If the past couple months have been any indication, the recently concluded ‘Blurred Lines’ trial has sent shockwaves through the music industry not seen since the digital revolution. Everybody seems to be on their toes, weary of a potential lawsuit.
Earlier this month, Tone Deaf reported on the addition of five new writers to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ smash hit ‘Uptown Funk’, after the writers of The Gap Band’s funk anthem ‘Oops Up Side Your Head’ alleged that it copied their 1979 tune.
Like ‘Blurred Lines’, Ronson hadn’t actually borrowed any specific musical elements from the tune, but rather the vibe of a particular refrain. But instead of risking a lawsuit that could potentially end up resulting in a multi-million dollar payout, Ronson and co settled.
The music world is getting vigilant and the fans are no different. Case in point, one astute Max TV reader recently informed the station of the striking similarities between Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and ‘Unpublished Critics’ by Australian Crawl.
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As Consequence of Sound notes, ‘Unpublished Critics’ was released six years prior to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and features a similar chord progression, sweeping lead break, verse melody, and a chorus strikingly similar to the iconic “whoa-oh” of the GNR classic.
It’s not exactly an obscure cut, either. The album on which it first appeared, Sirocco, peaked at number one on the charts, with the band later breaking up in 1986, a year before Guns N’ Roses released their breakthrough, Appetite For Destruction.
What’s more, both albums were released in the US by Geffen Records and Australian Crawl member James Reyne has even acknowledged the similarities between the two songs, reportedly joking during a concert that ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ inspired his song.
However, it appears that Reyne is rather content with just letting the two songs co-exist without bringing the lawyers into it, especially since the rocker has covered ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ in concert. Readers can compare the two songs for themselves below.
