America's most famous plagiarism scandals

(Baonghean.vn) - Billboard Hot 100 is a weekly chart of music singles in the US according to Billboard magazine. This is one of the most prestigious music charts in the world. However, there have been 8 songs that were accused of plagiarism and still ranked number 1 on this chart.

Even the legendary band The Beatles were once suspected of plagiarism. Photo: Internet.

The following 8 songs have been accused of plagiarism by the public, and most of them have even been taken to court for copyright infringement. Despite all of this, the undeniable fact is that these 8 songs have all topped the prestigious Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Blurred Lines

“Blurred Lines” is a song by Robin Thicke and Pharrell, released in the summer of 2013. The song quickly topped the Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks. However, Marvin Gaye’s family later accused “Blurred Lines” of plagiarizing their hit “Got to Give It Up.” In March 2015, a jury sided with Gaye, awarding them $7.4 million in royalties.

Life is Life

Coldplay hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008 with “Viva la Vida.” But the popularity of “Viva la Vida” caught the attention of guitarist Joe Striani, who later claimed that the hit song copied the melody of his 2004 song “If I Could Fly.” Coldplay claimed it was a coincidence, but the case ended up in court in 2009.

Ice Ice Baby

Vanilla Ice had a great record that became the first hip-hop song to reach number one on the Hot 100 chart with “Ice Ice Baby” in 1990. Unfortunately for him, many listeners later realized that the song bore a strong resemblance to Bowie and Queen’s 1981 song “Under Pressure.” Vanilla Ice initially denied the similarity, but he later reconsidered and paid royalties to avoid a court battle.

Ghostbusters

Ray Parker Jr.’s 1984 Hot 100 #1 hit “Ghostbusters” includes the line “Who you gonna call?” After hearing the song, Huey Lewis responded “A lawyer.” Indeed, Lewis later hired a lawyer to sue Parker for plagiarism of his song “I Want a New Drug.”

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy

Brazilian musician Jorge Ben For claimed that Rod Stewart’s 1979 No. 1 hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” copied his song “Taj Mahal.” The two settled the case in court, and Stewart later admitted in his 2012 autobiography that he had “unconsciously plagiarized.”

How Deep Is Your Love

The Bee Gees’ hit “How Deep Is Your Love” reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in late 1977. Six years later, a songwriter named Ronald Selle unexpectedly accused the hit of plagiarizing his 1975 song “Let It End.” However, juries sided with the Bee Gees and ruled in his favor in court.

My Sweet Lord

After leaving the Beatles, George Harrison made his mark with his first solo song, “My Sweet Lord,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1970. However, six years later, the court found him guilty of plagiarizing Ronald Mack’s “He’s So Fine.” Harrison condemned the court’s decision, saying it made it difficult for him to write new songs for a period of time.

Come Together

Chuck Berry is considered a rock 'n' roll icon with hits in the 50s and 60s. Although Berry did not like to get involved in lawsuits, the owners of his songs' publishing rights sued the famous band The Beatles for plagiarism. Specifically, The Beatles' 1959 number 1 song "Come Together" was accused of plagiarizing Berry's song "You Can't Catch Me". The case had to be resolved in court and finally John Lennon, the leader of The Beatles had to give in and agree that this recording belonged to Levy (director of Big Seven Music Corp - the company that owned the publishing rights to some of Chuck Berry's songs).

Quan Le

(According to Billboard)