Poor Måns Zelmerlöw. He may have won Eurovision by almost record proportions, but those pesky plagiarism claims continue to persist. For months, fans and media have been drawing comparisons between the all conquering “Heroes” and David Guetta’s “Lovers On The Sun”. And now Avicii, the superstar Swedish dj and co-producer of Guetta’s track, has weighed in on the debate. Speaking to Associated Press, he said:
I think it was a great, great version of David Guetta’s song… actually, I think it was a worse version of David Guetta’s song. But it was fun that we won, at least, you know. I’m happy that we made some kind of impact at least, even if it’s David’s song. But, yeah, I’m a co-writer, I guess. So to me it’s a little bit harder. Like, I’m making fun of it in my shows just for fun. You know, I’ll take it for what it is. And obviously I’m happy that Sweden won. I was there last year, or not last year – two years ago. And this year it was just fun to have Sweden all over the press again. You know, the royal wedding and then Eurovision. It felt like Sweden was becoming a superpower for like a split second there.
Lovers on the sun? More like lover of shade!
Avicii on “Heroes” and David Guetta comparison
This isn’t the first time that a high profile name has chimed in on the matter. After San Marino’s semi final defeat, Michele Perniola sent a tweet making similar accusations. Back then Måns responded as such:
We’ve had this discussion earlier and I don’t think that they are alike. Maybe the build-ups are alike, but I think when it comes to… if you analyse the tones, I don’t think there are two tones following each other that are the same actually, so I can’t see how it could be plagiarism then. But I’m sorry he feels that way.
A very technical and legal sounding answer. Most likely the issue was looked into at the time of the stickman copyright fiasco. Still, it should be noted that Avicii makes fun of the comparisons at his shows. If he genuinely considered that there was plagiarism, team Sweden would probably have heard from his lawyers. After all, this is the same man who attempted to block the release of Leona Lewis’ “Collide” over the use of an uncredited sample.
Måns Zelmerlöw response to David Guetta comparisons
What do y’all think? Is there merit to these claims made first by Michele and now Avicii? You can listen to both songs below and make your own mind up.
Måns Zelmerlöw “Heroes”
David Guetta “Lovers On The Sun”
Still not sure? Well, a Youtube user has kindly uploaded a video which directly compares both tracks. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but is it there to begin with? Sound off in the comments.
“Heroes” vs “Lovers On The Sun” Comparison Video
FOLLOW OUR SWEDEN EUROVISION NEWS HERE
Photo: Billboard.com
It’s so funny seeing comments defending Guetta. A guy that made his fame by stealing the electronic styles of the last twenty years and simply mashing them together, so badly it was good enough to be sold commercially and single handedly killed the music industry for real artists in the process. There is not one single innovative production of his. Having said that – Yes there are elements that sound the same. So what? Mans Zelmerlow’s “Heroes” is ten times better. As for Avicci… another untalented wannabe who’s tracks all sound the same.
It’s 2015, is there such thing as “ORIGINAL”?
Everything now is a copy of everything in the past…
And for the record, I don’t see any resemblance…
I think they are just worried that HEROES is miles better than that “Lovers of the sun” whatever it is…
IT IS PURE PLAGIARISM.
Just like Germany 2013 copied Don’t You Worry Child.
Now THIS was plagiarism, blatant rip off from Stromae
France 2014 Twin Twin – Moustache
Papaoutai – Stromae
That was so obvious
And Eurovision is always filled with songs that have similarities to other songs, some more obvious than others…
An example that most people probably won’t have noticed but they are sooo similar:
Norway 2014: Carl Espen – Silent Storm
https://youtu.be/2LBOjxBty8U?t=57s
Gabrielle Aplin – Home
https://youtu.be/8mVbdjec0pA?t=1m43s
Now tell me those 2 choruses don’t sound really similar lol
But it’s definitely not plagiarism in my opinion, it just happens a lot…
Also, Jarmo Siim (the Communication something on Eurovision.tv & ESC in general) resigned because of some remarks for Sweden.
But, last year, during the Russia-Ukrainian crisis, his FB profile was so russophobic, it was scary, and back than no one bats an eye.
