Soundcheck

Avril Lavigne "The Best Damn Thing"

When Influence Becomes Plagiarism

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Punk princess Avril Lavigne is the latest pop singer to be accused of outright plagiarizing an older song. Today, we debate the originality of her controversial hit, "Girlfriend," and we look back at the most famous stolen melodies and ripped-off riffs in the history of popular music. Also on the show: Indie-rock mainstays They Might Be Giants sing about dictatorships, heartbreaks, drugs and female empowerment on their new record, "The Else." They perform live in the studio.

Listen to the whole show

Stolen Moments in Pop Music

Avril Lavigne is in the middle of the biggest critical thumping of her life currently, thanks to 70's band The Rubinoos' claim that one of their songs was stolen by the punk princess for her hit "Girlfriend." Still, isn't most modern music a direct rip-off of something from the past? Joining us with two views on topic are Timothy English, author of "Sounds Like Teen Spirit," and Robert Clarida, an attorney specializing in copyright and intellectual property issues.

Weigh in: Is the lawsuit against Avril Lavigne justified? Isn't most modern music a direct rip-off of something from the past?

Video: Compare Avril Lavigne with the Rubinoos
"Sounds Like Teen Spirit" website

They Might Be Giants Live

They Might Be Giants has been popular in the college music scene since their self-titled debut 1986. Now releasing their 12th studio album together, it deals with a host of topics, from dictatorships to drugs. They join us today with a live performance.

TMBG's Web site