I need somebody to help me settle something here. As some of you know, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for stealing the melody of "I Want A New Drug" for his hit, "Ghostbusters". And say Huey oughta be sued for the same reason, cause he stole the melody from The Jacksons' smash hit, "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)" Here are three videos, you guys be the judges:






[Edited 5/5/09 13:07pm]
[Edited 5/5/09 13:08pm]

Don't see/hear the Mj connection.

Graycap23 said:

I don't either.

Actually, Ray sued Huey and the matter was settled out of court.

DAMN! Does a day go by where there isn't a Jackson related thread!

daPrettyman said:

I thougth it was Huey who sued Ray?

It's been awhile, I thought Ray did a lil' borrowing from the Dobbie Brothers too? I can't remember the song.

TD3 said:

Well, actually they sued each other. Huey sued Ray first, then Ray sued Huey.
http://www.ecto-web.org/~...usters.htm

Ray Parker Jr. Suing Huey Lewis Over 'Ghostbusters' Comment
Lawsuit, filed Thursday, claims singer's 'Behind the Music' comments broke earlier suit's confidentiality agreement.
by Teri vanHorn
Fri. March 23.2001 9:20 PM EST

Ray Parker Jr. is suing Huey Lewis over comments he made in his "Behind the Music" special, accusing the pop singer of breaking a confidentiality agreement concerning Parker's 1984 hit "Ghostbusters."

The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, states that Lewis breached the agreement by publicly discussing the lawsuit he filed against Parker 17 years ago, claiming "Ghostbusters" infringed on the copyright of Huey Lewis and the News' hit "I Want a New Drug".

The settlement agreement Lewis and Parker reached for that lawsuit in 1995 banned them from revealing any information that was not included in a press release they jointly issued at the time. The press release stated that the matter had been "amicably resolved."

Parker's lawsuit quotes Lewis (born Hugh Cregg) saying on "Behind the Music": "The offensive part was not so much that Ray Parker Jr. had ripped this song off, it was kind of symbolic of an industry that wants something - they wanted our wave, and they wanted to buy it. ... [I]t's not for sale. ... In the end, I suppose they were right. I suppose it was for sale, because, basically, they bought it."

That money was paid to resolve the lawsuit was protected by the confidentiality agreement, Parker claims.

The lawsuit states that the confidentiality agreement was "directly related to [Parker's] comfort, happiness and welfare," and that Lewis' comments were "inflammatory and disparaging" and "false" and caused Parker emotional distress.

Parker is seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages as well as lawyer's fees and "further relief as the Court deems just and proper."

Huey Lewis' lawyer, Gerry Margolis, said he could not offer comment when reached Friday evening (March 23). He said he had just received a copy of the suit and had not had a chance to review it fully.

(originally posted at: http://www.vh1.com/artist...uey.jhtml)

Huey Lewis Sued Over 'Ghostbusters'
Saturday March 24, 2001 - 4:17 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A legal battle over the theme to "Ghostbusters" is back to haunt musician Huey Lewis.

Singer-songwriter Ray Parker Jr. is suing Lewis for allegedly violating a confidentiality clause in a legal agreement the two had reached in a previous lawsuit over the hit song "Ghostbusters."

In 1984, Lewis sued Parker and several other parties, claiming Parker plagiarized "I Want a New Drug" in composing "Ghostbusters."

Lewis, whose real name is Hugh Cregg, was one of the composers of "I Want a New Drug."

The parties reached an agreement in 1995 that included a confidentiality clause, according to Parker's suit filed Thursday. Parker alleged that Lewis violated that agreement by discussing the suit during an interview for the VH1 series "Behind the Music."

Lewis could not immediately be reached for comment.

Parker has asked for compensatory and punitive damages along with attorney's fees and costs.

Copyright © 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

You know that is a standard blues riff. I can think of at least 20 songs with that melody off the top of my head. It kills me that if someone robs a blues artist nobody seems to care. I bet Huey didn't say "let me pay the willie dixon trust for stealing this riff"

Why don't ya'll listen to the songs very carefully? I have.

...

actually, they both sounded more like M's Pop Musik (1979)










...

I agree with you...

I do think that Huey and Ray sound a bit more similar than the Jacksons and Huey...

But if Huey could sue over that... then so can the Jackson imo.

I don't think plagiarism happened anywhere here among these 3 songs...

EDIT: okay... now listening to Huey Lewis and Ray Parker again... there's a little too much that is similar...
[Edited 5/7/09 10:24am]

paligap said:

You're right!

paligap said:[quote]...

actually, they both sounded more like M's Pop Musik (1979)





In that case M should sue Matthew Wilder for....