Did Britney Spears Copy Her New Single?

By Kelly Fisher Posted Jan 13th 2011 07:00AM

As Britney Spears enjoys the No. 1 spot on iTunes with her new single, 'Hold It Against Me,' one music group is crying foul, saying she ripped off the title of the hit song.

Country group The Bellamy Brothers released a song in 1979 called 'If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me,' and singer David Bellamy is speaking out against Spears' new song, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The chorus of Spears' latest hit contains the line, "If I said I want your body now, would you hold it against me?'

"It's not every day you get in the middle of a Britney Spears brawl," Bellamy told the magazine.

Listen to both songs inside.

The country crooner, who penned the group's 1979 hit, said his son first clued him in on Spears' single. While no legal action has been taken regarding the song's crossover title, Bellamy is looking into the situation.

"I just have to see what the intent was," he said. "I just kind of found it unoriginal, and I guess it makes us realize how old we are, because they're recycling our titles already."

Bellamy, who has not heard from Spears' camp regarding the similarities, understands that the "beautiful body" line is often used, but not always as overtly as with this latest hit single.

"This particular title is kinda hard to disguise, because the title is the song," Bellamy said of Spears' track. "It's not like saying, 'I love you, baby.' ... I think there's just more original stuff out there to do than just rehashing old titles."

The Bellamy Brothers would know. The country band hits the road this year for a 180-show tour as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of their hit album, 'Let Your Love Flow.'

Spears' song, produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke, hit the Internet on Monday and quickly shot to the No. 1 spot on iTunes. Her new album is expected to be released March 15.

Tags: britney spears

Comments

(326)

Friday 14 January

By anothersandtoy

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i'd take a rich mama !

Tuesday 18 January

By kbp68

mike

When you consider they may be eligible for millions in royalties I believe you would be "looking into it" as well.

Thursday 13 January

By J.C. Perry

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While I am not a Spears fan, I think calling this song a rip-off is pretty far fetched. the only words that are the same, essentially, are "hold it against me". It's not the same beat, music, tune, or tempo. Being inspired by a choice of words, or even a song title, does not mean you have ripped someone off, or stolen an idea, and, as rickj reminds us, the whole phrase was not "invented" by the Bellamy Bros.

By kdubs

I agree with j.c. perry. i didn't find anything correlating the two songs other than the 'hold it against me'. and..i was in high school when the bellamy version was a hit, love songy and romantic. where as ms spears is very upbeat and trendy, not what one might call a love song. either way, both great songs for their perspective times!

By Adam

i agree. i too am not a Spears fan, if I go to iTunes and type in a song say "One Love" you'll see 50 songs tittled "One Love" does that mean the other 49 owe the first group money?

I don't think anyone should be allowed to take credit for studio produced, coputer generated, one button, electronic drum tracks!!! Woooo Hooooo!!!

By Sandy

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Agreed.... It's so ridicoulus.

By Rasdeux

C'mon, people, can't you see this for what it is? This is a generated "controversy" to get people to listen to Britney's song. PR & nothing else. Seriously doubt that anyone who is a Britney fan even remembers the Bellamy Brothers from their hayday!

By Lisa

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hayday? Really? Is that a new hillbilly holiday or what? Doesn't anyone know how to spell or simply use SPELLCHECK!

By shempbat

Another grammar douche!

By Joel

This is manufactured controversy, but not by Britney. This is the Bellamy Brothers trying to get some press and possibly a frivolous lawsuit.

By keytardan

You must be right, because I would've never heard the Brittney song if I hadn't read this article. My band plays the Bellamy Brothers song.

By Chad

Gotta agree with you on this one. Just an excuse for BOTH groups to be in the news. The old guys are having a reunion tour and are trying to get people to actual go see them and Britt is still trying to recover her popularity (that she will never get back)

By Buccaneersbtch

True, and also maybe to add some hype for the Bellamy Brothers tour that is kickin off? Such coincidences! lol

By JTFloore

that's what frigging songwriters do! they hear a clever, catchy phrase somewhere -- in a bar, the grocery store, wherever -- and they write a song around it. that happens all the time. songs often are generated by popular phrases that people are already using.

i remember back in the late 1980s, i think it was, john melencamp had a song that included the line "you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything," which probably a million people had said in conversation at one time or another. maybe there's a book by that title. anyway, a few years later a country singer (i think it was aaron tippin? sp?) put out a song with that TITLE and used it as the prominent repeating chorus. was a big hit, as i recall. don't remember any stink over that one. but maybe just no one noticed.

By GS

Actually it was in an Aaron Tippen song and that was the title. I can' believe I remember that.

By louie

lots of songs have a couple of words that are the same .
''I say '' thanks britney spears i lovvve this song

By Sheryl

the second we heard the Brittany Spears song we knew it was a rip off of the Bellamy Bros. catchy tune. Her producers knew exactly what they were doing

By akbotay

It's been a while since I was in law school, but if I remember, you can't copywrite titles.

By imnotthefnmanagr

Hopefully you learned in law school that the correct term is 'copyright'

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