@Charles – I LOVE your comment! And I support it 100%.
When you read his answer in its context, it sounds more like a praise to David Guetta to me… Okay and to himself since he co-produced the original.
But I dunno, to me all Avicii songs sound like the same bullshit and I’ve never been a fan. The similarities are clear but Lovers of the Sun itself sound like 10 other David Guetta or Avicii songs… or so many other dumb dance songs from the past few years.
Poor Sweden, this victory is “bittersweet” at best.
With all these written issues with the song, the staging and Mans himself, I wonder how it eventually won! But, it won. Loreen was amazing back then, but their 1990’s wins are nowhere near great. First, Carola with again, according to rules and regulations over France; and in 1999 with its “how this won” win.
Oh, Sweden.
Everything is a copy of everything nowadays.
but what does david guetta say?
Everyone with a music ear hear that it is David Guetta’s song Lovers on the sun won Eurovision 2015
I think it is a big shame for the songwriters do a plagiat of Lovers on the sun of David Guetta!
Shame, shame, shame Sweden!
Bastante que se rieron en el 2012 en la BBC de nuestra representante y de nuestro sistema bancario y nosotros callados como señores.
It’s Lovers of the sun, not Heroes of the sun xD
And “Levels” is worse version of Eric Prydz – Pjanoo.
“Bromance” is worse version of Calvin Harris – I’m Not Alone
Pablo Motos, Edurne and Manchester… again XD
http://www.lavanguardia.com/television/programas/20150616/54432851970/edurne-pablo-motos-el-hormiguero-manchester-eurovision.html
I don’t think that they plagarised the other song. If anything this whole argument just goes to show that “Heroes” is much better than “Lovers of the Sun”. However both songs are not good.
Hahaha! The shade!!
Also @lazy, you mentioned why Avicci played Heroes, he explains why in the text in the article. Read it again!
@ lorrenlover
Europe voted for Italy in a landslide, not Sweden. Sweden “won” by some very suspicious jury coordination.Pleaser don’t forget that.
“Superpower” of plagiarism and dodgy jury voting.
Bjorkman’s shady empire deserves a lot of shade…
Well done europe, the important is vote the same countries all the years
A lot of ESC songs are somehow copies and never got disqualified (Sweden 2001, Denmark 2011, Serbia 2007, Denmark 2013,…).
I guess he’s joking when he’s changing his mind and saying it’s not good. If he didn’t like the song then why does he start his (summerburst) shows by playing Heroes?
He was right originally, a great version. David Guetta is terrible.
Avicci is right and it just shows how sad the Swedish victory is. Italy would’ve been just as bad (the song was too lazy). I think that Russia, Belgium and Latvia were the worthy winners of the night but Europe got fooled by clever staging.
Peter: And why can’t Måns Zelmerlöw do something with his win? Seem’s to me that he’s already doing.
These days most of the songs have no originality at all,they all have few similarities ,so plagiarism is out of the question..We need to get used to it ,that from now on similarities btw songs will always be and then people will start sayng it was a plagiarism.Is hard to be original now days but hey music is music .lol
Not sure about this plagiarism thing. They’re quite QUITE similar but that’s not the point. This song should not have won ESC 2015, Sweden is a nice host but the winner feels like Azerbaijan 2011 all over again.
Eurovision was getting to a legendary point thanks to Loreen, Emmelie and Conchita and now BOOM it’s gone. Not a worthy winner. Looking at the top 5, Polina should’ve won mainly cause she’s the only one there who could actually do something huge thanks to Eurovision. Mäns? Don’t think so…
Let us hope for a great winner in 2016.
For me these claims are baseless. There are similarities of course, but being similar is not the same as plagerism. Anyway, what eurovision song was not similar to another. Belgium was similar to Lorde, Greece was similar to a Christina Aguilera song, France was similar to every other French ballad, the Uk was similar to a potato waffle jingle from the 1980’s. From what I saw on the night when they dragged the junior winner out, Il Volo shared a lot of lyrics with the kid and are similar to an Il Divo B side. I think it is totally… Read more »
If he genuinely considered that there was plagiarism, team Sweden would probably have heard from his lawyers–>
Not true. Avicii would NEVER go against his own country.
