by Spencer Leigh at the Independent (via Expecting Rain):
Far safer, perhaps, to plagiarise the classics as so much is out of copyright – and look at the success of “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (Bach), “I Should Be So Lucky” (Pachelbel) and “You Spin Me Round” (Wagner). Myleene Klass, once in Hear’Say, says, “A lot of rock music plagiarises classical music, but those classical musicians often took things from each other anyway. It used to be a compliment to write variations on a theme.”
In 2002 John Cage’s publishers claimed that his silent piece from 1952, “4’33”, had been plagiarised by Mike Batt on his album Classical Graffiti. Batt maintained that his silence was not the same as Cage’s, but nevertheless paid £100,000 to his publishers.
The article gives many examples of “inspirations.” For instance, can you hear Paul McCartney’s “All My Loving” in Dave Brubeck’s “Kathy’s Waltz”?
(The Brubeck song was recorded first.)
Once again, all of this is more fodder for the If I Was a Master Thief, Perhaps I’d Rob Them series.
Hear “All My Loving” after the jump:
Imaginary Boundaries 