Accusing an artist of outright stealing a song can be a tricky thing. Most pop songs are influenced by other pop songs, so there are going to be similarities. But there have been several noteworthy examples over the years where the “influence” is a little too blatant. Artists and publishers typically drag each other into court to settle such matters, such as when George Harrison was sued by the owners of the Chiffon‘s hit “He’s So Fine” because Harrison’s hit “My Sweet Lord” was basically a re-write. Or when Huey Lewis and the News successfully sued Ray Parker, Jr., asserting that he cribbed their “I Want A New Drug” for his famous “Ghostbusters” theme.
With Robin Thicke, Pharrell and T.I. currently embroiled in a legal battle with the estate of Marvin Gaye over their hit song “Blurred Lines” bearing similarities to Gaye’s classic “Got To Give It Up,” we decided to take a look at some other hits that “borrowed” from older songs without acknowledgement.
Prepare to laugh…or get really annoyed…
