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DavoTB t1_jdttebr wrote

Reply to comment by nowhereman136 in TIL Australian band, Men At Work were sued over their song "Down Under" for similarities to an Australian nursery rhyme "Kookaburra". by El-Hairy

The lawsuit was based on the recurring flute lick, played by Greg Ham. The song’s writer, singer Colin James Hay stated he felt the stress of the lawsuit led to the early death of Ham around the time of the lawsuit.

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beetrootsandwiches t1_jdtzpqk wrote

Poor Greg Ham. This story was ultimately very sad.

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bouchert t1_jdva6nm wrote

I wish someone could have helped him. By most accounts, he was a lovely person and a clearly talented musician, but he took the loss so personally and I think he really felt vilified.

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beetrootsandwiches t1_je2rpxh wrote

I remember people started Facebook groups and pages in support of him at the time as the copyright thing seemed so petty and the publishers wanted so much. They all faced ruin. The whole story is really fucked to be honest all cos greed.

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Bonneville865 t1_jdx5rph wrote

I’ve never heard anyone refer to Colin Hay using his middle name. Is there another famous Colin Hay?

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DavoTB t1_jdxaygc wrote

For reasons I don’t know, he referred to himself on releases as Colin James Hay during the mid-1980’s. He is familiarly known as Colin Hay.

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Bonneville865 t1_jdxixkv wrote

Interesting.

I've seen him twice on his current tour, and he's just going by "Colin Hay."

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