Alicia Keys Hit With Copyright Suit Over ‘Girl On Fire’

American songstress Alicia Keys has been hit with a copyright claim by a somewhat now unknown songwriter Earl Shuman. The songs in question are Girl on Fire and Hey There Lonely Girl respectively. However, Shuman, writer of the 1960’s song, has admitted that “Keys only uses two seconds of the original”, claiming that these two seconds are an uncredited sample.

To be honest, it sounds like Shuman is trying to get a cheeky paycheque from a track written fifty years ago, and maybe even some media attention. A two-second similarity between two songs will continue to occur as the years go by, and although it may sound quite similar, I highly doubt that Keys intentionally stole a two-second melodic line.

Regardless, the case has been submitted, and although it should feature on the next season of Judge Judy (that show still running?) someone in the judicial system seems to have taken it seriously. You can be the judge below, but to me it seems as if Shuman is puffing too many magic dragons.

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