From the official website of Yusuf Islam, aka Cat Stevens:
13th June 2003
It was confirmed today that an agreement has been reached between Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Yusuf Islam) and EMI Music Publishing (Flaming Lips) over the single 'Fight Test' and its close resemblance to the Cat Stevens classic, 'Father and Son'. Royalties from the sale of 'Fight Test' will now be divided between both parties according to the agreed settlement.
From The Herald:
In an interview for a German music website, Wayne Coyne, the band's lead singer, said of their single: "It actually sounds like a Cat Stevens song called Father And Son. Some guys, Boyzone, or a Boyzone band, had a hit with that. That song was not really a hit in America.
"I didn't really know the song as well, but I do see now that it definitely has got some resemblance with the Cat Stevens' song. It feels like a sort of re-edition of the sort of story-telling that he did."
I was not previously familiar with the Cat Stevens song. That's why G-d made P2P. Hearing them back to back, I could see the similarity. It was not quite the same, mostly just vaguely similar. I'd say there was substantially less similarity than, for example, the famous "My Sweet Lord" vs "He's So Fine" case. I don't know whether it was enough for them to be sued for, but it probably was their best bet to make a settlement.
However, I will say that the Flaming Lips did a lot more with their somewhat similar theme. The Cat Stevens song was a fairly mushy and indistinct and somewhat sappy singer-songwriter display of sensitivity. "Fight Club" came out with a considerably catchier and more tightly focused melody, better developed. It also has stronger rhythms and a tougher, more pleasing emotional tone.
Try 'em both, and judge for yourself.
Article comments
1 - Hazy Dave
You're still young, that's your fault...
2 - Eric Olsen
I believe "Fight Club" is yet a third entity, one I am certain Yusuf "Kill Salman Rushdie On Sight" Islam would not approve of unless the fighting was noble Islamic jihadis eviscerating infidels.
Anyway, I actually love the original song, love the gentle guitar phrase the frames the verses, the intergenerational interplay - it may be sappy but it's hearfelt and effective in a way, say, Harry Chapin was not with a similar theme. I love a lot of mid-period Cat Stevens and am forever gloomy that he metastasized into a deranged Islamist bigot angling for a cabinet position with the Taliban.
Life takes some weird fucking turns.
3 - LS
Ok, is this a troll blog? This is ridiculous. The song name is not "fight club", but "flight test". Also, your personal opinion of the song (mushy and indistinct) has no baring on whether the song is plagerized or not. I have two subjects you need to study: Music theory and Discrete mathematics. If you had any understanding of music theory, you would realize that even though the instrumentation, harmonies, etc. have many dissimilarities, the MELODY itself is almost exactly the same. If you had any understanding of discrete mathematics, you would understand that the melody is 4 bars long, each bar being 4 beats long, and each note having a granularity of a sixteenth noteb (making 64 slots where a note could be played). Considering the range of the instruments used in the recording (let's say 4 octaves [each octave being 12 notes] and a rest, making 49 combinations), we have 49 to the 64 power of possible melodies (1.488e+108), which is ASTRONOMICAL. HOW IN HELL COULD THIS BE A COINCIDENCE? There is a reason that musicians have been coming up with new melodies for the last few thousand years - it's because there are effectively endless possibilities. Fuck the Flaming Lips
4 - Bob A. Booey
Fuck troll blogs, whatever those are.
Those fuckers think they're so smart, writing about President Bush, Iraq, and Coldplay from under their fuckin Ivory Tower bridges. You know what I mean, man? They're like under a bridge collecting red herrings for a toll and eating urchin brains yet they're also in an Ivory Tower under that bridge, ya know, thinking they're better than us because they eat fish rather than being productive members of society supporting small businesses who are part of the enginge of capitalism. It's just like the damn pinkos, man, they're like underground with the lazy hippies yet they're acting like they're way above us, passing judgment on pop culture and acting like they're too good to work and beat up foreigners and homersexuals. You got ya a club, ain't ya? Fuckin no good troll bloggers.
Fuck those dolls too with the spiky hair, those cutesy counterculture freaks. I'm outraged!
USA all the way, baby!
Irony is dead. Long live earnestness.
That is all.
5 - troll
babs - on behalf of trolls everywhere I say...kiss our collective hairy green wart encrusted ass
we thrive on ideas - the more bizarre and controversial the better â€"
your objection sounds like a personal one…take it to the chaplain
you say 'that is all' - make it so - take your snot nosed orderly debate seeking self off my bridge
troll
6 - Alejandro
You think this sounds substantially less like than original when compared to My Sweet Lord/He's So Fine? I completely disagree. I really have to search for the similarities with the Harrison song, but this one is so fucking obvious.
7 - brizzle
e.o. - l.s. is right, it's a complete rip-off. that being said, "fight test" and "father & son" are both amazing songs. B.A.B - you are completely retarded... whoever taught you to use the internet was a dumb-ass.
8 - joe
Do the Flaming Lips actually have any songs with melodies? Fight Test is the only hint of a melody on that CD I can recall. Maybe someday they'll write a song with a melody. We can only wait.