MADONNA'S CAREER DEBUNKED

Material Girl Thief - The Many Artists Madonna Has Stolen From For Her Albums And Reinventions - A 25 Year Career That Is A Fraud

UPDATED: 4-28-08 Madonna Rips Off Tina Turner, Kylie Minogue, Deee-lite, Sheila and Metropolis

Madonna Rips Off Deee-lite's "Power Of Love" (1990) for her "Rescue Me" (1991) (#39 on this page)

Madonna Rips Off Tina Turner's artwork and imagery from "Acid Queen" (1975) for her "Confessions On A Dance Floor" promo pics (2005) (#41 on this page)

UPDATED: 3-14-08 Madonna Rips Off Kylie Again - "2 Hearts" CD cover (#37 on this page) click here

UPDATED: 10-6-07 for United Nations Human Rights Abuse complaint against Madonna click here

UPDATED: 10-6-07 See #36 below - Blondie's Debbie Harry rightfully accuses Madonna of ripping of her image and style.

MADONNA'S MANY LAWSUITS FOR CONDUCT IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW

1. Aisha v. Madonna (civil rights and copyright infringement)
2. Sorrentino v. Madonna (assault and battery on a 10 year old child)
3. Myers v. Madonna (civil rights violations)
4. Ronald J Myers v. Madonna (civil rights violations)
5. Barrier v. Madonna (civil rights violations)
6. Bourdin v. Madonna (copyright infringement)
7. Easy Street Records v. Madonna (copyright infringement)
8. Acquaviva v. Madonna (copyright infringement)
9. D’Onofrio v. Madonna (copyright infringement)
10. Iving L Williams v. Madonna (copyright infringement)
11. Eon Net LP v. Madonna (copyright /patent/trademark infringement)
12. Rich Kidd Music Publishing, Inc. v. Madonna (copyright infringement)
13. Winterland v. Madonna (copyright infringement)
14. Hobe Cie. LTD v. Madonna (trademark infringement)
15. Coppola v. Madonna (personal injury)
16. Rice v. Madonna (breach of contract)
17. Mclay v. Madonna (breach of contract)
18. Nike, Inc. v. Madonna (breach of contract)
19. Millennium Films v. Madonna (breach of contract)
20. Done and Dusted v. Madonna (breach of contract)
21. DeCastro v. Madonna (invasion of privacy and commissioned stalking and harassment of a Miami family)

intro image comparisons compiled by madonnarevelations.blogspot.com (NSFW)

1. Madonna Stole The Video For "Hollywood"

BOURDIN'S PHOTOS	MADONNA RIP OFF

This year Madonna was sued by the family of deceased artist Guy Bourdin for ripping off images from his work for her music video “Hollywood.”

She brazenly stole 11 pictures from his work and duplicated them for her video without permission or credit, only altering them slightly to hide the theft. Of course, she denied this, as she always does regarding these allegations, but a British newspaper reported that she was seen leaving the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which housed Bourdin’s work, a week before she filmed the infringing video. The curator for the Bourdin exhibition, Charlotte Cotton, confirmed this information.

Earlier in the year she was quoted as saying his work is “so sick and interesting,” however, she denied any wrong doing in this case. Bourdin’s family won a settlement thought to be $638,000. The late artist’s son said of her, “It's one thing to draw inspiration; it's quite another to simply plagiarize the heart and soul of my father's work.” True, indeed, as that seems to be her trademark.

Compare for yourself. Here are 4 images from the 11 photos Madonna ripped off from Guy Bourdin's work for her music video "Hollywood." The similarities are terribly striking. They look like they came from the exact same shoot. Photos courtesy of the Smoking Gun:

2. Madonna Stole The Film "Swept Away"

Filmmaker Vincent D'Onofrio sued Madonna for ripping off his idea he pitched to her and her agents for the remake of the film, “Swept Away.” The lawsuit is currently in the court system. However, the film fittingly bombed and was voted the worst movie ever. The copyright owner of the original Swept Away script recently expressed his regret at allowing her to remake his film, due to how badly it turned out.

3. Madonna Stole The Song "Vogue"

Madonna ripped off the 1989 song "Deep In Vogue" by Malcolm McLaren for her 1990 song "Vogue." As with my songs, she stole it shortly after it was made available to the public. His song was released on July 19, 1989 on Epic Records and her rip off was released almost a year later on April 5th, 1990. His song came out first and was about "voguing." Madonna's rip off brought his idea/music/dance trend to the mainstream by stealing it from him, along with melodies, harmonies and portions of his beat. Madonna even tries to sing like the female vocalist on McLaren's track. She then stole the dance that was created to go with the song by dancers in downtown New York.

Here is an excerpt of the song she stole from entitled "Deep In Vogue" for her song "Vogue" (If the link does not work for you visit www.amazon.com and type in "Deep In Vogue" in the search box for a sample of the song):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B0000026U5001005/0/102-6644436-5508145

4. Madonna Stole "Justify my Love"

In my opinion, one of her worst, most disgraceful and brazen rip offs was the work she outright stole from Prince protégé, Ingrid Chavez. She stole Chavez’s style and lyrics for her song, “Justify My Love” which is featured on her “Erotica” album. 

