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 cmlvngstn

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Definitely some similar chords to "Tighten Up", but they were released in April 1968, who knows who took from whom....

By Walt G.

I HAVE TO SAY CHRISTENE aGUILERA IS NOT ONLY BEAUTIFUL, BUT SHE CAN ACTUALLY SING, BETTER I THINK THAN ANY OTHER POP SINGER OF TODAY. SHE LOOKS LIKE A BEAUTY FROM THE 20'S, I AM NOT THAT WILD WITH THE SONGS, BUT LORDY THAT GIRL HAS A SET OF PIPES. SHE HAS VOLUMN, CLARITY AND STYLE.

By Jshred86

Same old story, its been done a million times. In music nothing is new, I mean for god sake there is only eight notes! Eventually everything is recycled.

By mike

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actually, chromatically there are 12 notes then octaves.. unless you count quartertones..

By joebelow

Not even 10 or 11 measures similiar enough overall. The rhythms match at points but no real melody in the original to speak of.
The bridge in the original is not even used in the SONY recording. Good luck is all I can say.

By Dave

Oh, PLEASE!! I sue people for a living and I wouldn't touch this kind of frivolous lawsuit with a ten foot summons. Christina's song sounds nothing like the plaitiff's original tune. These lawyers need to finfd them a legitimate copyright infringement case......like Coldplay stealing Satrioni's song.

By poopface

"I sue people for a living." A true attorney would say "I'm a litigator."
It's plaintiff not plaitiff.
"These lawyers need to find them...". I bet your briefs ( and no,not your underwear ) must be a scream to read.

Of course, I don't believe you are an attorney whatsoever, but thanks for playing!

By Denis

Does anybody remember Dave Cortez?

By cs

BIG SUPRISE!! ..............SHE CANT EVEN SING A SONG ALREADY WRITTEN.................LET ALONE WRITE HER OWN.........
NOW MAYBE SOMEONE WILL SIGN SOME REAL TALENT

By simpsonsimpmike

Ha Ha Polar-Patrol, good sense of humor. Just another Aguilera lemming.

By Sir Cabot

Who cares! They are the same beat and she blows this away and it was great to see her video again!

By jerry Meyerson

OOOOPPPP'SSSSS Sounds 90% correct as far as a copy write infringment! Sorry Christina, someone screwed up in your camp!
Pay up, fess up, man up, suck it up!

Then move on and fire the fool who did not do there home wrok!

By ME

So the same two chords played over and over is plagiarism? If that were the case, NO ONE would have original music! Give me a break!

By DrRobert

That's one of the problems with todays "singers" the only way they can get heard is to sample/steal other peoples songs.

By Whiskey

They sound nothing alike other than being horns and a drum beat. They are played differently totally. There are only so many notes and progressions in music so some are bound to repeat....this however is not one of them

By Sonja

I'm pretty sure that this is not the same song. It might have some similarities but with all the songs out there now it's pretty hard not to sound similar to at least one song somewhere. This is just someone trying to get money because nobody remembers their song from forty years ago.

By chstburton

the song always reminded me of something i thought i had heard before..there are alot of similarities.

By bigO

I think whoever did the "tighten up" should sue Dave Cortez and the Moon People they definitely stole part of that song.

By Vicki

I thought the original was the inspiration. They sound very much alike.

By redman

they do sound similar, I remember Baby Cortez's song

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