IMAGI-BLOG
Is Avril a Plagiarist?
Submitted by ChrisB on July 12, 2007.A single accusation of plagiarism is enough to derail a career. If you don't believe me, ask President Joe Biden. Yet, Avril Lavigne (who I don't dislike) has been hit with two charges in the past week or two. Neither accusations against the pop star are unfounded.
The first was by the Rubinoos, a 1970s pop band who had a song called "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" and whose chorus goes, "hey hey you you, I wanna be your boyfriend." Lavigne's single "Girlfriend"'s chorus goes, "hey hey you you, I wanna be your girlfriend." The Rubinoos are suing Lavigne for copyright infringment.
The second accusation was from songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, who has worked with Lavigne before. She said that the similarities between Peaches' 2003 song "I'm the Kinda" and Lavigne's 2007 song "I Don't Have to Try" are obvious. They are.
Yet, Kreviazuk retracted her charge and apologized for it earlier this week, according to NME.
Here are YouTube video comparisons of both cases.
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imaginary dana said on July 12, 2007:
I saw these videos over on Line Out yesterday, and IDK... I think the similarities between the Rubinoos song and the Rolling Stones' "Get Off My Cloud" were more striking than between Rubinoos and Avril.
The Peaches thing.... they're very similar, but IDK. Not in like a Queen/Vanilla Ice way. I sure like the Peaches song better.
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ChrisB said on July 12, 2007:
Gahhh...I miss reading Line Out for one day...
Erik - I think you're right. That was one of the most insincere retractions I've ever read.
I like to think of crafting pop songs as a science and art, which is why I really, really love bubblegum songs that work ("Toxic" "Since U Been Gone" "SexyBack"). I also think Avril does a pretty good job of surrounding herself with people that know how to make catchy songs (i.e., the Matrix). I don't believe this was intentional (but probably inevitable), but with Avril seeming so desperate to be taken seriously as a songwriter it's blowing up in her face right now.
I think the similarities here are more obvious than "One Fine Day"/"My Sweet Lord" but less so than Queen/Vanilla Ice. Didn't Ice's defense say something like "we didn't steal that bassline because we put an extra note at the end of it."
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imaginary dana said on July 12, 2007:
And who can forget the "I Want a New Drug" / "Ghostbusters" controversy....?
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Rick G said on July 12, 2007:
Ugh.
"I'm the one / I'm the one / who wears the pants..."
Pardon my paraphrasing of a certain smarmy matre'd, but: I weep for the future.
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Cal Ledbetter said on July 12, 2007:
Hey Chris, just wanted to point out how "Since You Been Gone" (since you mentioned it) lifts the guitar solo towards the end of the song straight from Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps."
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ChrisB said on July 12, 2007:
It's funny that I've never noticed that, and I've listened to both of those songs hundreds of times.
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Reviews
Erik Gonzalez said on July 12, 2007:
Avril's a tool. Reading the retraction, it is obvious that Avril's people just sent a bunch of lawyers after Chantal. This is why the music industry sucks, because Avril has a successful career and people with talent don't.