Music

The Adele hit “A Million Years Ago” is back in the news for the wrong reasons – again. A court in Brazil has ordered that it be removed from all streaming platforms.

The ruling comes after a claim by composer Toninho Geraes that her hit “A Million Years Ago” infringes on a samba he wrote in 2015, “Mulheres” (Women). “[This case] is a landmark for Brazilian music, which … has often been copied to compose successful international hits,” Fredimio Trotta, the lawyer for the Brazilian composer told AFP.

The lawyer has asked for damages of $160,000 and a credit on the song, co-written with American composer and producer Greg Kurstin. He is also determined that the ruling be respected worldwide. At the time of going to press, however, it was still available on YouTube, Spotify and Deezer.

It is more than likely that the label will appeal the decision. For one thing, the song had already drawn comparisons with another song in 2015. It was claimed the tune was similar to the 1985 song “Acilara Tutunmak” (Clinging to Pain) by the Kurdish singer, Ahmet Kaya. At the time, his widow had said it was “unlikely” Adele had copied the song.

This begs the question: how many tracks can Adele and Kurstin have copied? The underlying chord progression can be found in a series of tracks that include İlham İrem “Yazık oldu yarınlara” in 1973, Garry Moore “Spanish Guitar” in 1978 and Mariah Carey “My All” in 1997. Chord progressions are not always considered enough to determine infringement. There are simply far too many songs that are based on the same foundations. 

(Michael Leahy Source: The Guardianl Photo: picture alliance / Photoshot 273606067)