The Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently enjoying success with their new album Stadium Arcadium, but this success could soon be clouded by allegations of plagiarism.
Last week, radio presenter Dan Gaffney of Delaware-based WGMD accused the band of ripping off Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He claims that the leading single from the new album, "Dani California," sounds almost identical to Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance."
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" was first released on the Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers album Greatest Hits in 1993 as a previously unreleased track. They even won an MTV award for the video for the song in 1994.
Gaffney's show producer, Jarred Morris has posted a track on his blog demonstrating the similarities between the songs. He is quoted as telling reporters:
"The chord progression, the melody, the tempo, the key, the lyrical theme... they're identical."
Morris is keeping track of the madness on his blog, even blogging about a death threat, along with a whole slew of hate mail. It's hard to understand why this is happening, as the two songs sound very much alike.
It is unknown whether RHCP intentionally made the song sound like "Mary Jane's Last Dance." There is still a very fine line between flattery and plagiarism. Neither band has commented on this new allegation.
One can only hope RHCP get burned for releasing such a crappy single.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Mark Saleski
wow. i just listened to that mp3. it's a dead nuts ringer....at least the verses.
2 - DJRadiohead
I am hardpressed to disagree. The intro, the verses... that is more than a strong similarity. I can't believe I didn't pick up on it myself.
3 - J. P. Spencer
Yea, and the opening chords of "Mary Jane's Last Dance" ripped off "Waiting For The Sun" by The Jayhawks.
Everyone needs to settle down and realize that as far as chord progressions go, THERE ARE NO ORIGINAL IDEAS LEFT. Every song you listen to today can be traced back to another source that did it better.
In the end, only the lawyers care. A song still has to click with the listener despite "the folk process" that brought it to life.
4 - sal m
i think the spliced song is better than either original.
5 - DJRadiohead
JP, I think it goes a little bit beyond the opening chord progression but I agree it does not take long to get carried away with this sort of thing.
Sal, "Mary Jane's Last Dance" is a fabulous song. That's it- it's your new intro on BCRadio from now on! =)
6 - Vinny
The two songs sound kind of similar but it is nothing to fuss over.
Dani California is a very poppy rock song and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" is like Bluegrassy with Harmonica.
7 - Glen Boyd
Didn't Rick Rubin produce both tracks? He was also an exex producer on the Jayhawks track JP mentions (actual production was by George Drakoulius I believe...)
Seems to me everyone involved, if they are aware of the similiarities, must be okay with it since they are all part of the same family in that sense...
-Glen
8 - Kevin Davis
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is comprised entirely of chords that one learns within one's first month of rudimentary guitar lessons. Bearing this in mind, it would be perfectly feasible for a seventh grader - who has never heard *either* song - to randomly stumble across this exact same pattern of very common chords and use it for a song of his own. Chances are these similarities were not intentional. There are twenty-some-odd tracks on the new Chili Peppers disc; clearly, they weren't short on ideas. It's not like we're talking about a direct replica of Beethoven's fifth; we're talking about some simpleton chords and some extrapolated similarities in the tune. "Lyrical theme" - please.
Is this Gaffney person aware that Bob Dylan stole chord progressions, tunes, and lyrics for almost every song of his early acoustic career? How come there aren't dumbass radio DJs posting masturbatory blogs about that?
9 - Guppusmaximus
Ya know, I have to say as much as I'm not a huge RHCP fan anymore "Dani California" blows the doors off that lame ass Tom Petty song.
10 - Rob
There's a definite similarity between the songs during the verses, but Dani veers off course during the chorus and bridge, making the song stand on it's own. The lyrics are all RHCP and Flea's bass playing and Frusciante's guitar work are unique as always. I don't think this is a "Ghost Busters" vs. "I Want a New Drug" issue.
11 - andy
Another thing to mention is that dani california is in the key of C, and tom petty's song is in G.... this means that the melody is way different, and the chords are close, but not exact (Dminor in RHCP song).... how come nobody mentioned that?
12 - Tom
It sounds like some small town radio station in Delaware is trying to drum up some website hits. Literally, thousands of songs have the same chord progressions. Give me a break! Both Tom Petty and RHCP are extremely talented and neither has the need to rip the other off. What do you think, RHCP is some kind of new band trying to rip somebody off to make it big? Again, give me a break! Oh yeah, and if you play Dani California backwards, it says "Mary Jane".
