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A Case of Cryptomnesia: Ben Rector vs Mat Kearney

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First off, let’s address what Cryptomnesia is exactly. It is the appearance in consciousness of memory images which are not recognized as such but which appear as original creations.

What dictionary.com is trying to say is in music, cryptomnesia is one song distinctly reminiscent of another song, almost as if one musician was listening to the other’s work as he or she was composing a new song. It’s also a scratchy, circular waltz by Cold War Kids.

People get sued over this; it’s kind of a big deal. For starters, let’s examine the 1976 case Bright Tunes Music v. Harrisongs Music, where a US district court found that Beatle George Harrison had subconsciously plagiarized “My Sweet Lord” from song “He’s So Fine” written by Ronald Mack and recorded by the Chiffons. Harrison had to pay some annoying legal fees, but we’re not saying that the below argument need follow suit; merely that it possesses the necessary elements one might require in a court of law.

In this, the first installment of A Case of Cryptomnesia, consider the case of Mat Kearney and Ben Rector. The Nashville residents share a little more than the same stomping ground: an affinity for the exact same chord progressions. 

Artist: Ben Rector

Song: “The Sophomore”

Released: December 2008

Artist: Mat Kearney

Song: “Wait”

Released: April 2006

Seriously, just listen to the two songs, and try to say homeboys didn’t compose them in the same room.

Verdict: The blog finds Ben Rector guilty of inadvertent plagiarism

Sentence: I’m not really that mad, but if Ben Rector wanted to write a song about me, I wouldn’t complain.

Moral Of the Story: Maybe don’t listen to the radio whilst songwriting, or start saving up to afford legal fees.

Laura Stillo is the Arts & Entertainment Writer and Creative Social Media Producer for YouPlusDallas. Follow her on Twitter at @laurastillo.

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