Photo: WENN
Alicia Keys has been faced with a copyright infringement lawsuit by songwriter Earl Shuman, who claims the singer used parts of his track without his permission.
Blogger Roger Friedman at Showbiz 411 wrote a post about the similarities between Keys' 'Girl On Fire' and Shuman's 1962 hit 'Hey There Lonely Girl', which was recorded by Eddie Holman. Shuman was alerted to the comparisons through this blog, and consequently filed a lawsuit.
Friedman wrote, "In the middle of the song, Alicia sings a couplet or so from Eddie Holman’s 1970 classic 'Hey There Lonely Girl.'" He calls it an uncredited sample, although he does add that "Keys only uses two seconds of the original."
The lawsuit filed also quotes from Showbiz 411, saying, "While the Showbiz411.com statements that Shuman has 'gone to rock and roll heaven' and concerning 'two seconds' of use are not accurate, Plaintiff alleges that the above observations by Showbiz411, in their essence, are apt."
Alicia Keys, performing on a German TV show earlier this month
This isn't the first time that artists have sampled 'Hey There Lonely Girl' - if that is what's happened. Both Anita Baker and Beastie Boys have previously used some of the song in their own.
According to Shuman, both artists ended up paying for the use of the track. He said, "We worked it out, got credit."
Friedman made the comparisons last month, and it remains to be seen whether Shuman will win the lawsuit.
Listen to both the tracks below:
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