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7.59pm
17 January 2013
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I just noticed this a couple months ago :
Paul's Lyrics:
"Don't go jumping waterfalls,
Please, keep to the lake.
People who jump waterfalls,
Sometimes can make mistakes."
TLC's Lyrics:
"Don't go chasing waterfalls.
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to.
I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all,
but I think you're moving too fast."
All I could find on this was a little snippet on Wikipedia that says:
In a 2007 interview, while discussing some songs of his he felt were underrated, Paul McCartney commented that he felt TLC had ripped off some aspects of his song "Waterfalls".
I've seen worse rip-offs for sure, but it is kinda the same. 
"..Turn off your mind relax and float down stream... It is not dying.."
8.16pm
17 December 2012
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The worst rip-off I ever saw like that was a song called "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart. The songwriting credit originally read "R. Stewart/J.Cregan/K.Savigar" but was later changed to include because it was basically a rewrite of Dylan's song, and I still don't get how those three managed to keep any composer credit on it it's so close.
12.41am
1 May 2011
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I hated TLC's Waterfalls, one reason being it had similarities to Pauls in the chorus but it was so overplayed.
2.59am
17 January 2013
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There's also "What I Got" by Sublime, who took the tune from "Lady Madonna".
"..Turn off your mind relax and float down stream... It is not dying.."
7.48pm
1 November 2012
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Incidentally, slightly off topic: Did the generic "you" know that in the general realm of popular art (whether books, stories, poems, movies, TV shows, or songs) the title cannot be copyrighted?
I.e., a musician right now could put out a song called "Lady Madonna" or "Let It Be" or whatever, and make money off it perfectly legally -- as long as the song itself is different.
9.48pm
17 January 2013
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That's interesting, I didn't know that!
"..Turn off your mind relax and float down stream... It is not dying.."
10.22pm
1 November 2012
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I don't know why musicians don't take advantage of that -- I guess they'd rather be original. But think of the buzz a new musician could make, coming out with a song called "Let It Be" that had nothing to do with the Beatles original!
11.35pm
27 December 2012
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That's why there's lots of songs with the name "Rain" and "Lies!". Lots more I can think of at the top of my head.
"When I was a robber *Piano Chord* in Boston Place"
"Let's hope this turns out pretty darn good huh"
"Pete may be the best, but Ringo is the star"
Paul:"Don't be nervous John"
John:"I 'm not"
12.00am
8 November 2012
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I liked the song before I stumbled upon Paul's, and I can't believe that didn't lead to a lawsuit.
parlance
12.32am
17 January 2013
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parlance said
I liked the song before I stumbled upon Paul's, and I can't believe that didn't lead to a lawsuit.
I did like it when I was a kid in the 90's. I didn't hear Paul's song until last year, and right away I went "wait a minute, those lyrics sound mighty familiar.."
"..Turn off your mind relax and float down stream... It is not dying.."
6.47pm
1 December 2009
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Man, that is some awful lyric quoted there – even worse than Paul's original! Probably should be glad I've never heard the song. (I DO own a TLC album, believe it or not! It's got a couple of tracks on it I like. Not "Waterfalls", though.) I'm assuming that the TLC song's melody sounds nothing like Paul's, otherwise they probably would've gotten sued. I don't think that the brief bit of lyric similarity alone is actionable, any more than "Run For Your Life", for example.
Funny Paper, evidently you're not familiar with this fine 1984 album by The Replacements:
(No song called "Let It Be" is included on this album – although their previous album did include a song called "Mr. Whirly" that managed to steal from both "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Oh! Darling". Although I suppose you could call it more of an homage than a steal. Either way, I doubt Paul McCartney has ever heard it.)
10.46pm
1 November 2012
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Thanks, I only dimly remember The Replacements; didn't know they'd delved into such homages.
I like that Lennon quote you have at the bottom of your posts. It's almost like evidence of a crime. If Lennon had lived to our time, people could use that against him: "We have actual evidence that you liked disco once…"
7.36pm
29 November 2012
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To be fair to Paul's lyrics in Waterfalls, he's stated multiple times that those were the words he'd used to block the song out while he was writing the music, but he just ended up keeping them in because he liked them. And I agree with him…it's one of my favorite songs by him. Anyone else noticed, too, how GD *young* he looks in the video? It's crazy!
1.49am
14 January 2013
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I like both versions, but I think I'm going to stone to death because I like the TLC one a bit better. 
3.22am
29 November 2012
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sky090909 said
I like both versions, but I think I'm going to stone to death because I like the TLC one a bit better.
*throws stones*
3.29am
8 November 2012
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sky090909 said
I like both versions, but I think I'm going to stone to death because I like the TLC one a bit better.
*picks up stone, realizes she agrees, saunters away whistling*
4.45am
14 January 2013
Offline
DrBeatle said
sky090909 said
I like both versions, but I think I'm going to stone to death because I like the TLC one a bit better.*throws stones*
*Ouch* lol
parlance said
sky090909 said
I like both versions, but I think I'm going to stone to death because I like the TLC one a bit better.
*picks up stone, realizes she agrees, saunters away whistling*
haha 
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