LOS ANGELES, June 1 (UPI) -- U.S. rock icon Tom Petty is reportedly looking into claims that the Red Hot Chili Peppers ripped off his song, "Mary Jane's Last Dance."
The Chili Pepper's hit single, "Dani California," has the same chord progression, melody, tempo and lyrical theme as Petty's 1993 hit, a source told Thursday's New York Post.
"Tom Petty was made aware of this and is looking into legal ramifications," the source told the Post. "The Chili Peppers could be facing a huge plagiarism lawsuit -- which is a major problem for Warners."
Both bands are on the Warner Bros. label.
If Petty sues, the album, which is Warner's biggest hit of the year, would have to be pulled from shelves pending litigation.
Petty's rep acknowledged the similarities between the songs but said she has no idea if her client was going to sue, adding, "Tom doesn't have a comment on this at all."
A Warner Bros. spokesman told the Post: "This is the first I have heard of it."
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That's a pretty amusing subject line ...
That's a pretty amusing subject line there. I actually laughed out loud.
They did a thing on C4 a couple of ...
They did a thing on C4 a couple of weeks back comparing the two songs, and if you listen to the start (including lyrics) of both songs, you'd agree that its all too familiar.
I'd tend to veer towards the ...
I'd tend to veer towards the coincidence angle.
The chord progression isn't even the same, apparently...
RHCP: Am, G, Dm, Am
Petty: Am, G, D, Am
Wikipedia has a pretty good run-down on it, including some good links to further articles about it. including this interesting snippet...
"it is also interesting to note that the song "Waiting For The Sun" by The Jayhawks (1992, Hollywood Town Hall) is nearly identical in chord progression and it came about a year earlier than Petty's song. Even more interesting is that the Jayhawks opened for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1992 before Petty wrote the song."
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If the RHCP wanted to avoid ...
If the RHCP wanted to avoid comparisons, they shouldn't have been humping a dead Alec Baldwin in the video...
NEWS JUST IN, CHILI PEPPERS RIP ...
NEWS JUST IN, CHILI PEPPERS RIP THEMSELVES OFF OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!
Oops, sorry. Yeah, I'd go for coincidence and it seems par for the course that Petty himself is keeping quiet about it.
// CHILI PEPPERS RIP THEMSELVES OFF ...
// CHILI PEPPERS RIP THEMSELVES OFF OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!
ha! ain't that the truth.
...
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It's not the just the chords. The ...
It's not the just the chords. The first verses of each song are thematically similar. Each start with the girl's birth place, mention about her parents and her sexiness.
I'm not saying the the Chili Peppers deliberately ripped off Tom Petty, but other songs have been known to work their way into honest compositions, as George Harrison found out in court.
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Fuck I hate these guys. I was very ...
Fuck I hate these guys.
I was very surprised to see Dizzee Rascal is touring with them. How the hell could that work out? I just can't imagine a crowd that would enjoy both acts, particularly in a live setting.
It's like Kanye West touring with U2, ...
It's like Kanye West touring with U2, except like, quite different. Dinosaurs trying to be all hip and down with the kids.
That chord progression belongs to ...
That chord progression belongs to Petty, no doubt about it. And that lead break reeks of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)... ;-) Still, pretty catchy huh.
not purple haze?...
not purple haze?
Yeah, sorry I meant Purple Haze- don't ...
Yeah, sorry I meant Purple Haze- don't you reckon, though?
yes. surely that would be intentional ...
yes. surely that would be intentional though?
I knew I had heard that chord-pro ...
I knew I had heard that chord-pro before somewhere
In a Rolling Stone interview, Petty ...
In a Rolling Stone interview, Petty says:
Have you heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Dani California" yet, because obviously it sounds a lot like "Mary Jane's Last Dance."
Yes, I have. Everyone everywhere is stopping me. The truth is, I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock & roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took "American Girl" [for their song "Last Nite"], and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, "OK, good for you." It doesn't bother me.
There have been news reports that you were going to sue the Chili Peppers.
If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe. But I don't believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs.