Inspiration and plagiarism are two different things, and rip-off accusations can lead to legal trouble for an artist. However, when there were rumors that Red Hot Chili Peppers sounded very similar to one of his songs, Tom Petty didn’t react as expected. In a recent episode of his YouTube series, Justin Hawkins expressed his thoughts on Petty’s response.
Tom Petty released his ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’ in 1993. The song appeared on the album ‘Greatest Hits’ and received widespread acclaim following its release. Red Hot Chili Peppers, on the other hand, released their ‘Dani California’ in 2006, thirteen years after Petty’s song. Both are highly successful efforts, but some noticed similarities between the two songs.
According to radio host Dan Gaffney, the chord progression of the two songs and their tunes sounded pretty similar to each other. He also claimed that the themes of ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’ and ‘Dani California’ are almost the same. Eventually, Tom Petty heard about these claims. He said that he didn’t believe the Red Hot Chili Peppers had a negative intention and didn’t sue the band.
In a recent episode of his Justin Hawkins Rides Again video series, Justin Hawkins recalled this incident. He stated that he didn’t even listen to ‘Dani California,’ but there were rumors that it bore a striking similarity to Tom Petty’s song. Hawkins then recited what Petty told Rolling Stone and claimed the late singer could have made a big amount of money if he had sued who ‘ripped off’ his songs, including the Strokes.
Justin Hawkins’ words on Tom Petty’s reaction:
“Some outlets have claimed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers single ‘Dani California,’ which I’ve never heard, I mean, I don’t know how it goes. Presumably, it says something about California, [and] there might be a funk riff in there. Anyway, it was released in May 2006, and it bears a close musical similarity to Tom Petty’s ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance.’ Maybe it was just inspired by it; who knows?
So, Tom Petty said in Rolling Stone magazine, ‘I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. A lot of rock and roll songs sound alike; ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took ‘American Girl’ for their song ‘Last Nite.’ Totally true. ‘I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it, and that made me laugh out loud. I was like, ‘Okay, good for you.’”
He continued, quoting Petty’s remarks:
“‘If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe I’d sue. But I don’t believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs.’ Could have made a good amount of money as well with that Strokes hit, couldn’t he? But yeah, what a decent, upstanding chap.”
So, Justin Hawkins tried to stay unbiased as he didn’t listen to RHCP’s ‘Dani California’ but found Tom Petty’s move humble and decent. He then argued that Petty could’ve made lots of money if he had started a legal battle against all musicians who plagiarised him.
