Is Using A Single Lyric From A Musician You're A Fan Of 'Theft' Or 'An Homage'?

from the i'd-go-with-the-latter dept

A few different folks have submitted variations on this story of singer Taylor Swift copying a single lyric from a singer for whom she'd long expressed admiration. That singer, Matt Nathanson, responded the way any normal person would: by being happy about the homage and recognizing how it might draw more attention... I'm sorry, what was I saying? I meant that he called one of his biggest fans, who just happens to be a hugely popular singer with a ridiculously loyal following, a thief. In case you were wondering:

Here’s the Taylor Swift line:

“And I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to”

Here’s Matt Nathanson’s:

“And I’ll forget about you long enough to forget why I need to”

Considering that Swift has admitted that Nathanson is a personal favorite, and that she sometimes scribbles his lyrics on her arm before performing (?!?!?), it's unlikely to be a case that both of them came up with the lyric independently, though it's not exactly the most original lyric.

Either way, welcome to the latest edition of "ownership society" in which even an homage is attacked as "theft."

Filed Under: homage, lyric, matt nathanson, taylor swift, theft