It's a Shame: Songwriter Evan Dando reportedly suing GM over music copyright [w/VIDEO]
Bankruptcy is often not a clear-the-books-and-start-over process, but a continuation of one's troubles with people still piling on top of a business on its knees. Evan Dando, founder of alt-rock band The Lemonheads, is the latest to throw himself onto the GM scrum. The songwriter is suing General Motors for allegedly copying the group's song It's a Shame About Ray for a series of Chevy and Buick commercials from 2008. Dando is said to be seeking damages and a share of the profits from the campaign. You can check out the commercials with the alleged ditty swipe after the jump.
[Sources: The Associated Press (via Google); YouTube | Image: Saltlick]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John 5:12PM (6/09/2009)
That sounds nothing like the song. Sounds more like a one-hit wonder in need of some cash.
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Fernando 11:52AM (6/09/2009)
If he wants a share of the profits, but the company lost money, does he have to give GM that money, since the profits were negative? I think they should make this clown repay GM for losing the money they did, thanks to his song.
ronEbear 9:07AM (6/09/2009)
(Puts on Dad from the 50`s cap on)
Maybe he will be able to afford a damn haircut if he wins!
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Kumar 9:07AM (6/09/2009)
I don't know if this Dando guy has deep enough pockets for his share of the (profits) that GM made last year.
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Stan 9:21AM (6/09/2009)
Yes, the judge should order he receive 100% of gm's profits for last year.
What a moron.
Grandeos 9:08AM (6/09/2009)
Um..... what profits ?????
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Doug A. 11:06AM (6/09/2009)
Negative profits. aka. he wants to help pay GM's debt off...
harlanx6 9:15AM (6/09/2009)
Looks like a publicity stunt to me because we have never heard of him. Is this piling on or just whipping a dead horse?
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Alex E. 1:13AM (6/10/2009)
Publicity stunt?! We have never heard of him?! Don't you remember the Lemonheads?! I must say that I do not and never did particularly care for this band, but somehow my sensitivity about my increasing age forces me to reply: the Lemonheads' biggest hit, "Into Your Arms," peaked at 67 on the 1993 Billboard charts (and Number 1 on the modern rock charts), and Evan Dando was voted one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1993. I guess most people who were in high school at the time would probably remember that, but those older or younger might have no clue... How quickly we are all relegated to the dustbin of history (and most of us without even being recognized by People Magazine, eh?).
harlanx6 10:16AM (6/10/2009)
Sorry, I guess it just wasn't my kind of music. I still think it's just an attention getting device and will go nowhere in court, but I have been wrong before. It wasn't my intention to offend you personally. I envy your memory, and I remember the Kingston Trio, the Brothers Four, Peter, Paul and Mary very well including the words to their songs, so that gives you an idea of my increasing age.
airswingman 9:17AM (6/09/2009)
he should get some parts of the CH11 lol
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Alex 9:23AM (6/09/2009)
I'm sure GM could pretty easily argue that there were no profits.
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216 9:28AM (6/09/2009)
exactly
cristiana 9:45AM (6/09/2009)
I had this album in the nineties, and I listened to it a lot, and I can't hear the similarities in the commercial, it sounds nothing like the Lemonheads song.
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Kitko 9:37AM (6/09/2009)
Chord progression sounds about the same, vocals subsituted by some kind of whistling.... there's more than passing resemblance to The Lemonheads' song. Arrangements and sound are different, but if you play Metallica's Enter Sandman on trombones, it's still Enter Sandman.
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XJ 10:07AM (6/09/2009)
I agree. At first I thought it sounded nothing like the song. But once you hear the whistling, its becomes obvious. They just sped the tempo up a bit and replace the lyrics with whistling.
Just because GM is in trouble doesn't mean they get to take other people's property and use it as their own without proper compensation. He'll get some money this.
Gungosa 10:19AM (6/09/2009)
I agree. If you were to listen to the original, then whistle it by yourself and record it, then listen to the commercial and your whistling back to back, you would realize that the hooks are identical. The thing is, the song would be better the way GM did it (faster tempo, bouncing rock guitar riffs), but they should have paid this guy to use his stuff to begin with. Also, profit has nothing to do with it. Artists get paid regardless of whether or not their material helps someone make money. I'm sure the guy who wrote the ad copy and the crew that shot the commercial got paid. The artist who wrote the music is no different.
tim 2:39PM (6/09/2009)
I agree they sound similar. AND the guy is asking for the profits from the commercial (which are sure to have been SOMETHING) not a portion of the profits from the entire corporation for the year. However since even parts suppliers are getting stiffed I doubt he'll get much. He should be suing the ad agency anyway its just that GM's pockets are still bigger.
Kami Asgar 3:37PM (6/09/2009)
This is not "enter the sandman"
ropeburn 5:41PM (6/09/2009)
I didn't hear it at first and I KNOW the song...
but the second listen though.... there it is. and I could
really see the point.... maybe you'd say it's not GM's fault
it was an Ad Agency... well it's GM that benefited from
the use of his copyrighted material.
before you say WHAT "benefit", they're broke,
I'll point out that GM did make money,
the balance sheet is complex so don't simplify it to say they didn't
make money just cause it's hard to understand a companies earnings
when it's that large.
bottom line is that they sold cars using the Lemon Heads song
I think if you were an artist
and someone used YOUR ART for their own gain
you'd expect some compensation or something.