The Rolling Stones sued over 'Living in a Ghost Town' song
A songwriter has accused Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of stealing elements from two of his songs.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards could be headed to court soon. The Rolling Stones members are facing a copyright lawsuit over their single, 'Living in a Ghost Town'.
Songwriter Sergio Garcia Fernandez, who uses the stage name Angelslang, is accusing them of ripping off his songs, 'So Sorry' and 'Seed of God'. The tracks were released in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
'Living in a Ghost Town' was officially released in 2020.
According to Billboard, Fernandez says that he gave a CD with demos of the songs to an immediate member of Jagger's family, and he reportedly has the receipts to prove it.
“The immediate family member … confirmed receipt … to the plaintiff via e-mail, and expressed that the musical works of the plaintiff and its style was a sound The Rolling Stones would be interested in using," the complaint reads.
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Fernandez says that The Rolling Stones' single “misappropriated many of the recognisable and key protected elements” of his songs.
He added he never gave the English band authorisation to use his songs.
Jagger revealed in an interview that he wrote 'Living in a Ghost Town', which was released during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 10 minutes.
"It wasn’t written for now, but it was just one of those odd things. It was written about being in a place which was full of life but is now bereft of life so to speak…I was just jamming on the guitar and wrote it really quickly in like 10 minutes," he told Apple Music's Zane Lowe.
The Grammy Award winner started working on the single before the lockdown.
"The Stones were in the studio recording new material before the lockdown & one song - Living In A Ghost Town - we thought would resonate through the times we’re living in," Jagger tweeted in April 2020.
Richards agreed that they should release the song, but Jagger had to rewrite some of the lyrics because "it was a bit weird and a bit too dark".
Rolling Stones members - Charlie Watts, who passed away in 2021, and Ronnie Wood - are also credited on the track.
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The Stones were in the studio recording new material before the lockdown & one song - Living In A Ghost Town - we thought would resonate through the times we’re living in. It’s out at 5pm BST today and you can hear the track and interview on @Beats1 now! https://t.co/MkrRESZwY6 pic.twitter.com/4rHPctkwws
— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) April 23, 2020
Watch The Rolling Stones' 'Living in a Ghost Town' music video below.
Main image credit: YouTube/ The Rolling Stones ('Living in a Ghost Town' music video)