Musicians
Related: About this forumA History: Led Zeppelin Stealing Songs, Lyrics, Guitar Riffs, and anything they could get away with!
As much as I don't like it, one of the rock groups that I grew up listening to, been influenced by, and even drew poster sized pictures of in art class, are thieves. This isn't just merely being influenced by a song that happens to sound like it, but stealing it, note for note and word for word! Sometimes, it's just a small part of an obscure song written by old blues artists and other times, outright stealing the entire thing! I can't imagine how I would feel if somebody stole one of my songs! I really can't imagine how these old blues musicians, some living in poverty, would feel if they knew that these four people were making millions ripping off their stuff. I'll never play another Led Zeppelin song, except to very vocally give credit to the artists who actually wrote the song. Here are some examples of the theft:
When the Levee Breaks (Kansas Joe McCoy, Memphis Minnie)
27 April 1927. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, Greenville, Mississippi. The river stage was at 46.8 feet. From: "The Floods of 1927 in the Mississippi Basin", Frankenfeld, H.C., 1927 Monthly Weather Review Supplement No. 29. Archival Photography by Steve Nicklas, NOS, NGS
Kansas Joe McCoy, Memphis Minnie:
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break.
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break.
And the water gonna come in, have no place to stay.
Well all last night I sat on the levee and moan.
Well all last night I sat on the levee and moan.
Thinkin' 'bout my baby and my happy home.
http://www.keeponliving.at/song/when_the_levee_breaks.html
Blue Owl
(54,734 posts)n/t
icymist
(15,888 posts)and change the lyrics to how I took their song and made it my own. The chorus being:
I stole your song
Yes I stole this song
Don't you know that I just stole your song!
Fortunately, I have higher standards and respect for songwriters., so I never did it, even at an open mic!
eShirl
(18,792 posts)icymist
(15,888 posts)It would be a good laugh in the right venue!
d_r
(6,907 posts)icymist
(15,888 posts)Yes, Led Zeppelin! Your time is going to come! Indeed!
alfredo
(60,135 posts)SoFlaJet
(7,767 posts)can be made to fork over the big bucks with the My Sweet Lord/He's So Fine case then Page and Plant best bring their checkbooks to court with them because Stairway is a LOT closer to Taurus than MSL is to HSF. I hope Randy California's family gets a bunch of money now that they can finally afford a lawyer.
What is really sad about this story is near the end of his life, California was actually playing the sitar in an Indian restaurant, his nightly payment you ask? FOOD!!!! He was paid a nightly meal.