It's a bittersweet time to be Kid Rock. On the one hand, he recently had the #1 album in America with Rock N Roll Jesus. On the other hand, he's getting into Waffle House brawls and being sued by factory workers.
A man named Maurice Foreman from Kentucky is suing Rock, claiming that Rock's new single "So Hott" is a rip-off of his 1997 song "Slow Death." Both songs repeat the title three times during the chorus, and both have similar guitar lines, according to Foreman.
You can listen to the choruses of both songs side-by-side at TMZ.
Sure, they sound a little similar, but guess what? A lot of songs sound similar. Neither of these tunes is particularly groundbreaking; they both sound like classic rock songs. In fact, the chorus to Maurice's song sounds very similar to the main riff in Tom Petty's "Refugee" (which I've posted below). I would go as far as to say "Slow Death" sounds more like "Refugee" than "So Hott" sounds like "Slow Death." So maybe Tom Petty should sue Maurice Foreman (and then, if suing people via the transitive property is legal, sue Kid Rock as well).
Rock music has been around for a very long time, and there are only so many chords on a guitar. Occasionally, you're going come across similar-sounding songs, and it's almost always a coincidence. Only in a few extreme cases can you consider songs rip-offs. This is not one of those cases, at least not for me.
Of course, considering that "So Hott" is going to be played in strip clubs for the next 30 years, Foreman might be smart to try and get a piece of those residuals. Maybe they can settle out-of-court for three free lap dances and a bowl of disgusting popcorn.
