1980s funk band Collage is suing Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson in a suit which claims parts of their 1983 song “Young Girls” was unauthorizedly used in the hit 2014 single “Uptown Funk.”
In the suit, Collage claims that “Uptown Funk” “heavily borrows” from their song, and that “many of the main instrumental attributes and themes of ‘Uptown Funk’ are deliberately and clearly copied from “Young Girls.”
Larry White, the group’s only surviving member, and the estates of the other two late members, Grady Wilkins and Lee Peters, are the ones behind the suit. They’re seeking damages and profits from the success of “Uptown Funk.”
Listen to “Young Girls” here.
This is the second lawsuit Mars and Ronson are facing concerning “Uptown Funk.” To avoid an nasty legal battles, in May 2015, Ronson and Mars added legendary funk masters Charlie, Robert, and Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band to the credits as contributors to “Uptown Funk,” giving credit to the fact they used elements of the veteran band’s 1979 track “Oops Up Side Your Head.” Keyboardist Rudolph Taylor and producer Lonnie Simmons, who also played a part in “Oops,” were also listed. Mars and Ronson also gave 17 percent of all publishing royalties from “Uptown” to the Gap Band’s members.
In my opinion, “Uptown Funk” sounds closer to “Young Girls” than it does to “Oops Up Side Your Head,” so we’ll just have to see what comes of this…
