Whitney Houstan: The untold story

10-15-2003, 12:24 PM

On Sunday I saw a show on the VH1 channel about Whitney Houstin. I didn't get to see the 1st 10 or 15 minutes of it but I watched the rest of it in hopes of hearing about the lawsuit Gordon Lightfoot filed for 'Greatest Love Of All'. I don't think they ever mentioned it but if someone saw it from the very beginning please let me know.

10-15-2003, 12:24 PM

On Sunday I saw a show on the VH1 channel about Whitney Houstin. I didn't get to see the 1st 10 or 15 minutes of it but I watched the rest of it in hopes of hearing about the lawsuit Gordon Lightfoot filed for 'Greatest Love Of All'. I don't think they ever mentioned it but if someone saw it from the very beginning please let me know.

Brian 57 · 10-15-2003, 08:02 PM

From what I've heard about her temper on TV, If it had made the show, she probably would have decked somebody. Good old Whipthee Houston

10-16-2003, 12:10 PM

You got that right.

10-16-2003, 12:10 PM

You got that right.

Borderstone · 10-16-2003, 06:10 PM

Whitney would not be the one to ask about the IYCRMM-Greatest L.O.A lawsuit anyway.
The person or people to ask would be whoever was involved in the recording of her debut LP. You would even have to question Clive Davis who ran Arista at the time. Someone did something with full knowledge of what they were doing but if Whitney was involved,she would more than likely never tell you. Arista has a history of being qutie underhanded. Remember Milli Vanilli?? If I did get recording contract offer.Iwouldn't sign with them!

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Borderstone - AZ's answer to GL! (but what was the question?)

Brian 57 · 10-16-2003, 07:58 PM

I used to wonder which one was Milli and which one was Vanilli-- it turned out that neither was either.

Borderstone · 10-17-2003, 06:14 PM

Rob Pilatus (the one who ended his life 5 years ago) was Vanilli because of his lighter skin tone. Fab Morvan was Milli for his "Milli"on dollar looks (so the girls said.) It's funny ya know,I have all 5 of their top 40 hits plus the one single they issued as "Rob & Fab" in 1993. Collectables!

Anyway,one footnote I forgot to add to the above story of The Greatest Love Of All,George Benson did it first (and badly) on WB records so the actual people to ask are the people who wrote it and arranged it. My mistake!

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Borderstone - AZ's answer to GL! (but what was the question?)

macjames · 10-30-2003, 02:40 PM

Either way she is definately not the same person she was 20 years ago. I would hate to run into her when she is having a bad day.

christinefrommichigan · 10-30-2003, 02:40 PM

Either way she is definately not the same person she was 20 years ago. I would hate to run into her when she is having a bad day.

pleyore · 11-07-2003, 04:15 PM

Hey, I missed this one. Is this a song that Gord wrote?......why the lawsuit?

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Work hard, keep your mouth shut, and good things will happen !

Bob from Mich · 11-07-2003, 04:15 PM

Hey, I missed this one. Is this a song that Gord wrote?......why the lawsuit?

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Work hard, keep your mouth shut, and good things will happen !

11-07-2003, 08:54 PM

After what I saw on that show about her, I wouldn't want to see her and Gord in the same room.

11-07-2003, 08:54 PM

After what I saw on that show about her, I wouldn't want to see her and Gord in the same room.

bjorn · 11-07-2003, 10:05 PM

quote:Originally posted by Bob from Mich:
Hey, I missed this one. Is this a song that Gord wrote?......why the lawsuit?

Bob,
Gord sued the writers of "The Greatest Love of All" the song sung by Houston, because of the similarities between that song and Gord's hit, "If You Could Read My Mind"
Specifically the part in GL's song that goes "I never thought I could feel this way..." . It is nearly identical to the line in Greatest love where she sings "No matter what they take from me...." Sing them both and you'll hear the similarities.
Erica

Auburn Annie · 11-07-2003, 10:05 PM

quote:Originally posted by Bob from Mich:
Hey, I missed this one. Is this a song that Gord wrote?......why the lawsuit?

