Song #29: "Walking in Integrity" plagiarizes a song that was inspired by demons!

by Oubliette 19 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Oubliette

  [Earlier today I posted this on another thread about Kingdom Melodies. I decided to repost in its own thread because I am sure most of us don't know the facts about this song and would be very suprised. Enjoy!]

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  Recently I was working through a book of jazz standards for my own edification and simply the sheer pleasure of it. As I was playing through one particular tune, Stella by Starlight, I kept having the distinct impression that it was familiar somehow. Being a well known tune, I at first simply thought it was just that I'd heard it so many times, I'd even performed it, so of course it was familiar. But I just couldn't shake the feeling that there was another connection that I was missing. Then it came to me: Stella is the same tune as Walking in Integrity!

  Or to be more accurate: the song Walking in Integrity, is a complete rip-off of the jazz standard, Stella by Starlight.

  It's a clear cut case of plagiarism, pure and simple.

  Check out the last 8 bars of Stella, which is the hook for both songs: http://www.saxuet.qc.ca/TheSaxyPage/Realbook%20C/Stella_By_Starlight.jpg

  Melodic embellishments aside, it's the chorus for "Walking in Integrity" with a slightly different ending.(In fact, the ending note for Stella, and F, is preserved in Integrity in the alto voice).

  It's particularly ironic since "Stella" was a song based on Victor Young's score for "The Uninvited," a creepy little ghost story (1944) starring Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey. (It's actually a great movie if you like those sorts of things).

  For those of us that are musically literate, here are a few more details of my analysis: Personally, I like the harmonization for "Stella" better. The last 8 bars uses a series of ii-V chords starting on an Emi7b5 in a circle of 5ths progression which end on the tonic Bb.

  In the WTBTS's song book, the progression is essentially the same except it starts on Bb instead of the Emi7b5. The fact that the remaining 7 bars of the harmonization are more or less the same is obscured by the fact that some chords are improperly identified in the WT songbook, and one has a substitution.

  • Bar 2 is harmonized as C#dim rather than an A7b9, which is the identical harmony if you omit the root of the A chord. This is of course a legit substitution, but destroys the circle of 5ths root movement in the original.
  • Bar 3 is identified as a combination Bb/D - Fm/Ab which is consistent with the Dmi7b5 in the original.
  • Bar 5 is identified as a Ebm/C. An Eb minor chord with a C in the bass is the same as a Cmi7b5, which would be the correct way to label that harmony.
  • Bar 6 overly complicates things by incorrectly labeling a suspension in the inner voices as Ebm/F. It would be simpler and more accurate to go with the F7b9 as in the original.

  (Note that the above analysis is of the chorus of Walking in Integrity, which is the last 8 measures of the song. The bar numbers are relative to that starting point.)

  "Integrity" was actually the first song I ever learned when I started "studying" with JWs.

  It's ironic to find out it was inspired by a song written for a ghost story.

  But as for me, determined I shall be, to walk eternally ... with Stella by Starlight!

  Another irony is the title! There's not much integrity in plagiarism. And how did Holy Spirit let a stolen song about a ghost in the house?

  You can hear Ella sing Stella here. In particular, listen at 1:07 - 1:25 and compare that to the chorus for Walking In Integrity:

  Ella sings Stella

  Here you can hear, ol' Blue Eyes on the same tune:

  Frank sings Stella

  Listen from 1:17 - 1:38"

  Also, notice the similarity of the rhyme scheme of the lyrics. In the original, the two main phrases are rhymed on a long "E" sound. In WIT, it's doubled-up to the end of every sub-phrase.

  • SBS: My heart and I aGREE, she's everything on earth to ME (Sinatra version referenced above)
  • WIT: But as for ME determined I shall BE to walk eternalLY in my integriTY

  Notice that the chorus for "Stella" ends with the word "me" and "Integrity" begins with it as the key rhymed word.

  Again, the great irony of the song is the lack of integrity in its authorship.

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  Hairtrigger

  Oubliette, I read it on the other posted and archived it for future reference. Thank you much.
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  Hairtrigger

  "other post", sorry for the typo.
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  NeonMadman

  Much as I hate defending the Watchtower, I think you are stretching a bit here. In the gazillions of songs that have been written, it's almost inevitable that there will be similarities between short sections of some of them. In this case, one phrase of the song contains a similar progression. It's hardly the case that "Walking in Integrity, is a complete rip-off of the jazz standard, Stella by Starlight." It's not really true, as you state, that the two have the "same tune," except in one small part of each song. Even if the former was influenced by the latter, I don't think the similarity is of sufficient substance to complain about plagiarism or a "lack of integrity in its authorship." It's entirely possible that the composer of Walking in Integrity simply utilized the phrase subconsciously without realizing it.

