Highjacking Songs (Song Rewrites)

[Len911]

Arizona Bob, you mean Willie Nelson is your hero? Didn't he hijack the Billie Holiday song "Crazy He Calls Me" and rewrite it for Patsy Clines's song "Crazy"? I'm just sayin', there is quite a bit of similarity, especially when you try to sing the Billie Holiday song and get to the last line and want to sing "Crazy for loving you",lol! Personally I love both songs, but the inspiration is obvious to me.

Crazy he calls me
Sure, I'm crazy
Crazy in love, you see

I'm crazy for trying and crazy for crying
And I'm crazy for loving you

[rpezzo51]

I'm not aware of Willie having to use a line or idea from an original Billie Holliday tune. Personally, I doubt if he ever intentionally used the wording from another song. Whether he did or not you can't help but love the guy, because Nashville wasn't always kind to him-as it was with other famous country stars early in their careers. So you're probably more versed on the subject than I. All I can say is I'm tired of hearing what I call canned music, and singers with a George Strait complex and a hoaky Texas shrill they refer to as singing!!!!!!! Remember Willie, Waylon, Johnny Cash, the Hag and others had unique voices-and to my knowledge they never played follow the leader to get in the music business, like many of these youngsters breakin into the corporate takeover of the Country Music field.

Thanks For The Info Len911!
Arizona Bob

[Len911]

I'm just ribbing you Bob, personally I take a much more liberal approach, I think everyone is inspired by their heroes in music and try much to emulate them.
I like George Strait.

[Kolstad]

Another thing to this is, that it sometimes seems like a certain idea spreads at the same time from different locations. Almost like there's a big common "muse sky" raining down on many songwriters at the same time. So even if you've had an original idea, it's not like you're ONLY one who's gotten it.. I guess some writes'em and some don't. That's why I believe it's really important to write the song when you get the inspiration for it. If you put it down for later, chances are that someone else writes the good one

Just a personal observation

[Len911]

This Howard Aiken fella stole my thought about it when he said, "Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats." How true is that?! And when people start stealing original ideas, that's when they become fashionable, popular , and rich and famous, and lawsuits about whom stole what from whom.

[mojobone]

Another thing to this is, that it sometimes seems like a certain idea spreads at the same time from different locations. Almost like there's a big common "muse sky" raining down on many songwriters at the same time. So even if you've had an original idea, it's not like you're ONLY one who's gotten it.. I guess some writes'em and some don't. That's why I believe it's really important to write the song when you get the inspiration for it. If you put it down for later, chances are that someone else writes the good one

Just a personal observation

This Howard Aiken fella stole my thought about it when he said, "Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats." How true is that?! And when people start stealing original ideas, that's when they become fashionable, popular , and rich and famous, and lawsuits about whom stole what from whom.

Two great posts that really lay some truth on. People prefer familiar music to original music; it's a very basic rule of human behavior which is also the reason your original act can't get a bar gig. If the people don't dance, they don't drink, and a bar band's 1st job is to make people drink. If they happen to be entertaining as well as danceable, well, that's just a byproduct.