Tom: I wouldn’t normally even mention James Blunt’s music – no matter how much you may like the man himself, I think we can agree that his music tends to be a bit on the insipid side.
This one, though, is interesting for all the wrong reasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgJVMa2g9Fg
Tim: Is it?
Tom: If Chesney Hawkes’ songwriter isn’t getting royalties for “The One and Only” off this, then he’s probably thinking about legal action. And as for the composers of Flashdance’s soundtrack…
Tim: It had been a while since I heard The One and Only, so I didn’t think anything of it at the start. Then I went and listened to it, and then relistened to James Blunt, and my word yes. I’d not heard Flashdance at all, but yes, there as well. Although in that case: let’s be honest, its a very basic drum pattern, and there are only so many of them to go round – I’m sure there are other songs I’ve heard it on as well.
Tom: It’s more than a drum pattern! It’s the entire melody line. Tell me I’m not the only one hearing that – it’s almost the same song.
What gets me is that apparently, no-one muttered “you know, this really sounds like those other songs” loud enough during the production process. Because surely everyone’s going to notice this, right?
Tim: Well, maybe, but there are two things to consider: firstly, you can’t copyright a drum beat, and secondly, does anybody actually care?