It seems the next big music plagiarism lawsuit may have been narrowly avoided, one week after singer-songwriter Chilly Gonzales suggested that Irish songwriter Hozier plagiarised his mega-hit ‘Take Me To Church’ from a Feist song.
As Rolling Stone reports, the two parties appear to have reached a détente, after Hozier issued a statement which implied the Bray-born hit-maker was pursuing legal action against Gonzales, whose real name is Jason Beck.
The issue first arose during an episode of BBC Pop Masterclass, which Beck, known for his collaborations with Feist, hosted. During the episode, Beck compared ‘Take Me To Church’ to Feist’s ‘How Come You Never Go There’, from her 2011 album, Metals.
After pointing out that ‘Take Me To Church’ bears a unique 3/4 time signature, Beck played the opening chords of the Feist track, which has the same timing, and asked, “Are you guys hearing that out there? It’s almost the exact same thing.”
“I mean, that’s a crazy coincidence that my good friend and musical little sister Feist, with her song ‘How Come You Never Go There’ had the exact same idea to use those chords, and that slow triple time as Hozier.”
“I mean what are the chances that two people – oh, I’m being told by the research staff that Feist’s version came out well over a year before Hozier’s. Doesn’t look so good, does it? ‘Take Me To Church’? Maybe Feist should take him to court.”
After Hozier announced his intention to pursue a defamation case against Beck, the BBC Pop Masterclass video was removed and Beck issued a statement, writing, “”I would like to fully retract any and all implication of copyright infringement in last week’s Pop Music Masterclass.”
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Hozier soon replied with his own statement. “There has been some talk in the press of legal action and I’d like to clarify my position and the goings-on of the past week for fear that gossip runs unchecked, as it often does,” he wrote.
“What was sought from my end was an apology and redaction of an unfair inferral [sic]. This has been issued by Jason Beck, which I very much appreciate. I will continue to follow and respect his work and look forward to moving on from this issue. Jason Beck has been co-operative and understanding.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone earlier this year, Hozier said the unique sound of ‘Take Me To Church’ was the result of having little exposure to other kinds of music besides gospel and folk due to his upbringing in the rural Irish countryside.
