My Sweet Lord

My Sweet Lord is a song by George Harrison that this 1970 for his solo album All Things Must Pass recorded and which was coupled with Is not It a Pity as a double A-side single. It is considered one of the most famous fakes in music history.

Publication

The piece was created in mid-December 1969 in Copenhagen, as Harrison acted as sideman Delaney & Bonnie on their tour. Also on this tour, Billy Preston was the song on his, - published album Encouraging Words - George Harrison produced for Apple Records. This album was released on 7 January 1970 and thus represented the first publication of the composition dar. In November 1970, the song appeared on the album All Things Must Pass, on 15 January 1971, the song has also been as a double A-side single with Is not It a Pity the piece published.

Plagiarism indictment and process

On 10 February 1971, barely a month after the titles had been published ( and had occupied the top positions in the international charts for weeks in a row), there was a plagiarism lawsuit. The charge: Harrison stole the melody of the song by The Chiffons, an American girl group in the 1960s. In February 1963 she had with her song He's So Fine a million seller, reaching # 1 on the U.S. charts. Seven years later, published George Harrison My Sweet Lord, strongly resembled the melody line and hook the Chiffons title. The plaintiff was the Bright Tunes Music Corp.. as rights-holders to the composition He's so Fine.

The process dragged on for many years. First had to be clarified whether an infringement of copyright by George Harrison was present. After the competent court had the clearly established Harrison's lawyers agreed to a settlement that this one " ... unintentional plagiarism" was undermined. Next it came to determine the damages that Harrison would have to pay. The court calculated according to a complicated formula which Revenues were created by My Sweet Lord, these are by album sales, playing the song in the radio, television and at concerts or note sales. Furthermore, the court concluded that even the album sales would be included in the bill, because its sale was encouraged by the successful single.

At the end of the court came to a total of 2,133,316 U.S. dollars. This sum, however, was reduced by a factor of George Harrison, because the court found that the success of the song was a part attributable also to the artist Harrison. When the amount payable 1,599,987 dollars was fixed.

An ambiguous role in history played Allen Klein, who worked as a manager for the Beatles since 1969 and also represented George Harrison. He was involved among other things in the organization of the concert for Bangladesh. Klein used his insider knowledge to Bright Tunes abzukaufen all copyright rights and thus to secure the expected payments from the plagiarism process. This plan, however, did not go on, because the court ruled that Klein could derive no financial benefit from the breach of his duty of care to Harrison.

Through the process of Fame of My Sweet Lord was diminished in any way. While the Chiffons in 1970 played no role in the music business, Harrison's work is today considered one of the most famous fakes in music history. Harrison himself drew the following conclusion from the decade- long-running legal dispute:

" I even tried to give My Sweet Lord away to get the thing settled - just let'em have it; it does not matter to me. I've never had any money from it - it 's always been in escrow - and as far as I'm Concerned the effect the song has had far Exceeds any bitching that's been going on in between copyright people; it's just greed and jealousy and all that. Give them the song - I do not care. But my lawyers said: ' Oh no you can not do that; it's impossible ... ". So, it drags on but it's giving me sleepless nights Certainly not. "

" I even tried My Sweet Lord simply give away to do the job - give them just the right; I do not care. I've never seen them money anyway - it was always with the trustee - and as far as I'm concerned, the effect that has had the song far exceeds the whole Herumgezanke that has taken place between the copyright - people; it's all just greed and jealousy. Give them the song - I do not care. But my lawyers said, 'Oh no, you can not do that, that's impossible ...' And so the matter moves on there, but it certainly caused me any sleepless nights. "

Others

• In response to the argument about My Sweet Lord Harrison published in 1976, the single This Song. In this song he deals ironically with the processes. Thus we read in the text include:

" This song Is not black or white and as far as I know do not infringe on anyone 's copyright ... "

"This song is neither black nor white and as far as I can tell, it does not infringe any copyrights ... "

And in allusion to the adversary Bright Tunes we find the line

"This tune Has nothing Bright about it ... "

• During a review of the album All Things Must Pass for CD release in 2000, Harrison recorded a new version of the play with Sam Brown.
• On January 14, 2002 My Sweet Lord was re-released as a single. On the single, this time was not the song Is not It a Pity, were instead My Sweet Lord (2000) and Let It Down available.