Did Ariana Grande Steal Song Lyrics?

I know everyone’s been saying Ariana Grande is the new Mariah Carey and all that shit (which, here’s a seat – take it! Mariah ain’t dead!) but I don’t really see the big deal about her, and now she’s in potentially hot water for stealing song lyrics. Apparently, Ariana is being sued for taking phrases from ‘Troglodyte (Cave Man)’ by The Jimmy Castor Bunch. If that song isn’t ringing a bell, it was released in 1972. For the record, this lawsuit is pretty much bullshit because you can’t copyright words, but here’s the story…

From ABC News:

The suit was brought by Minder Music, a U.K. group that owns rights to the songs written and recorded by The Jimmy Castor Bunch, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The suit focuses on these lyrics from “The Way”: “What we gotta do right here is go back, back in time.”

A line from “Troglodyte,” the New York funk group’s biggest hit single, says: “What we’re gonna do right here is go back, way back, back in time.”

Minder Music, an independent music publishing company,  claims the similarity of the words, vocal style and rhythm would be obvious to a lay listener and are clear indicators that Grande’s song is copying “Troglodyte.”

“The record begins with a spoken narrative,” Minder Music co-founder John Fogarty said.  “The minute you hear it, everybody knows it’s from ‘Troglodyte.’”

Grande’s legal team says their client did not provide the lyrics in question and was unaware of any possible connection to “Troglodyte.”

“The alleged offending materials were not provided by Ariana, and we trust that the co-writers and producers will resolve the claim with Minder,” according to a statement issued to ABC News.

CORNY. Going “back in time” isn’t a unique concept, Nor is going “way back” in time. I suppose the royalties ran out on the Castor Bunch song years ago so they’re trying to get a paycheck, but shut up.