The 'A Woman's Worth' hitmaker is being sued by songwriter Earl Shuman for copyright infringement over her hit 'Girl on Fire'.
- December 18, 2012
AceShowbiz -
R'n'B diva Alicia Keys has been slammed with a copyright infringement lawsuit by songwriter Earl Shuman for her single "Girl on Fire". Shuman claims two lines from the track came from his composition "Lonely Boy" which he co-wrote in 1962 with musician Leon Carr. The song was recorded by Eddie Holman as "Hey There Lonely Girl" in 1970 and became a No. 2 hit on the Billboard charts.
It was not until Shuman read a write-up by Roger Friedman, a blogger for Showbiz411, that the songwriter became aware of the similarities between the two songs. Keys apparently lifted a couple of lines from Eddie Holman's "Hey There Lonely Girl" but Friedman claimed this was not properly credited, unlike the drumline which was credited to "The Big Beat" by Billy Squier.
According to Friedman's blog, "Keys only uses two seconds of the original, but it helps make her record. It's not the same as when she remade The Main Ingredient's 'Let Me Prove My Love to You' into 'You Don't Know My Name', but it's still prominent for anyone who grew up during the classic era of R&B."
It is on this blog that Shuman now bases his lawsuit which he filed against Keys, Sony Music and songwriters Salaam Remi and Billy Kravan. Shuman stated that the defendants had infringed on his copyright and that he's seeking damages, profits and interest from the track "Girl on Fire".
Despite the lawsuit, life goes on for Keys as she debuts the music video of her second single "Brand New Me" from her "Girl on Fire" album. Directed by Diane Martel, the new video talked about "finding bravery, letting go & being myself," said Keys.
