So Katy Perry stole a gospel rap song and had to pay up over $2 million for it…that inspires the songs this week. Songs that were sued over copyright infringement! Oh boy!
Queen & David Bowie vs Vanilla Ice
A collaboration in 1981 between Queen and David Bowie seemed like the perfect duet: and the resulting single, Under Pressure, became Queen’s second number-one hit in the UK and a third for Bowie.
But when a pompadour-sporting rapper Vanilla Ice – real name Robert Van Winkle – released the 1990 single Ice Ice Baby, which sampled John Deacon’s classic baseline, the rockers became involved in a collaboration which they had absolutely no say in joining, and didn’t receive any credit or royalties until after it became a hit.
At the time Ice’s weak argument claimed the two were different, as he added an additional note into the baseline – although he later claimed he was joking.
Ice was sued for copyright infringement and the case was settled out of court, with Bowie and Queen receiving an undisclosed sum and songwriter credit. Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor once quipped “I don’t like the song very much. He’s a white rapper from Florida… with a funny haircut.”
Under Pressure
Ice Ice Baby
“Surfin’ U.S.A.,” by the Beach Boys (1963) vs. “Sweet Little Sixteen,” by Chuck Berry (1958)
The Case: The California boys often incorporated rock & roll pioneer Chuck Berry’s songs into their early concerts. But 1958’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” set Beach Boys’ composer Brian Wilson into overdrive. Inspired by Berry’s rapid-fire references to various American cities, he recast the song as a paean to a fun-in-the-sun sport. Wilson penned a new set of lyrics listing off the hot surfing locales across the Pacific coast. Wilson said he intended the song as a tribute to the rock guitarist, but Berry’s lawyers used another term: plagiarism.
The Verdict: With the threat of lawsuits looming, Beach Boys manager – and Brian Wilson’s father – Murry Wilson agreed to give the publishing rights to Arc Music, Berry’s publisher. However, Berry’s name wouldn’t appear on the songwriting credits until 1966.
Surfin USA
Sweet Little Sixteen