FICTIVE FRIDAYS (ON A THURSDAY THIS WEEK): #5

JC explains……I hate to move Jonny’s column around and I’ll do my damnest going forward.  But Mark E Smith & co have long been slated for tomorrow’s slot.

Q: Where do great songs come from?
A: Other songs!

Q: Is that okay?
A: Sometimes!

Q: What the hell are you talking about, fictive boy?
A: I’ll show you.

Devil’s Haircut by Beck. This standout track from Odelay is credited to Beck and the Dust Brothers, who produced the album. The trio were pretty heavily into sampling back in the 90’s, and this song contains a couple by Pretty Purdie and Irish band Them. But Beck played the guitar riff from another Them tune himself, rather than sampling it. Here’s where it came from:

I Can Only Give You Everything by Them. The Belfast garage rockers are most noteworthy for launching Van Morrison‘s solo career and his side gig as the antagonist in the Leprechaun horror/comedy film series. Pretty sure Geffen paid to use the samples; not sure if the original songwriters got any cash from Beck’s hit.

Panic by The Smiths. This non-album single from 1986 proved to be controversial because its “burn down the disco” lyric was interpreted as an anti-black sentiment. Remember, this was several years before Morrissey took to flaunting his racism. Johnny Marr was offended by the criticism: “Show me the black members of New Order!” he barked, Mancunially. But perhaps he was pleased that no one was on his case for nicking the song’s music. Here’s where it came from:

Metal Guru by T. Rex. Marr actually copped to the theft: “The Slider came out and it had ‘Metal Guru’ on it. It was a song that changed my life as I had never heard anything so beautiful and so strange, but yet so catchy.” So he jacked it. Finders keepers!

Connection by Elastica. The eponymous debut by Elastica was a welcome blast of Britpop. We all needed it since Kurt Cobain‘s suicide bummed everyone out and knocked the grunge craze off its trajectory. Frontwoman/songwriter Justine Frischmann had the voice, the looks, and the ‘tude to make the big time. And unlike some of her contemporaries, Elastica immediately crossed over in the US. ‘Connection’ was a hit in both the UK and Stateside, with its punchy opening hook. Here’s where it came from:

Three Girl Rhumba by Wire. When I was lawyering the technical legal term we’d use for this sort of appropriation is ‘a total fucking rip off.‘ Wire thought so, too, and sued about it. It was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. The Stranglers also sued Elastica because the single ‘Waking Up’ bore more than a passing resemblance to their song ‘No More Heroes.’ The Meninblack got 40% of Elastica’s proceeds and a co-writing credit for that one.

Get Free by Lana Del Rey. LDR is another musician that my daughter Jane put on my radar. Not sure how I missed her, since she’s released lots of EPs, numerous singles, and an album every other year since 2010. This song, which closes her fifth LP Lust for Life, might sound familiar. Here’s where it comes from:

Creep by Radiohead. Lana contended she wasn’t “inspired” by the single that put the Oxford quintet on the map, but the chord progression is unmistakable. So her label offered the boys 40% of the publishing royalties. Not sure how the matter was resolved–no lawsuit was ever filed, and writing credits were never updated. The whole thing is pretty ironic because Radiohead themselves were sued over Creep‘s similarity to the 1972 song “The Air That I Breathe”, written by Albert Hammond (dad of the Strokes’ guitarist) and Mike Hazlewood, who ultimately received co-writing credits and a percentage of the royalties.

Interzone by Joy Division. The Tangier International Zone was a geographic area in Morocco subject to the rule of multiple governments in the early- and mid-twentieth century. William S. Burroughs wrote the classic beat novel Naked Lunch while he was living there in the 1950’s. The book describes a lawless “interzone” rife with espionage and drug smuggling, and was a favorite of Ian Curtis. His lyrics don’t have too much to do with Burrough’s masterwork, but at least we know about the music. Here’s where it came from:

Keep on Keepin’ On by Nolan Porter. Before they recorded for Factory, Joy Division had a go at recording for the RCA label. Legend has it that RCA A&R guy Richard Searling wanted the band to cover one of his favorite Northern Soul singles recorded by LA soul singer Nolan “N.F.” Porter in 1971. Apparently the band weren’t too adept when they tried to cover the song, and the RCA sessions were aborted. But Joy Division hung on to the riff and ‘Interzone’ appeared as an album track on their debut, Unknown Pleasures. For which Porter received nothing.