This is a great one submitted by David.
Wikipedia cites a quote regarding Rod Stewart’s track and its similarity to The Beatles “Don’t Let Me Down” and says
In a 1980 interview, John Lennon said, “the lawyers never noticed”.
More Rod Stewart:
Rod Stewart vs. Clarence “Frogman” Henry
Rod Stewart vs. Jorge Ben
Beatles vs:
Bon Jovi
Sublime
Diana Ross
Radiohead
The Offspring
The Jam
Steely Dan vs. XTC vs. Bob Dylan
Saturday Night Live
I overhead a very familiar melody the other day, pulled out Shazam on my iPhone and discovered it was a song called “Ain’t Got No Home” by Clarence “Frogman” Henry. Then I realized that this is something Rod Stewart incorporated in his version of “Some Guys Have All the Luck” (originally released by The Persuaders in 1973 sans this refrain). So, does Henry deserve a writing credit??
Have a listen:
Check out this other post for Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (1977) and Jorge Ben Jor – “Taj Mahal” (1972)
Another gem submitted by Travis
Have a listen to Rod Stewart “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (1977) and Jorge Ben Jor (aka Jorge Ben) “Taj Mahal” (1972). It took me a few minutes to track down the original release date for “Taj Mahal” from Ben as it was re-recorded for the 1976 record África Brasil. Ben Jor successfully sued Rod Stewart in what resulted in quite a positive outcome:
Ben Jor may be an urban poet, but he’s certainly no soft touch. In his celebrated spat with Rod Stewart, Ben Jor successfully sued the Scottish crooner after he ‘borrowed’ the melody of the Ben Jor song Taj Mahal for the chorus of his hit Da Ya Think I’m Sexy.
Nowadays Ben Jor seems remarkably sanguine about the affair. He explained how the dispute with Stewart had been settled amicably, with the Scottish singer agreeing to donate the profits from his song to UNICEF. – Expatica.com
Enjoy!