Lawsuit

[The Judge Upon The Bench]

I had read that several years ago Lightfoot sued the composer of "The Greatest Love of All" (sung by Whitney Houston). It was alleged that several bars too closely resembled parts of IYCRMM. Does anyone know the outcome? Was the case settled, dropped, or was a decision rendered?

[Westernstar9]

I don't know what the outcome was, but I am still wondering why GL filed that suit. He claims that later in history he doesn't want people thinking that he stole those few bars from the writers of "The Greatest Love". Anyone who cares to check that out will find that IYCRMM was copyrighted in 1970 and the other tune in 1977. I DID find some similarities for a few bars, but I never would have noticed it had he not mentioned it.

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[Eddiefitz]

I always found "The Greatest Love Of All" to have moments that sounded uncannilly like Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone" which was issued only a year before "Greatest Love" was written. I still can't hear a similarity with much of IYCRMM.

Brett.

[Rebecca]

Brett,
I don't mean to state the obvious here, but I suspect that parts of the songs to which the lawsuit refers are as follows:

"I decided long ago
Never to walk in anyone's shadow.
If I fail, if I succeed,
At least I'll live as I believe."


"I never thought I could feel this way
And I've got to say
That I just don't get it.
I don't know where we went wrong,
But the feeling's gone,
And I just can't get it . . ."


With slight metric changes for syllabication, it's pretty much note for note. I'm curious as to how the case was ruled. It probably depended upon whether the segment in question was sufficiently long.

Rebecca

[Wes Steele]

Rebecca, I am with you.

When I first heard "Greatest Love" I heard If You Could Read My Mind immediately. I would not have waited long to sue. It sounds just like it...

Wes