Lil Wayne Sued By Rolling Stones' Publishers For "Playing With Fire"

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Lil Wayne has been sued by the music publishing company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones' "Play With Fire," as the company says Wayne's "Playing With Fire," off Tha Carter III, infringes on the song's copyright and poses unfair competition. Abkco alleges that the Wayne's song is an altered version of the Stones' 1965 hit, saying the original song and music had been used in a recognizable way with permission. The lawsuit cites lyrical comparisons like the Stones' original chorus "But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire," and Wayne's line "But you can't blame me if I set this stage on fire." In the lawsuit, Abkco says that the public might assume the Rolling Stones approve of Wayne's uses "explicit, sexist and offensive language." Abkco is seeking unspecified damages, but if this case goes down anything like when the Verve got sued over that orchestral sample of "The Last Time" used in "Bittersweet Symphony," Wayne might be giving back a bunch of his TC3 royalties money.

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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