be similarities, especially at the simpler, more straightforward end of the scale. If you write a song using the chords C, F and G, it might be a great song, but the chances are it'll sound fairly similar to a lot of songs using C, F and G! Thus two very simple songs (He's so Fine and My Sweet Lord) did sound a bit similar. But plagiarism though? Bearing in mind that George was writing the song from the mindset of a Buddhist chant or mantra, which he was heavily into at the tine, it is highly unlikely that the Chiffons' song even touched the edges of his consciousness.

Bit tough on George - 1). pick three chords (we've all done that!), 2). pick a short three word title, 3). use the three word title, repeated, as a chorus and 4). add backing harmonies, completely obvious ones pretty much automatically generated by the three chords .......... and hey presto, you've written My Sweet Lord ............. or maybe you've written He's so Fine!
 




D

darkwolf666

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2015
7,576
Sittingbourne, Kent
GT49er said:
It's inevitable that there will be similarities, especially at the simpler, more straightforward end of the scale. If you write a song using the chords C, F and G, it might be a great song, but the chances are it'll sound fairly similar to a lot of songs using C, F and G! Thus two very simple songs (He's so Fine and My Sweet Lord) did sound a bit similar. But plagiarism though? Bearing in mind that George was writing the song from the mindset of a Buddhist chant or mantra, which he was heavily into at the tine, it is highly unlikely that the Chiffons' song even touched the edges of his consciousness.

Bit tough on George - 1). pick three chords (we've all done that!), 2). pick a short three word title, 3). use the three word title, repeated, as a chorus and 4). add backing harmonies, completely obvious ones pretty much automatically generated by the three chords .......... and hey presto, you've written My Sweet Lord ............. or maybe you've written He's so Fine!
Click to expand...

Clearly the powers that be didn’t agree with your summing up as to how it is so easy to “accidentally” write a near identical (in parts) song!
 






GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,697
Gloucester
darkwolf666 said:
Clearly the powers that be didn’t agree with your summing up as to how it is so easy to “accidentally” write a near identical (in parts) song!
Click to expand...

I think you'll find it was an American judge, or panel of judges, or even a US jury rather than the 'powers that be'. Wonder how they came to their conclusion in favour of the American act? Just asking ...............
 


D

darkwolf666

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2015
7,576
Sittingbourne, Kent
GT49er said:
I think you'll find it was an American judge, or panel of judges, or even a US jury rather than the 'powers that be'. Wonder how they came to their conclusion in favour of the American act? Just asking ...............
Click to expand...

I guess the same way that any “judge” comes to a decision in any case, legal or civil...
 






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