It’s close to Christmas Day and my plans are not yet finalized. I don’t know where I’ll be come 12/25/2012. But for now, the sun is breaking through (a rare event recently) and I’ve got a few things to finish this morning.
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Blog-wise, I am proceeding out of order. I should have written the intended follow-up post – the proper one in the sequence – instead of this as I’ve got much more to write about Shuman v. Sony. But I’ll delay that a bit as I want to do this quicker-to-write post.
Recently I wrote about ambulance chasers:
“I’ve known of “ambulance chasers,” (I’m not asserting Lowell is an ambulance chaser but “size matters” and Lowell’s video was at the top of my “ambulance chasers” search) with respect to music copyright infringement lawsuits – people who hear similarities between songs, and then contact interested parties with the hope that lawsuits will be filed and that they will receive money and/or acclaim.”
I also wrote these few sentences which could very much excite an ambulance chaser/copyright troll:
“If someone wanted to sue Alicia Keys for her recording, “Girl On Fire”, there is a song by a potential plaintiff with much stronger similarities than, “Hey There Lonely Girl.” It was a very big hit song that appeared in a very big 1980’s hit film. Do you know of the song to which I refer? Want to take a guess? I’ll come back to that, and all of this Blogger Friedman/Shuman v. Sony stupidity, soon.”
There are six (6) places in “Girl On Fire” in which Alicia Keys sings, “Oh oh oh oh oh.” Listen to the Alicia Keys “Girl On Fire” and especially these six sections.
0.35 oh oh oh oh oh
1.39 oh oh oh oh oh
2.54 oh oh oh oh oh
3.04 oh oh oh oh oh
3.15 oh oh oh oh oh
3.25 oh oh oh oh oh
Do these five (5)-note melodic excerpts, that are heard six (6) times in “Girl On Fire,” remind you of another song? As I mentioned, the song to which I am referring was a very big hit that appeared in a very big 1980’s hit film. If you recognize the song, do you think there is a potential copyright problem?
I hope everyone has a nice Saturday and stays away from retail, or that you are able to do stressless surgical shopping strikes.
I thought “Take My Breath Away”… have to hear it all the time at work!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_6x3EW3FC0
Wow – that was fast, Tim! Congratulations (or sympathy)! Where are you working? I remember hearing certain songs endlessly at different jobs I’ve had.
Do you think this is a potential copyright infringement problem for Alicia Keys?
I’d say yes. Both songs have multiple hooks but they both contain the same exact one. I song of such popularity deserves recognition especially from an artist like Alicia Keys, who must have heard it.
Well said, Tim!
I work at a big liquor store… it’s kind of more like a supermarket, notorious for mundane placated kind of music. It was constantly “golden oldies” when I started there, then 80’s for the longest time and recently 70’s seemed the most right. Of course currently we have nauseating holiday music in rotation.
The place where I heard the most music was a steakhouse. I’d work there from 6 AM – 4 PM on a lot of Saturdays, so you’d really hear the music in those first few hours when no one was around. Fortunately they played new stuff and a lot of Stevie Wonder.
YES. It took months of hearing that dang commercial for snickers with Take My Breath Away as the background music before I realized why I wanted to listen to Girl On Fire so much after watching. I know this is a late comment and all but it’s been bugging me for awhile.