Vanilla Ice’s pop-rap crossover hit in 1989 sampled the bass line to the 1981 Queen/Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure.” Ice famously insisted that the two melodies are distinct because he added a beat between notes. Ice later claimed that this rationale was merely a joke. Representatives for Queen and Bowie were not laughing and threatened a copyright infringement suit.
Freddie Mercury’s longtime assistant Freestone recounted his version of events in a blog post. Freestone writes, Mercury actually thought he was listening to “Under Pressure” at first - and as reality set in, he seemed bemused more than angry. “He carried on eating his breakfast and suddenly stopped, frowning. I thought there was a problem with his food but he said ‘no,”’ Freestone recalled. “He started listening intently and couldn’t believe his ears. He was smiling when he said that he couldn’t believe what he was hearing...a blatant rip-off.”
The case was settled out of court, costing Ice an undisclosed sum and earning Ice a not-insignificant amount of public scorn. Bowie and members of Queen all received songwriting credits on the track.
“Ice Ice Baby” sparked discussion about the punitive actions taken in plagiarism cases. While copyright laws do a fair job of protecting the financial interests of artists, there are fewer measures in place to protect their creative interests. In this instance, Vanilla Ice willfully used a classic hook without permission. Though he paid the price, some argue that isn’t enough to make up for the potential credibility lost by Queen and David Bowie, who are now linked to him through a collaboration they had no choice in joining.
Moreover, Ice’s weak defense made this case one of the most hilarious copyright cases of all time.
6 comments:
This was really interesting. I didn't consider the impact of "Ice Ice Baby" on the reputations of David Bowie and the artists in Queen. Personally, I think that a songwriting credit for Bowie and Queen wasn't sufficient, but I guess it works if both parties were happy with the deal.
This case is also interesting because it shows the change in culture that is rapidly occurring over the decades in the US.
Ice's defense was pretty poor, but I have to wonder, did the case set a precedent for sampling in music? It seemed like he would've lost in court, but if he won, would he have been able to set this precedent?
Very entertaining summary. Wasn't Vanilla Ice the person who brought the track into popularity though? Getting a share of the song profits seems fair enough. What were the other arguments for lack of fairness?
Interesting how despite the media coverage and backlash that this copyright battle ensued didn't discourage other artist from following Vanilla ice in suit. Not too long ago, Robin Thicke was under fire for unlawfully sampling Marvin Gaye in the song "Blurred Lines", the copyright battle lasted 5 years and resulted in Marvin Gaye's family earning 50% royalties on the song.
Entertaining and interesting how the case developed, especially with Vanilla Ice's defense. It is almost comical knowing how widespread this case was in American society and how flimsy the defense was.
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