A lawsuit filed in a Manhattan federal court by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer marks the second copyright infringement claim submitted over Dua Lipa's 2020 hit single ‘Levitating’.
Dua Lipa faces a second copyright lawsuit in less than a week relating to her hit single 'Levitating'.
Songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer claim that the iconic opening melody of the track is “duplicated” from their 1979 song ‘Wiggle and a Giggle All Night’ and 1980 song ‘Don Diablo’.
'Levitating' was one of the break out hits to come from Dua Lipa's second studio album Future Nostalgia. The song reached number five on the UK Top Singles chart.
“The signature melody is the most listened to and recognisable part of the infringing works and plays a crucial role in their popularity,” Brown and Linzer claim. They also refer to the song's constant use on social media:
“Because video creators frequently truncate the already brief snippets of sound on TikTok, the signature melody often comprises fifty percent or more of these viral videos.”
Advertisement
Attorneys for the pair also take aim at Lipa’s admitted efforts to find a retro sound for her music. They claim that Lipa’s song “deliberately emulated prior eras”: "In seeking nostalgic inspiration, the defendants copied the plaintiffs’ creation without attribution.”
Also named in the copyright suit is Lipa's label, Warner Music UK, and the track's now-removed collaborator DaBaby.
In the 1960s, Sandy Linzer wrote several top 10 hits for Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons including 'Working My Way Back to You' and 'Dawn (Go Away)'. He was nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.
L. Russell Brown is most noted for co-writing 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree' and 'Knock Three Times'. Both songs became international hits for 1970s pop trio Tony Orlando and Dawn. Other songs of Brown’s have been recorded by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Donny Osmond, and Perry Como.
Last week, reggae band Artikal Sound System claimed that similarities between 'Levitating' and their 2017 song 'Live Your Life' proved that it is “highly unlikely that 'Levitating' was created independently”.
They claim that Lipa had “access” to their song, but gave few details explaining how the musician – or co writers Clarence Coffee Jr, Sarah Hudson, Stephen Kozmeniuk and co-writer/producer Stuart Price – would have come across it. Artikal Sound System have also cited Warner Records for copyright infringement, as the band seeks profits associated with 'Levitating'.
In related news, Dua Lipa has announced a new single with Megan Thee Stallion set to drop on Friday, March 11
Advertisement
Listen to all three tracks below:
