Blog #3: Hey! Hey! You! You!

After listening to the songs “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” by the Rubinoos and “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne I will say that the songs are not exactly the same, however, there are some striking similarities. I listened to both songs from beginning to end at first nothing really jumped out at me. I didn’t think there was much that was the same.

However, when the chorus rolled around one can’t help but notice that they sound very, very similar. While listening to the chorus of “I Wanna Be YourBoyfriend” you can practically sing along with the lyrics for “Girlfriend”. You can easily listen to the Rubinoos’ song by clicking here and skip ahead about 40 seconds into the song for the chorus.

Hey, You,
I wanna be your boyfriend.
Trying to say I wanna be your number one.
Hey, You, I wanna be your boyfriend.
Gonna make you love me before I’m done.

Compared to Avril’s:

Hey! Hey! You! You!
I don’t like your girlfriend.
No way, no way, I think you need a new one.
Hey! Hey! You! You!
I could be your girlfriend.

In response to the law suit Avril says that it’s ridiculous that the claim is based on five words from the chorus, however, that isn’t the case. As most can tell from listening, it isn’t just the words that are similar. The rhythm and tempo are practically identical. You can easily sing either chorus with the other song and it would fit without a problem. There’s a lot more to Tommy Dubar’s case than just five similar words.

I do think copyright has been broken. The chorus to “Girlfriend” is the hook, it’s the most memorable part of the song and what makes it so catchy. Even if the rest of the song doesn’t sound all too similar, at least to me, that’s the most important part of the song and it sounds like it’s been taken straight from the Rubinoos’ song.


Just think about it.

I don’t think this will greatly affect Avril’s career. Some people might stop listening to her music but overall people who like her music will continue to buy it and make her songs popular. It’s like the instance with the Huey Lewis song “I Want a New Drug” and the Ghostbusters theme. Even though they are practically the same song it didn’t stop people from watching Ghostbusters and making the movie, along with its theme song, so very popular.

This may, however, play a part in Avril’s image. People might view her as dishonest and now the word “plagiarism” is associated with her name whether she is proven guilty or innocent. It also inspires videos such as this one:


Videos like this one certainly don’t help Avril Lavigne’s case and it doesn’t help her image either. It questions how much talent she actually possesses. It’s one thing to be inspired by songs; it’s another thing to rip off another artist’s work. It seems only time will tell whether or not this claim of plagiarism will greatly affect her career.