Ahead of Queen + Adam Lambert’s upcoming Japan shows, Brian May sat down for a chat with Rosie Bennet. During the chat, he shared his thoughts about when Vanilla Ice ripped off Queen’s ‘Under Pressure.’
About the similarity between the band’s 1981 collaboration with David Bowie and ‘Ice Ice Baby,’ May said:
“I think it was just on the radio when we heard it… And I remember reading an interview with Vanilla Ice himself [who was asked], ‘Didn’t you steal this from Queen?’ And he said, ‘No, theirs is completely different; mine is [mimics virtually the same melody twice].’ I mean, we didn’t go to war for it, but the publishers did.”
Following a lawsuit, Vanilla Ice ended up paying royalties to Queen and added their name to the writing credits, which the guitarist mentioned:
“So, they came to a settlement, which was that he pays us most of the money he’s ever generated with that song. We’re alright with that [laughs]; we became a part of the writing team if you like.”
Does Vanilla Ice Own ‘Under Pressure?’
In later years, Vanilla Ice claimed that the lawsuit actually worked in his favor. The rapper told Dan Patrick Show that he ended up ‘buying the song’ and claimed:
“It was David Bowie and Queen, so they didn’t have the actual rights to it. So I went to Brian May and bought the song. I own the song like Michael Jackson owns the Beatles. It was cheaper than a lawsuit and court settlement. So ‘Under Pressure,’ ‘Ice Ice Baby’ – same difference.”
On the other hand, a spokesperson for Queen denied these claims by telling Ultimate Classic Rock:
“An arrangement was made whereby the publishing in the song was shared.”
You can check out Brian May’s interview on the matter below.