13 - andy
aside from my mention of the fact that the two songs are in a different key.... i love the fact that someone mentioned bob dylan (the best songwriter ever). He's arguably the most copied artist ever, and he admits that his chord progressions etc are usually taken from or inspired by other songs.... that dj is a moron and that's the reason the chili peppers nor tom petty have taken the time to respond to his crap
14 - Glen Boyd
And still nobody is noticing the very simple fact that the same guy produced both records?
"Mary Jane" by Tom Petty?
"Dani California" By RHCP?
Common Denominator? Producer Rick Rubin?
For chrissakes? Helllllllo?
I may be done in the music business, but I'm not dead okay?
-Glen
15 - Rob
Their not really that similar, and regardless its a great song
16 - Kyle
How can you say that dani california is a crappy single? Chili peppers have been around for 23 years and have become one of the most talented bands in the world. They do not need to copy other artists music. Even if somethingwas brought up, there both under Warner so nothing will happen. Because there is so many songs in this world, sings do sound similar. Chili peppers lyrics and sound is different from Tom Petty's. Nothing will happen about this. Let the success of Dani California continue!
17 - Penny
Not quite sure I understand what all the fuss is about. Rihanna does "Tainted Love" all the way to No. 1 with "SOS". Isn't that kind of the same thing?
18 - LA
First of all, the Petty song is sped-up which makes the comparison totally biased and unfair. If you just sit down and listen to the two songs in their entirety, they don't sound alike. And if you still think they do, wouldn't you have to look at the fact that both songs were produced by the same guy and lay some blame on him? I'm not hating on Rick Rubin, but I don't think that fact can be overlooked, that is, if you really think the songs sound alike. Personally, I'm not feeling it. Each song totally has its own vibe.
19 - Glen Boyd
Like I said...
20 - Aiden
THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS KICK ASS
21 - V
itsn ot a rip off total differnt bass riff and johns cards are played a little differnt than thats but what makes it seem like it is is the drum beat i bet if the drum beat was differnt nobody would evan accuse them of anything and once u hear the whole song there is no way its a rip off of mary janes last dance thos radio guys jsut want ratings to there shitty show
22 - mike
same key? the petty song sounds lower and more out of tune to me. they are close, but really, even if they used the exact same chord progression - what's the big deal? look at how puff daddy's been around the world ripped off david bowie's let's dance.
or how Vanilla Ice and Ice Ice Baby being a rip off of Queen/David Bowie's Under Pressure
This shit's been going on for years...and I realyl don't think this is a big deal - they sounds kinda similar but have completely different lyrics, completely different styles. Nobody cared when Shaggy ripped off the bassline for Angel from Steve Miller Band's Joker. And really this is only "sorta similar" where the others were actually complete note for note rips.
23 - miK'e [ v ]
Well, I didn't hear the similarities at first in the two songs until last week when my local radio station aired a bit on this issue. I called in and responded to the debate stating that Pearl Jam had a single a few years back called "Given to Fly" that had many similarities to the song "Going To California" by Led Zep'.
The bottom line: crazy things happen in music. I'm a musician and I find that many things that I write come from what I hear. I get into modes when I listen to certain artists and the music I write in those times sound influenced by these other artists. Musician's immitate the sounds in their heads from what they want to hear. Maybe an artist has already played a beautiful progression; it is a melody that can be re-done.
Any remember the Aerosmith Cover-retraction from back in the day? Or howabout the sticker-over-the-cover for the Marylin Manson album? I personally have ordered 2 more copies of Stadium Arcadium to keep locked away. If this claim comes to fruition, than it will be worth holding on to. If not, there's always eBay.
24 - Phil
Why would the Chili Peppers need to plagiarise other people, they are more than capable of writing decent songs and still make a bomb on royalties off their old songs. Granted the chord progression is the same, but then anyone who's even remotely familiar with the blues will know it all has the same chord progressions and usually the same key. The chorus is completely different in each song and the rythm is more laid back in mary jane. As for the lyrical content being similar, both songs are about drugs and women by the soundas of it. Well just add that to nearly every other rock/punk/blues/jazz/soul/pop/reggae/ska....etc song ever recorded.
And drum beat, they are both in 4/4 timing so no wonder they are a little similar.
25 - Kelsie
I'm a fan of both artists, but I have to take sides with the Chili Peppers. First off, the Chili Peppers have been around years before I was even born, therefore have enough talent and experience to compose their own sound and style, which I find amazing and inspiring. I think the verses in both songs are similar, but not nearly identical, and certainly nothing worth getting worked up over. Tom Petty's beats and chords are so simple, it's almost impossible to avoid the similarity with another song.