From my post earlier this year:

From http://www.corfid.com/gl/biography.htm

In April of 1987, Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against Michael Masser, alleging that Masser's song "The Greatest Love of All" (recorded by Whitney Houston) stole twenty-four bars from Lightfoot's 1969 hit "If You Could Read My Mind." According to Maclean's, Lightfoot commented, "It really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't want the present-day generation to think that I stole my song from him." Unlikely, though Lightfoot himself has always remained cautious and questioning about the industry. Said Toronto promoter Bernie Fiedler, "I don't think Gordon realizes that he has a tremendous talent. When intelligentsia of the music business courted him, he felt threatened. He's a cautious man who won't take chances."

And Val Magee posted on 3/26/99:

"I believe it [the lawsuit] was settled out of court while the case was being heard. I compared the scores as printed out by Cakewalk from midi files (that was one of my first computer "music" projects; just finding midis of both took the better part of the day back then some 15 months or so ago), and - even to me whose music knowledge consists of knowing the first three months of beginner's piano - the measures borrowed were obvious.

I'd guess that the borrowing was inadvertant and it wasn't ever obvious to me when listening to the Whitney Houston recording (my husband listens to pop radio - what can I say?), but I can imagine it hit Gordon right away. I think he first heard it at his health club. Must have struck him like a ton of bricks! The timing isn't exact
but damn close, and the notes are actually slightly different (at least based on the
sequencing of the two midis I used), but the borrowing is obvious once you listen for
it, and would be very obvious to the songwriter."

Auburn Annie · 11-07-2003, 10:05 PM

quote:Originally posted by Bob from Mich:
Hey, I missed this one. Is this a song that Gord wrote?......why the lawsuit?

From my post earlier this year:

From http://www.corfid.com/gl/biography.htm

In April of 1987, Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against Michael Masser, alleging that Masser's song "The Greatest Love of All" (recorded by Whitney Houston) stole twenty-four bars from Lightfoot's 1969 hit "If You Could Read My Mind." According to Maclean's, Lightfoot commented, "It really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't want the present-day generation to think that I stole my song from him." Unlikely, though Lightfoot himself has always remained cautious and questioning about the industry. Said Toronto promoter Bernie Fiedler, "I don't think Gordon realizes that he has a tremendous talent. When intelligentsia of the music business courted him, he felt threatened. He's a cautious man who won't take chances."

And Val Magee posted on 3/26/99:

"I believe it [the lawsuit] was settled out of court while the case was being heard. I compared the scores as printed out by Cakewalk from midi files (that was one of my first computer "music" projects; just finding midis of both took the better part of the day back then some 15 months or so ago), and - even to me whose music knowledge consists of knowing the first three months of beginner's piano - the measures borrowed were obvious.

I'd guess that the borrowing was inadvertant and it wasn't ever obvious to me when listening to the Whitney Houston recording (my husband listens to pop radio - what can I say?), but I can imagine it hit Gordon right away. I think he first heard it at his health club. Must have struck him like a ton of bricks! The timing isn't exact
but damn close, and the notes are actually slightly different (at least based on the
sequencing of the two midis I used), but the borrowing is obvious once you listen for
it, and would be very obvious to the songwriter."

Sundreme · 11-07-2003, 10:05 PM

quote:Originally posted by Bob from Mich:
Hey, I missed this one. Is this a song that Gord wrote?......why the lawsuit?

Bob,
Gord sued the writers of "The Greatest Love of All" the song sung by Houston, because of the similarities between that song and Gord's hit, "If You Could Read My Mind"
Specifically the part in GL's song that goes "I never thought I could feel this way..." . It is nearly identical to the line in Greatest love where she sings "No matter what they take from me...." Sing them both and you'll hear the similarities.
Erica

bjorn · 11-07-2003, 10:11 PM

quote:Originally posted by DMD3:
After what I saw on that show about her, I wouldn't want to see her and Gord in the same room.

I cannot stand her. After the way she treated a personal hero of mine, I wouldnt want to be in the same room with her either. Or within several miles of her for that matter. Blech

Sundreme · 11-07-2003, 10:11 PM

quote:Originally posted by DMD3:
After what I saw on that show about her, I wouldn't want to see her and Gord in the same room.

I cannot stand her. After the way she treated a personal hero of mine, I wouldnt want to be in the same room with her either. Or within several miles of her for that matter. Blech


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