  Now, I'm not saying that the WTS wouldn't plagairize a song if they thought they could and thought it would be helpful to them, but the similarity in this case just isn't of sufficient scope to back up the accusation, in my opinion.
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  Oubliette

  NeonMadman:I think you are stretching a bit here. In the gazillions of songs that have been written, it's almost inevitable that there will be similarities between short sections of some of them. In this case, one phrase of the song contains a similar progression.

  You would be right if we were only talking about a "similar progression," but I am not. When properly analyzed, the chord progressions for each song are identical except for the first chord of "Walking in Integrity." Identical.

  But it's not just about the chord progression, which incidentally is not protected by copyright, it's about the melody.

  NeonMadman: It's not really true, as you state, that the two have the "same tune," except in one small part of each song.

  Actually, it is true. And it's not just in "one small part of each song," it's the hook, or recognizable tune of each song! As I said in my OP, with the exception of some minor melodic embellishments which are mostly to accommodate the changed lyrics, the melody of "Walking in Integrity" is the same as "Stella."

  In a little bit I'll post scans of each melody to help you see what you're not hearing.

  NeonMadman: it's entirely possible that the composer of Walking in Integrity simply utilized the phrase subconsciously without realizing it.

  That is possible. But it is also irrelevant. Intent to deceive is not a necessary component of plagiarism.

  Notice I did not say anything about the intent of the composer of Walking in Integrity. Although it's hard to imagine that a musician of the same era would not have been familiar with one of the most popular jazz standards of all time. I'm not buying it. But it's hard to prove intent, especially in the case of dead people.

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  Oubliette

  OK, here are scans of the last 8 bars of each song for a direct comparison. The melodies are essentially identical except for some minor melodic embellishments.

  Here are a few things to note:

  • For convenience, I will refer to Stella by Starlight as SBS and to Walking in Integrity as WII.
  • Stella is written in 4 as is traditional for jazz tunes. Integrity is written in 2 for some reason. An 8th note in WII equal a quarter note in SBS.
  • Note my corrected analysis of the harmony for WIT. They are the same except for the 1st measure, but again: it's not about the harmony as much as it is about the melody, which is for all intents and purposes identical.

  Regarding the melodic embellishments, there are three main ways in which the melody may appear different as a result of these slight musical decorations.

  1. Introduction to the melody - In SBS, the tune begins with a pickup on a Bb (the tonic) which resolves to an A in the first bar of the chorus. In WII, the pickup starts on F and resolves to the Bb in the first bar delaying the ultimate goal of the A until the middle of the bar. (I'll address the C in point 2).
  2. In every odd measure of WII (bars 1, 3, 5 and 7), the composer used a variety of common melodic devices to decorate the tune: appoggiatura, escape tone, arpeggiation and neighbor notes. One can only speculate why. Was a deliberate attempt it to try to "disguise" the tune? Possibly, but I doubt it. It simply seems that these embellishments were necessary to fit the new lyrics. None of them are at all unusual for creating variety in an existing melody. Note also that all of them are unaccented.
  3. The ending: If you only look at the soprano (top voice) of WII, then the ending of it is different. But note that the original melody of SBS is still there, it's just hidden in an inner voice, in this case the alto. Again, is this a deliberate attempt to disguise the melody? Who knows. But if it was, it wasn't a very good one as the original melody is very plain to see.

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  In summary, the melody for Walking in Integrity is essentially identical to the original chorus from Stella by Starlight. The only changes are very slight musical embellishments which all appear designed to fit the new lyrics. Also, these are pretty simple melodic variations which any and all composers are very adept at doing. Indeed, most jazz improvisations on a given melody are much more involved and yet the main melody remains intact within the improvisation.

  As said before, the familiar tune Walking in Integrityis clearly based on a song inspired by demons. How cool is that!

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  Oubliette

  I've created the following graphic to help visualize the point I was explaining in Item #2 above regarding melodic embellishments to the original melody for Stella by Starlight.

  I've highlighted the embellishments in bars 1, 3 & 5 with a purple circle so you can easily see them. (The corresponding highlighted note in measure 7 is simply to show that this rhythmic alteration was used consistently for the four two-bar phrases of the tune. I addressed the different ending in Item #3 above).

  Again, if one were to remove the melodic embellishments (the notes highlighted with a purple circle and the slight alteration of the intro and the ending), the melody that remains isidentical to the original melody of Stella by Starlight. Identical.

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  compound complex

  I will have to study your detailed analysis, Oubliette. You have been very thorough in making your point. The Uninvited is quite a spellbinding flick; I enjoyed it very much and was surprised by the denouement.

  One song I especially enjoyed playing, what with its vigor and infectious lilt, sounds so much like "Wake the Town and Tell the People." I'll have to rummage around a bit and see if I can find it (brown song book).

  THANKS!

  CC

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-USR2CEpyg
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  Apognophos

  Oh! compound complex:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8G7iZUz8tw
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  minimus

  Nope