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Madonna "Frozen" in Belgium
Believe it or not, but a Belgium judge has banned Madonna's "Frozen" after the celebrity has been found guilty of plagiarising some of the contents of her hit single "Frozen." Madonna was sued by singer Salvatore Acquaviva, who claimed that "Frozen" contained four bars of his own song "Ma Vie Fout L'camp." The judge ordered "Frozen" to be withdrawn from all record shops in Belgium (including the "Ray Of Light" album on which the song appeared). It can also no longer be played on radio and television. Hear what all the fuss is about. Compare a small portion of the two tracks and decide for yourself. [source]
Listen to a clip of Madonna vs.Salvatore Acquaviva
November 21, 2005 | Permalink
Comments
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That is so sh*t I mean this guy is a nobody, Madonna is the queen of pop and is it not maybe a coinsidance that someone could accidently have the same 4 bars in a song i mean how many songs have been made? I pitty Belgium they are the ones missing out. Frozen is a great song.... one of Madonna's best and Ray of Light was her best album untill Confessions on a Dancefloor.
Posted by: Michael at Nov 21, 2005 7:28:41 PM
lol
u got to be kidding me!
where did they hear those 4 bars? or is it my ears?
Posted by: Phelipe at Nov 21, 2005 9:16:42 PM
Are Bone Thugs-n-Harmony going to sue Mariah Carey for plagiarism too? Would they only win in a Belgium courtroom?
Posted by: at Nov 21, 2005 9:17:44 PM
Madonna's melody line, if one takes a look at the sheet music, is a simple descending melody line derived from the F-minor chord it sits on. I don't think this melody line is extremely distinctive - I think Madonna just started humming it over a chord one day. I'm actually shocked that the Belgian court ruled in his favor! Give 'em hell Madge.
Posted by: Jake at Nov 21, 2005 10:53:17 PM
Well I think it's really easy to say that the queen of pop is not guilty ..think again ...
Salvatore Acquaviva was no one less than the singer of the "Chocolates" (smashing hit "Brazilia Carnaval" in 1975 - 6,830,000 singles sold). The Chocolates were produced by Jean Van Coo ..the same producer of "Born to be alive" from Patrick Hernandez. And guess who was dancing and singing the baching vocals on this one? Bella Madonna.
So it's totally possible that Madonna really did it.
Posted by: Fred at Nov 23, 2005 3:29:47 AM
Guilty or not, the ruling is simply too severe. This Salvatore guy is clearly only interested in one thing: money (in the shape of royalties). This way he won't get any, and neither will Madonna. They should've considered it a sample at the max, let Madonna pay the royalties and be done with it. Now not only the single or the album, but also all compilation albums (including Madonna's GHV2 release) are being banned from retail in Belgium. But hey, let's be fair, let's not get hung up on a "stolen" sample which prevents a fraction of Madonna's work from being sold or played ever again in the Belgian kingdom. My problem is, this reeks of censorship, I don't believe a court should have the power to rule this way. Now what, everybody should turn in their copy of the Ray Of Light-album? I'm actually considering going to Antwerp with my ghettoblaster and playing the song quite loudly. Wish I would actually have a ghettoblaster... Thank god I'm dutch!
Posted by: J at Nov 23, 2005 6:39:40 PM
Um....so Madonna has been found guilty of stealing in 1998 something that she may have heard in passing in paris in 1979? I would have thought that to be found guilty of plagiarism, there would have to be evidence of Madonna having deliberately stolen this guy's work. I don't see how anyone could prove that someone had stolen 16 bars of a song that they may have heard two decades before!
Posted by: Scott at Nov 24, 2005 7:37:14 AM
Wait, let me get this straight: this fag took over 6 years to find such a problem, and even then it's simply a match of the melody? He sucks, period. Stolen or not, I'm not going to sit and read the Big Belgian Book of Translation in order to understand a song when the English version is just as adequate.
Posted by: Andrew at Dec 7, 2005 7:42:05 PM
It's pretty wrong, Mr. Salvatore asked for his royalties in these 6 years in which you guys thought he was 'finding out about his song'...
And what about the first comment? An artist deserves to be respected for his song, and I don't think anyone has the right to just take his song without even noticing the actual writer. Also I think it is really very clear that these songs are the same. What you propably don't know as well is that madonna lived around here in the period that Mr. Salvatore was better known, and if it's so clearly she should've just paid the copyrights, but it's madonna - and she's damn rich - that doesn't want to pay this, and there we have a period
Posted by: Thomas Biaziano at Jan 5, 2006 6:22:37 PM
The fragment;
http://www.antiroos.com/images/frozenfragment.mp3
Posted by: dn at Dec 30, 2007 12:05:52 PM
Is that really all? Just those few notes? Here I thought Madonna had ripped off a huge chunk of the song's melody, or orchestration, or something. Give me a break.
Posted by: Darryl at Feb 13, 2008 11:50:49 PM
From the short fragment it sounds pretty strange to base a plagiarism case only on these few notes. It's such a simple descending line, and with different pauses between the two songs too. I'm surprised how lucky Monsieur Acquaviva was... I hope the case is not definitely closed... and I don't like Madonna at all, I can't stand her, but comeon...
Posted by: JeanLuc at Aug 10, 2008 7:44:41 PM
