Unemployed musician Jessie Graham is suing Taylor Swift for $42 million, alleging that she stole his lyrics for the hit song "Shake It Off," according to CNN Money.
Graham is claiming that Swift's 2014 song has the same 22-word chorus as his 2013 copyrighted "Haters Gone Hate" song, reported the New York Daily News. The 50-year-old asserts that the 25-year-old songstress borrowed the lyrics "Haters gonna hate, players gonna play" from his slow-jam.
The pop star-crossover success released an upbeat tempo song distinct from Graham's slower-paced song: "Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play. And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate", as well as "And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake," BBC News noted.
Beyond a few similar words, the two songs bear little resemblance, yet Graham defends his case to the Daily News.
"Her hook is the same hook as mine," he told the Daily News. "If I didn't write the song 'Haters Gone Hate,' there wouldn't be a song called 'Shake It Off.'"
Graham initially asked Sony reps to name him as a writer on "Shake It Off." He also asked for a selfie with the "I Knew You Were Trouble" singer. Swift denied both requests, the Daily News noted.
The lyrics to "Shake It Off" on the multimillion selling album "1989" were written by songwriters Max Martin, Shellback and Swift, according to the Daily Mail.
The out-of-work musician plans to sue CNN for the title of its morning show, New Day, and he is representing himself, the Daily Mail reported.
Check out the two songs below.
