Men At Work/Kookaburra

[Gill Smith]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm

is a there a metric for such disputes?

I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence

maybe I made that up

or plagiarised it

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[thedarkman]

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm
is a there a metric for such disputes?
I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence
maybe I made that up
or plagiarised it
--http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

Thanks for that! You'll find my contribution to this debate at

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=16111

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=13968

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=12114

There are many other cases, probably most famously George Harrison's
My Sweet Lord. I think Men At Work have more in common with Harrison
than with the rip offs of A.P. Carter, it's probably subconscious or
totally accidental. I can't hear much if any similarity, but that's
just me. Incidentally, do you know what Larrikin means - lol

[Gill Smith]

Post by thedarkman

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm
is a there a metric for such disputes?
I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence
maybe I made that up
or plagiarised it
--http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

Thanks for that! You'll find my contribution to this debate at
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=16111
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=13968
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=12114
There are many other cases, probably most famously George Harrison's
My Sweet Lord. I think Men At Work have more in common with Harrison
than with the rip offs of A.P. Carter, it's probably subconscious or
totally accidental. I can't hear much if any similarity, but that's
just me. Incidentally, do you know what Larrikin means - lol

jack-the-lad sort of thing I always thought

further googlling brought up this

"In a statement, Hay conceded that two bars of Kookaburra
were 'unconsciously referenced' in Downunder"

which is true.

the first two bars of the flute riff fit Kookaburra exactly

even so, the 60/40 claim seems harsh

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[Rick Paul]

Post by Gill Smith
"In a statement, Hay conceded that two bars of Kookaburra
were 'unconsciously referenced' in Downunder"
which is true.
the first two bars of the flute riff fit Kookaburra exactly
even so, the 60/40 claim seems harsh

Actually, it's bars two and four of the flute riff that fit Kookaburra
exactly, with bar two being, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree," and bar
four being, "merry merry king of the bush is he."

I agree that 60/40 is exceedingly harsh. We're talking about two bars for
the intro, and a repeated instrumental interlude, in the song, where that
song has a verses and choruses. Those four bars have to be far less than 10
percent of the overall song.

Rick

[Gill Smith]

Post by Rick Paul

Post by Gill Smith
"In a statement, Hay conceded that two bars of Kookaburra
were 'unconsciously referenced' in Downunder"
which is true.
the first two bars of the flute riff fit Kookaburra exactly
even so, the 60/40 claim seems harsh

Actually, it's bars two and four of the flute riff that fit Kookaburra
exactly, with bar two being, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree," and
bar four being, "merry merry king of the bush is he."
I agree that 60/40 is exceedingly harsh. We're talking about two bars for
the intro, and a repeated instrumental interlude, in the song, where that
song has a verses and choruses. Those four bars have to be far less than
10 percent of the overall song.

and it's transposed (transcribed?) into the minor key

lucky he wasn't sentenced to tranportation to the UK.......

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[Rick Paul]

Post by Gill Smith

Post by Rick Paul
Actually, it's bars two and four of the flute riff that fit Kookaburra
exactly, with bar two being, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree," and
bar four being, "merry merry king of the bush is he."

and it's transposed (transcribed?) into the minor key

Only the chords behind the fourth measure. The melody is note for note in
both measures. Since copyright applies to lyrics and melody (you can't
copyright chord changes), the key change doesn't really matter.

Rick

[Michael]

Post by Rick Paul

Post by Gill Smith
"In a statement, Hay conceded that two bars of Kookaburra
were 'unconsciously referenced' in Downunder"
which is true.
the first two bars of the flute riff fit Kookaburra exactly
even so, the 60/40 claim seems harsh

Actually, it's bars two and four of the flute riff that fit Kookaburra
exactly, with bar two being, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree," and bar
four being, "merry merry king of the bush is he."
I agree that 60/40 is exceedingly harsh. We're talking about two bars for
the intro, and a repeated instrumental interlude, in the song, where that
song has a verses and choruses. Those four bars have to be far less than 10
percent of the overall song.
Rick

This is what struck me too.

http://www.a-lyric.com/2010/02/men-at-work-slam-plagiarism-ruling/

A very bad ruling, IMHO.

M

[Gill Smith]

Post by Michael

Post by Rick Paul

Post by Gill Smith
"In a statement, Hay conceded that two bars of Kookaburra
were 'unconsciously referenced' in Downunder"
which is true.
the first two bars of the flute riff fit Kookaburra exactly
even so, the 60/40 claim seems harsh

Actually, it's bars two and four of the flute riff that fit Kookaburra
exactly, with bar two being, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree," and
bar four being, "merry merry king of the bush is he."
I agree that 60/40 is exceedingly harsh. We're talking about two bars
for the intro, and a repeated instrumental interlude, in the song, where
that song has a verses and choruses. Those four bars have to be far less
than 10 percent of the overall song.
Rick

This is what struck me too.
http://www.a-lyric.com/2010/02/men-at-work-slam-plagiarism-ruling/
A very bad ruling, IMHO.

and the fact it took 20 years before anyone noticed shows how slight the
infringement

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[thedarkman]

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm

By the way, you'll find quite a few of these on Youtube.

[Antti]

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm
is a there a metric for such disputes?
I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence
maybe I made that up
or plagiarised it
--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

So I guess..

The men did not do their work..

(puts on his sunglasses and looks up)

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Antti

[Gill Smith]

Post by Antti

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm
is a there a metric for such disputes?
I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence
maybe I made that up
or plagiarised it
--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

So I guess..
The men did not do their work..
(puts on his sunglasses and looks up)
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I plead guilty to two charges of plagiarism

once, out and out theft then doctoring it to disguise it

and once trying to figure out a pop song, ending up writing a
whole new melody, harmony and lyrics

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[Michael]

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm
is a there a metric for such disputes?
I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence
maybe I made that up
or plagiarised it
--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

Incidentally, I was sent a mash-up of Jacques Brel's "Amsterdam" and an
old Irish tune. Surprising, to say the least.

http://www.a-lyric.com/2010/02/jacques-brels-amsterdam-linked-to-traditional-irish-tune/

M

[Gill Smith]

Post by Michael

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm
is a there a metric for such disputes?
I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence
maybe I made that up
or plagiarised it
--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

Incidentally, I was sent a mash-up of Jacques Brel's "Amsterdam" and an
old Irish tune. Surprising, to say the least.
http://www.a-lyric.com/2010/02/jacques-brels-amsterdam-linked-to-traditional-irish-tune/

if he turns up in court that would be a most interesting case!

--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

[martin]

Post by Gill Smith

Post by Michael

Post by Gill Smith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497433.stm
is a there a metric for such disputes?
I vaguely remember something about an eight-note sequence
maybe I made that up
or plagiarised it
--
http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/

Incidentally, I was sent a mash-up of Jacques Brel's "Amsterdam" and an
old Irish tune. Surprising, to say the least.
http://www.a-lyric.com/2010/02/jacques-brels-amsterdam-linked-to-traditional-irish-tune/

if he turns up in court that would be a most interesting case!

It'd be stinker of a case to sort out.