John Fogerty Addresses 'Fortunate Son' / Springsteen Concert for Valor Controversy

[pinboy3niner]

35. Great story! I just found a net Q&A Fogerty did last year that addressed the trial...

Q:

[–]norogernorerunnorent 728 points 1 year ago

Back in 1993 you actually were sued for plagiarizing yourself when your former label argued that your solo song, "The Old Man Down The Road" sounded too similar to CCR's "Run Through The Jungle". The case was actually agued before The Supreme Court! What did you learn - if anything - from this experience? Do you think the case had any merit?

A:

[–]johnfogertyJohn Fogerty (S) 2300 points 1 year ago

Came to trial in 1988. This is a complicated story and I'll try to explain it even tho it gets weirder when I try to type it. I really don't think the case had merit. For instance, when my album Centerfield first came out, I heard a rumor that Fantasy was going to sue me, but at first they were talking about the song Green River. Later they changed their mind to Run Through the Jungle. Seemed they were searching to find something they owned that sounded similar to The Old Man Down the Road. Obviously I finally ended up in a courtroom where I sang a little of both songs and showed how my style on the guitar evolved, making many of the things I do sound similar musically Every artist in the world actually spends a lifetime hoping he will find "a style." That is a style. A musical style. If you're lucky enough to find one, it means you are instantly recognizable to the listener. Byt he way, the case was, I believe, really clear when Fantasy's musical expert played a computerized version of each song with a series of beeps coming out of the speaker. He explained that if the songs were the same, you would only hear one note at the song. If you heard two beeps at the same time, the melodies weren't the same. As we've now come to learn in our internet world where you click the button and there it goes, the man in the courtroom clicked the button. Three notes - same melody. Rest of the way was 2 beeps. I chuckled to myself cause the man had blown his own case. Proved the songs were not similar, but uniquely different. I didn't argue the case in front of the Supreme Court. There was argued my right to get my attorneys fees back. Wasn't built in uniquely in cases like this. The deck was really stacked against me and all songwriters. Fact that they made that ruling is very important for songwriters from now on. Vote was 11-0.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1fa3ed/i_am_john_fogerty_singer_songwriter_and_former/ca89hw2