British songwriter and guitarist Paul Rose is claiming that U2 stole one of his songs for their 1991 album Achtung Baby.
Rose, who now lives in New York, filed a lawsuit in a Manhattan federal court against the band and Island records and claims that U2 lifted multiple elements of his song Nae Slappin for their hit song The Fly.
Rose claims that: “An ordinary lay observer would reasonably find that the songs are substantially similar and that an infringement has occurred.”
The lawsuit alleges that U2 heard his song after they joined Island Record in 1989, which was the same year Rose provided a demo tape to studio executives, who listened to it often in their offices.
Rose also suggests U2 were in search of a new sound at the time as The Fly's “dance beats, distorted vocals and hard industrial edge sounded nothing like typical U2”.
“Although perhaps the most popular rock band in the world in the 1980s, by that decade’s end the band felt in need of re-invigoration.”
According to Rose's lawyer, Thomas Mullaney, the British musician is only coming forward now, 26 years later, as he did not want to jeopardise his career.
Rose is seeking songwriting credit for The Fly and $5 million dollars in damages and legal fees. U2 have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
Last year British rock legends Led Zeppelin won a similar case after they were accused of plagiarising the intro to their signature track Stairway to Heaven from an instrumental by American band Spirit.
A musicologist had told a week-long trial that the rhythm, chords and harmonies of the track, Taurus, and the introduction to Stairway to Heaven were "virtually identical",
However the jury ruled in favour of Led Zeppelin and found that the two tracks were not "extrinsically similar".
