The defamation trial between actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard dominated the headlines for weeks in early summer 2022. Just a few months after Heard’s defeat, Depp is taking another matter to court: allegations of plagiarism against his song “Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade,” which he co-wrote with Jeff Beck.
The US folklorist Bruce Jackson had accused Depp and Beck of stealing the lyrics from the poem “Hobo Ben”, which he published in 1974. As first reported by US ROLLING STONEDepp and Beck are now demanding a declaration that Jackson has not committed any copyright infringement, as well as legal fees and compensation.
“They didn’t write a word of ‘Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade,’ and they’re blaming the person they stole it from who caught them doing it,” Jackson told ROLLING STONE. “From my perspective, it’s like a burglar suing a homeowner for cutting his hand on the kitchen window, which he broke to get in.”
The lawsuit emphasizes that “Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade” is an “original work of authorship and creativity,” while admitting that “some elements” may “reflect” the lyrics of “Hobo Ben.” Nevertheless, Depp and Beck reject the allegation of plagiarism. Jackson did not write the poem himself, only recorded it, he is said to have heard it from an inmate named “Slim Wilson” in a Missouri prison. That’s why he doesn’t own the copyright, they argue.
The lyrics and the poem are very similar in some lines. For example, “Hobo Ben” says: “I’m raggedy, I know, but I have no stink/ And God bless the lady that’ll buy me a drink […] ‘What that funky motherfucker really need, child, is a bath’”. Depp sings against it: “I’m raggedy, I know, but I have no stink […] God bless a lady that’ll buy me a drink […] What that funky motherfucker really needs, child, is a bath”
A side by side of the lyrics Johnny Depp stole, and the language & style he appropriated, from Slim Wilson’s poem “Hobo Ben” which Slim relayed to African American folklorist Bruce Jackson in 1964.
These stolen lyrics are in Depp’s & Beck’s new song “Sad Motherf*in Parade” pic.twitter.com/DPLwmjn0zG
— Jasmine Marsters (@JasminMarsters1) August 7, 2022
Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp released their first album together, 18, in July 2022. For the most part, it contains covers such as “Caroline, No” by the Beach Boys. “Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade” is one of two new songs.