In 2016, a jury in Los Angeles, California, returned a verdict on whether or not there was plagiarism by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page towards the guitarist of the 1970s psychedelic band Spirit, Randy Wolfe, in the famous song Stairway to Heaven.
According to the administrator of the guitarist’s legacy, Michael Skidmore, who sued in 2014 for damages, the song had been plagiarized from his composition called Taurus, released three years before Led Zeppelin’s.
On June 22, 2016, it was finally ruled that there were not enough “inherently similar” elements to prove that the band had plagiarized the song. In 2019, this case was ordered to be reopened.
Throughout the history of Rock, many songs have been accused of plagiarism. Several cases have been taken to court, while others have been resolved in a “friendly” manner. Let’s look at some of the most famous ones.
- The Doors, Hello I Love You: Roger Davies of The Kinks, filed a lawsuit against The Doors for plagiarism. He claimed that their song, All Day and All of The Night, had a similar riff to The Doors’ song, Hello I Love You.
They denied it, claiming that they had been inspired by the song Sunshine of Your Love by Cream. In the end, the British court ruled in favor of Davies, who was paid royalties for the song.
- George Harrison, My Sweet Lord: This is perhaps one of the most famous cases. Included on his iconic and acclaimed album All Things Must Pass, George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord is undeniably influenced by the tune He’s So Fine by the female band The Chiffons.
The song was composed by Ronald Mack in 1962. There was a lawsuit and in the end, the court ruled that Harrison had unwittingly plagiarized the song in a clear case of cryptomnesia.
- Pink Floy, Wish You Were Here: This song inspired by Syd Barret, was composed jointly by Roger Waters and David Gilmour and included on their 1975 album Wish You Were Here.
However, the beginning of Van Morrison’s song, Almost Independence Day, from 1972, is almost the same. In this case, there was no lawsuit.
- The Jam, Start!: The British trio The Jam, released their single Start! in 1980 and is based on the guitar and bass riff of the 1966 Beatles song Taxman, written by George Harrison. Incredible as it may seem, there was never a lawsuit in this case although they are almost identical songs.
- The Rolling Stones, Anybody seen my baby?: The discovery was made by one of Keith Richards’ daughters with a friend when her father was showing her the new composition of the band.
They started dancing and singing a different song. The basis of the famous song turned out to be the composition Constant Craving by the singer KD Lang in 1992. They denied having heard it before.
In the end, everything was resolved in a friendly way by including KD Lang and Ben Mink in the credits of Anybody’s seen my baby.
About Zoryham
Zoryham is a Political Scientist who has been a freelance writer and radio broadcaster for several years. Her niches include Music, Wellness, Healthy Lifestyle, Yoga, Personal Development, Animals and Product Reviews. When Zoryham is not writing, you can find her listening to a Rolling Stones album, her favorite band.
