The Hives Sued For Plagiarism
10/28/2008 By Brock Thiessen

The well-dressed Hives are currently trying on a new type of suit. An L.A. musician has just filed a lawsuit against the Swedish rock outfit, claiming they have plagiarized one of his songs. The main offender? The Hives’ “Tick Tick Boom,” which is the lead-off track on last year’s The Black and White Album.

The musician behind the lawsuit, Celebrity Skin guitarist Jason Shapiro, told L.A. Weekly that the Hives track is a carbon copy of his song “Why You?,” which he recorded with his band the Roofies in 1997 and again in 2002 with another act, Three Way. “I absolutely love the Hives and don’t feel great about suing a band I love. But I also feel credit is due where it is due if you borrow a riff,” said Shapiro, who discovered the striking similarities between the songs not because he‘s such a big fan and all but after friends heard “Tick Tick Boom” in the movie trailer for this year’s Get Smart and brought it to his attention.

To support the claims of plagiarism, Shapiro told L.A. Weekly that he brought the two songs to a musicologist for analysis. “He said the part in question — the main riff and vocal melody — was very similar and its uniqueness led him to believe it wasn't just a coincidence,” Shapiro said. “He also runs it through a background test seeing if any charts from previous songs are close and we were clear on that front.”

To judge for yourself if the Hives are in fact plagiarizing, here are the two tracks in question:

The Hives “Tick Tick Boom”

The Roofies "Why You?"
More News: << Previous Story | Next Story >>
Do you have a news tip for us? Did anything crazy happen at a show? Got any inside info on a band? Click here to let us know!
• Check Out Reviews of Massive Attack, Gil Scott-Heron, Pantha Du Prince, Sade and More in New Release Tuesday
• Liam Gallagher Ditches Oasis 2.0 Moniker: “That Was a Shit Name Anyway”
• Lil Wayne's Sentencing Postponed Due to, Um, Dental Surgery
• Matthew Herbert's Pig Album Hits Snag When Pig Dies
• Metric Respond to Backlash over Help Haiti T-Shirt
• Bright Eyes/Neva Dinova Split EP to Get Reissued with Extra Tracks
• The Weakerthans Divulge Details of Forthcoming Live Album
• Megadeth Co-Founder Dave Ellefson Returns for Rust in Peace Tour; Dave Mustaine to Release Autobiography
• MGMT Unveil Congratulations Release Details
• White Stripes Slam U.S. Air Force Over Super Bowl Ad, Bring Ballet to Toronto
Misstress Barbara - Montreal, QC November 21
One of this city’s superstar DJs, Misstress Barbara specializes in big beats for the masses, and with her three-piece band Girls on a Ducati, she’s extending her house pop chops to a more traditional live setting. With a guitar and mic, as well as keys and effects, she’s a capable front-woman but he... Full Review
Transit / Man Overboard - Transit / Man Overboard
The deliberately lo-fi, yet earnest, split between Transit and Man Overboard sounds like the product of a bunch of friends growing up on punk and hardcore throughout the '90s. The hardcore leanings of Boston fivesome Transit lay the groundwork for the pop punk tendencies of the Jersey kids in Man Ov... Full Review
Crazy Heart Dir. by Scott Cooper
Crazy Heart, in which Jeff Bridges adds another career achievement notch on his belt as a down-to-his-last-drink country singer, might be more difficult to watch for musicians than for average moviegoers.

Bad Blake (Bridges), who's on the wrong side of 50, is hauling his truck ... Full Review
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the October 2007 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Comics  •  Questionnaire  •  Release Dates  •  Research  •  Timeline  •  Videogames  •  Web Exclusives • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  No Future  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews  •  TIFF  •  Videogame Reviews • Music School --> Label Life  •  Meet & Greet  •  Need to Know  •  What I Play • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues