Lawsuit: Christina Aguilera's Hit Song Was Stolen

By Kelly Fisher Posted Mar 7th 2011 06:30AM

The hits just keep on coming for Christina Aguilera -- and we don't mean the chart-topping kind. The singer's label is reportedly facing a lawsuit surrounding her single, 'Ain't No Other Man.'

According to TMZ, Aguilera's song samples the 1968 song 'Hippy Skippy Moon Strut' (also known as 'I'll Be A Lucky Man') by Dave Cortez and the Moon People. According to a federal lawsuit filed in New York, the classic song's exclusive rights have been owned by TufAmerica since 2004. However, Sony Music went through Codigo Music and the Clyde Otis Music Group in order for Aguilera to sample the song on her album.

TufAmerica's lawsuit is asking for a court to declare it the rightful owner to 'Hippy Skippy Moon Strut' and put a stop to any other publisher's claims. And of course, TufAmerica is asking for punitive damages (aka money).

Luckily, it's her music label and not Aguilera herself facing the lawsuit, because the singer has had her fair share of bumps in the road recently. Though she recently joined the new NBC singing show 'The Voice,' she was arrested March 1 for public intoxication. She also infamously botched the national anthem at this year's Super Bowl and stumbled while onstage at the Grammys.

Listen to the two songs below!

Tags: Christina Aguilera

Comments

(92)

Monday 07 March

By Matt

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Christina's label and management is at fault here, NOT her. It is not a bump in the road for her. She didn't do it. If Sony went to the publisher and got what they thought was permission, and no doubt SHOULD have that in writing, it's not CA's doing. That is mgmt doing a very poor job of due dilligence regarding licensing and contacting the wrong publisher. In theory, an artist (or label) pays a fee to the publisher for the rights to perform a song written by someone else. If the new release makes money, so does the original writer. She's getting a bad rap here. The article should read "SONY Music sued for stolen music".

By GLH

I agree. Well put.

By jarsd43

Absolutely!

By joseph

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You da man, Matt. CA is just doing her job. I'm pretty sure her people will start asking more questions from now on. It's going to cost the label some money for a long time.

By rwilliams

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I agree too, but it sounded more like "Hey Jude" to me.

By max

Regardless...the video of her performance is awesome.

Thursday 24 March

By joe

However, Matt, had the headline been "Sony Sued" nobody would have read the story.

By Kiandon

I'm a producer myself and Matt, there is no doubt that this is exactly what happened however in this situation points more to the producer of that song which stole a sample to make that song for CA.

By RainierWriter

Maybe the problem is that 'artists' are sampling in the first place. The term "singer-songwriter" seems like a thing of the distant past. I don't recall Carol King defending lawsuits. Oh, and P-diculous belongs in jail for what he did to Zep!

By simpsonsimpmike

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

B-I-M-B-O

By Polar Patrol

you're a D-I-L-D-O

By D

I think Jordan Bratman has a VooDoo Doll!!

By James

The problem ususally is that the record producers don't give a damn about where they get the material, to include stealing it. There is no honor in this business anymore, and they will do whatever they have to in order to get a hit. Of course they performer does not know this as they are too caught up in their own heads fashioning themselves as divas and such to be aware of anything remotely resembling the real world.

By Carey

There are some similarities I would say about 50% so they may have a case!

By John Albanese

There is no doubt about it that is the same music, very stupid that they would think no one was going to notice. Just adding words to the song by another artist. She just made a lot of money for the older writer. How stupid was that. Just shows that she can't write for herself or her people.

By jim

I agree...it is so close...do not blame the singer, blame the record label that records it...

By Jerome

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

They are trying to extort money from Christina Aguilera by suing her. That's an old lable that doesn't exist anymore.

By Dave

I've listened to both recordings. They are not similar enough to call them the same score. I would say about most music today...garbage in, garbage out. They are both garbage!

By Thom

Can't hear any similarity. That record looks like the 12 inches you had to buy in the 70s (labeled disco) without getting a chance to listen to it first and then ended chunkin' it at home after listening to only 50% of it. This, they thought, is their only chance to make any money of it, since the original only sold 100 copies.

By TT

give credit where credit is due - and in the case of profiting from someone else's work, that includes remuneration.

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