Madonna Learns The Difference Between Sampling And Stealing
It would appear the wheels of justice turn particularly slowly in the land of frites and Van Damme, as a Brussels court has just ruled that a Madonna song from 1998 ("Frozen" you remember it, in the video she's alone in the desert dressed like Lily Munster, then she presto-change-os into a Doberman Pinscher) was plagiarized:
Songwriter Salvatore Acquaviva's suit had alleged that Madonna's 1998 hit off the album "Ray of Light" plagiarized parts of his song, "Ma Vie Fout L'camp (My Life's Getting Nowhere)," which had been written five years earlier.
"The judge has ruled Madonna must withdraw from sales all remaining disks, and orders that TV and radio can no longer play 'Frozen,'" Acquaviva's lawyer, Victor-Vincent Dehin, said.No damages were set.
Madonna can appeal the ruling. A call to the singer's New York-based publicist, Liz Rosenberg, was not immediately returned.
This is the one blemish on an otherwise stellar comeback week for Madonna, who has been electrifying audiences the world over with her Annie-meets-Farrah hairdo, not to mention her infectious new single, "Hung Up." And this time around, she cleverly went the legal route with her musical cribbing, so there's no chance the members of ABBA will be coming after her now or in the distant future. A couple million in license fees should keep her safe from the feared Swedish justice system well through the Like a Virgin 30th anniversary tour.
