5 Seconds of Summer Faces Lawsuit for Their Song ‘Youngblood’
There are some new challenges for the musicians behind the song “Youngblood.” Recently, a Hungarian group filed a lawsuit against 5 Seconds of Summer for plagiarism. Of course, fans of 5SOS raced to Twitter, making jokes and an entertaining hashtag. Learn more about it here.
Who is 5 Seconds of Summer?
First rising to fame on YouTube and from touring with One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer is an Australian group of four boys. Together, Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin created hits like “Youngblood,” “She Looks So Perfect,” and “Jet Black Heart.”
Even though it’s been about a year since the release of “Youngblood,” the group is still enjoying the success of their song. Well, kind of.
A Hungarian band is filing a plagiarism suit against them for the song ‘Youngblood’
5 Seconds of Summer is facing a lawsuit over alleged plagiarism on the 2018 hit song, “Youngblood.” Hungarian artist David Henderson, David Toth, and Peter Ferencz claim that the group plagiarized “substantial portions” of their song “White Shadows.”
“The first melodic phrase of Youngblood is virtually identical to the melodic phrase from White Shadows, and the phrases are repeated four times in each respective song. It is clear that 5 Seconds Of Summer had access, means, and motive to appropriate the melodic phrase of White Shadows, and we firmly believe that any listener who hears both songs will notice the substantial similarities,” a statement from the complainants’ lawyers said.
Since its release, “Youngblood” won the Teen Choice Award for “Choice Single of a Group” and the ARIA Music Award for “Song of the Year.” It earned over 700 million plays on Spotify and over 90 million views on YouTube. Since 5 Seconds of Summer premiered Youngblood about a year ago, some fans found it fishy that the group is just being suited now. As a result, some fans on Twitter poked fun at the boys, starting the #5SOSisGoingToJailParty hashtag.
Some fans aren’t buying this lawsuit against the band and as a result, a hashtag trended on social media
Within a few hours of the news breaking, the hashtag #5SOSisGoingToJailParty trended on Twitter. Some Twitter users joked about the issue, posting edited pictures of the bandmates taking mugshots. Other fans stated how ridiculous they felt the whole situation is.
“Imagine saying a song was plagiarized a year after it’s released, made it on top charts, and is making millions rather than when it first came out. I smell a clout chaser,” said one Twitter user.
Most fans on Twitter sided with 5 Seconds of Summer. Some even stated the band could not go to jail for a song that only slightly resembles another song.
“Imagine not understanding that there’s only so many chords and melodies you can use in music before songs sound slightly similar,” tweeted one fan. “Sad!”
“Hey. Everybody gave credit to Duran Duran for the idea of the song. They don’t plagiarize; they give deserved credit. Surely, they didn’t know this song, so, they couldn’t give credit to something they didn’t know existed. I rest my case,” replied another Twitter user.
5 Seconds of Summer has not yet commented on the claims against them.
