JW's stole a song from Queen / Freddie Mercury

by Gopher 21 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  Gopher

  I used to be the piano player at the Kingdom Hall (before they made the halls play tapes/CD's). I had no idea that whenever I played song 72, I was doing a song by Queen.

  Queen's song "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" was on their 4th album "Night at the Opera", the same album that had "Bohemian Rhapsody". Here is a video:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCVVvNLUjTU&feature=related

  Do you recognize it? If not -- compare it to song 72 , which first appeared in the 1984 JW songbook (Sing Praises to Jehovah):

  http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/3997/songbook/song_72.htm

  I WONDER IF THE WT SOCIETY PAID ROYALTIES TO FREDDIE MERCURY? After all, he composed the same song 9 years earlier.
• 

  nelly136

  freddie mercury may be dead but the rest of queen are still alive and there will still be royalties due to someone.

  http://www.brianmay.com/contactdetails.html

  if you pass on the details they may want to check it out.
• 

  Octarine Prince

  Society got there first.
  
  They all got their ingredients from the same music pantry, though.
• 

  brinjen

  They do sound alike, so what's the GB doing listening to Queen then?

  BTW, when I clicked on the link to the watchtower version, explorer crashed, is that my computer trying to tell me something?
• 

  Eyes Open

  Gopher! You've made my day!
  
  :D
  
  There's another link to Queen in the Kindgom Melodies. I can't remember all the words, but I think thunder and lightning are mentioned, and I used to sing "very very frightening!" afterwards.
• 

  Gopher

  Nelly136 -- thanks for the suggestion. I have just sent off an e-mail to Brian May, and here's what it said:

  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  Brian, Are you aware that a religious group known as the Jehovah's Witnesses used the melody from Queen's song "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" as one of its songs in its 1984 hymn book? I am a former member of Jehovah's Witnesses and wanted you to be aware, in case you wish to pursue copyright infringement and seek royalties from their publishing society. If you listen to the link -- you'll hear the song they wrote (#72 in their hymn book) has the same melody and rhythm as "Lazing" does: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/3997/songbook/song_72.htm More information -- The title of the offending hymn book is "Sing Praises to Jehovah", published in 1984 by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Best wishes to you.
• 

  CunningMan

  I don't see how there can be any lawsuit out of this. The Society doesn't make any money off people singing songs.
• 

  MeneMene

  They probably made money from selling the song books to JWs. Looks like that song book came out before they went to the 'donation' system.

  (Statute of Limitations may have expired)
• 

  Gopher

  Whether or not the WT Society made a "profit" on their usage of Freddie Mercury's song, they (or their associated songwriter) plagiarized it. The owners have a right to know it so they can make their own decision about what (if anything) to do about it.

  I thought copyrights on compositions lasted many decades before songs ever go into the 'public domain'.
• 

  Hope4Others

  Wow Gopher...you even got the kh version...often I put my tv on Ambient music for the day and you know

  a couple of months ago I heard a couple of tunes that were kh music composed by someone else. I was

  quite surprised...I doubt now if anything was composed by real jdubs...what do you think?

  h4o

  edited to add: ps....you really played at the hall? I always thought it would be cool...loved piano