The Hives Sued By Los Angeles Musician
By Kevin
Los Angeles musician Jason Shapiro is suing the dapper Swedish band The Hives for plagiarism. Shapiro is claiming that the main guitar riff and melody in “Tick Tick Boom” by The Hives sounds way too similar to his song “Why You?.”
Shapiro’s former band The Roofies recorded “Why You?” in 1997 and he re-recorded the track in 2002 with his band Threeway. He told the LA Weekly that “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.”
A musicologist checked out the songs for Shapiro and 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.”
Now we wait and see if a court agrees with the songwriter and the musicologist. Check out the two songs via the links below and decide for yourself.