VERGUENZA
I’d like to see any song made after 2012 that is completely original and 0% reminds someone of another song, even just a little bit. Impossible right? Because people will hear a part of any song and it’ll remind them of another part of another song, and then theyll reach soooooo far to say its plagiarism, its really annoying af because there are ACTUAL plagiarists in the music community, but 90% of the time its literally just an artist trying to do their own thing while knowing that as time goes by its harder to think of a sound that… Read more »
Among all good things about the Internet, one of the bad ones is that everyone can spit on other people’s effort and have it published. I appreciate polite and sensitive people. Not someone like this guy.
Im soo tired of hearing about this plaigarism. the song may have bits of it that sounds similar to guettas song, however i disagree its the same. you could run both side by side and it would be a mess cos its that different. Ultimately.. its jealousy from those that still bang on about this subject. Time to move on and accept.
*Guetta
What does David Guests have to say about this??
Not really a fan of either one.
I mean the similarities are quite obvious actually imo.
@Charles: I understand the sentiment, but there were plenty of fans complaining about Italy not winning even before the jury-televote split was released. I remember seeing such comments all over the Eurovision.tv article that announced the winner. The fans at Vienna who supported Sweden winning over Russia are not necessarily those who are commenting in support of Italy winning, so there isn’t necessarily a hypocrisy. The video that puts the two songs together actually puts forth a pretty strong case that there is no plagiarism whatsoever. If you think either of these songs is plagiarized from the other, then you’re… Read more »
I’ve heard “Lovers on the sun” a few days after the end of the show and except some similarities on the beginning of the song I didn’t detect any other resemblances. Everyone who praises the plagiarism allegations must stop watching Eurovision. That allegation really gets on my nerves every time I hear it.
@Charles: you have written the longest piece of crap I have ever seen here in wiwibloggs!!! Just shut up you blabbermouth!!!
Btw, Michele was not the only 2015 entrant who recognizes and having to voice out that Heroes is a plaigiarism of another song :>
I still blame the person responsible for producing the music that is Heroes. What Mans did was to add his vocals onto it. If not him, it could be other artists instead. Also, can’t blame the fact that this type of song, along with David Guetta’s, to be one of the modern and trendiest music that we have today. That is why lots of people nowadays point plaigiarism over songs that are “alike”.
“It’s not the same but admit it, if the song remind you of Guetta’s lovers on the sun, then the song it’s not entirely original.”
You’re showing your lack of musical knowledge. The similarity is that they’re BOTH rip-offs – of the background music used in Italian cowboy movies in the 1960s and 1970s known as “Spaghetti Westerns”. You don’t get credit just for ripping off Ennio Morricone a few months before someone else did.
I liked “lovers on the sun” even though I don’t really like dance music, specially from Guetta, but Avicii does have a point, and the fact that the first time I heard the song did make me remember David Guetta does come to show how similar the both of them are. I still like “heroes” but I still think it’s still very similar to David’s song, like it took 75% of the track inspiration. Unfortunately for Mans the song is very similar no matter what stupid people says it doesn’t sound alike. It’s not the same but admit it, if… Read more »
“A very technical and legal sounding answer.”
Here’s a shocker for you: Music IS technical.
And the answer is absolutely correct. They’re two totally different songs. Avicii is a DJ, which requires absolutely no musical knowledge whatsoever other than the ability to match beats, as proven by his contention that they’re similar songs.
He’s also a scruddy little twit. Nice backwards hat, junior. Gee yer so kewl I wish I wuz just like yew.
They both rip off the style of spaghetti western soundtrack music in their intros – Måns more successfully than Guetta. That’s literally the only similarity.
Yes there was a royal wedding… Prince Carl Philip married his Sofia last saturday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbcS-WFSwss
Well its over now but this is one of the top 3 most overrated songs in eurovision history. If it won by a few points I wouldn’t of been a bothered but it got way more than it deserved in my opinion. oww well hope Sweden do a good job a hosting im just worried that they may start to get a bit cocky. I think its good to take the contest seriously but if you keep doing it for a long time it gets tiresome and predictable and the only people supporting Sweden would be the juries not the… Read more »