Theft and Love

Puzzled to read today about the Aussie band Men At Work being successfully sued for nicking a bit of the melody of Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree (a song I quite used to like until Fifi and Fafa sung it to death as kids) and giving it to the flute bit in the irritating Down Under. Actually finding out the tune was in there increased my limited appreciation for Men At Work's ditty. But I just don't get what the judge thought he was up to. Doesn't he know that songwriters and musicians in general purloin stuff all the time, consciously or unconsciously? (Just imagine what old Handel would have to pay out in royalties if he were alive today.) It wouldn't be so bad if the lady who wrote the piece (I must admit, I'd assumed it was some old folk tune) hadn't passed on in the late eighties. At last then it would have been nice to know the shekels were going to an old lady rather than to what I imagine is the faceless publishing company doing the suing.

Let's hope those publishing johnnies don't start listening too hard to the greatest album of the last decade. Dylan didn't call it 'Love And Theft' for nothing.