Chavez said, "Madonna only changed one line of the entire song” and stole writers credit for the song, even though Chavez was the one who wrote it (this has been said of her by other credible writers as well involving other songs. The song did match Chavez's trademark style, which at the time was once again unlike anything Madonna had done. Much like my style of music is unlike anything Madonna has done. An article excerpt:

"Meanwhile, Chavez sued Lenny Kravitz for not giving her credit for co-writing Madonna's Justify My Love. Chavez's style consists of breathy spoken passages over heavy dance beats and this can be clearly heard in the Madonna track. Chavez is quoted as having said that Kravitz didn't write any of the lyrics and only came up with the phrase justify my love. She is also reported to have said that Madonna only changed one line of the entire song. She was finally given credit for the lyrics plus a rumored couple of million dollars in an out-of-court settlement." http://www.leninimports.com/ingridchavez.html Photo credit: Frank Micelotta

5. Madonna Stole The "Sex" Book

A book that is currently available in stores titled, “Madonna: An Intimate Biography,” alleges that Madonna ripped off the idea for her “Sex” book from a publishing executive named Judith Regan (page 221).

It was further alleged in another article that the photographs in Madonna's book Sex was a rip off of an old French book by a well know French photographer.

Coincidentally, she did an interview with an Hungarian paper, and due to the translation, the name of the book was fittingly called "Slut." Here's an excerpt from Blikk (publication):

BLIKK: OK, here's a question from left space. What was your book "Slut" about?
MADONNA: It was called "Sex", my book.
BLIKK: Not in Hungary. Here it was called "Slut."

6. Madonna Steals From indie singer Peaches

Critics allege that Madonna ripped off visual concepts, video imagery and ideas from underground transvestite singer “Peaches” for her work. Several web sites mention this and the similarities are very, very striking. It was also reported that she would play Peaches' album over and over again before going on stage in Barcelona. A reviewer from the well-known industry company Muze wrote:

"If imitation is the greatest compliment, then Peaches received top honors when Madonna stole imagery from Peaches’ videos and applied them to her own. If the queen of controversy steals your ideas, you must have something going on." - Muze Inc.

Peaches' debut CD was released on a German label and sold only 50,000 - yet she managed to get a copy of one of them. Those numbers are good for an indie, but translates into obscurity in the mainstream.

However, Madonna and her team do what some unscrupulous executives in the music industry do - scour the clubs, internet and other venues for new music, dance and clothing trends and take full credit for them as their own in the mainstream (as she did with Vogue, among other things).

Back to Peaches. The mere fact that they knew who Peaches was, even with him being an underground artist below the radar, speaks volumes. Ask the average musicologist or music critic about Peaches, and they wouldn't know who he is, as he is an underground artist, but she actually knew him and had his CD. I find that very telling.

7. Madonna Stole "Like A Virgin"

The saddest of all these allegations is by a group named Hide The Babies. They published a web site that contained the allegation that they gave Madonna’s manager their demo (cassette) in the 80's, she liked it and asked if she could keep it. She returned the tape to them 6 months later. They alleged that shortly after one of their lyrics appeared in Madonna’s song as the basis for "Like A Virgin," but not credited to them. A group member stated they felt she did this because she figured if she got her version out first it would render their version useless.  

Madonna's lyric for “Like A Virgin” goes: "Like a virgin. Touched for the very first time."

Hide The Babies lyric goes: "I'm not a virgin, but you're the first one..."

That’s the same lyric, just changed up a bit. It’s also the same concept/pun about not being a virgin, but someone seemingly making you feel like that.

It appears to be the same thing Madonna did with my song "Contemporary Girl." She took lyrics, tried to change it up in the same manner, but just enough to retain the idea and concept of the song and some of the lyrics, hopefully without getting caught.

"Like A Virgin" was Madonna's first real hit and credited to another writer that her label and management hired. However, this allegation of theft bears a pattern that would later be said of several other songs Madonna allegedly composed. I saw an interview on Bravo recently with producer Nile Rodgers, who said Madonna told him at the time that the concept of the song "Like A Virgin" was such a good idea and kept emphasizing this point to him.

The article from Hide The Babies web site states, "Then when her tune came out we couldn't do ours anymore because everybody thought we got it from her."

Wow when you think about that statement it is profoundly sad and terrible considering "Like A Virgin" was such a big hit that allegedly came from this band who are saying they did not get credit for it. Hey, I have to write the word "allegedly" in this case for legal purposes, however, their words do strike a chord, pardon the pun, based on what I experienced with my song that was ripped off by her. It bears the same pattern.

Hide The babies/Kitty Brazelton  "We think Madonna stole a song of ours or at least the lyric/concept which was: "I'm not a virgin/but you're the first one..." What do you think? Her management was particularly interested in that song and asked to keep the cassette. We got it back after 6 months. Then when her tune came out we couldn't do ours anymore because everybody thought we got it from her" http://www.kitbraz.com/bndl/htb/

8. Madonna Steals From Eminem

An article in a British newspaper alleged Eminem accused Madonna of ripping off his work, "Bonnie and Clyde"  for one of her videos from her Greatest Hits album.  

9. Madonna Steals Lyrics For Express Yourself

An indie art web site alleges Madonna ripped off their slogan "Express Yourself, Don't Repress Yourself" for one of her lyrics from her song "Human Nature." She seems to have a thing for stealing from art, as evidenced by the Bourdin case.

10. Madonna Tries To Get Writers Credit For "You Must Love Me" Which She Didn't Write

Madonna has a history of trying to horn in on credit for work she did not do or deserve credit for. This has been written about in several publications. It is discussed in the Andrew Morton biography about her titled "Madonna."

An award winning songwriting partner of Andrew Lloyd Webber complained of her trying to horn in on credit for his song by trying to change a few lyrics (Notice a pattern yet? Look how many writers keep saying this about her).

She somehow managed to get the lead role in Evita, regardless of the fact that she cannot act and people have begged her for years to stop for the sake of cinema. When it came time for the soundtrack, the studio hired two award-winning composers to pen the songs. After receiving his properly written song, sheet music and all, Madonna sent it back with revisions adding a few words (similar to what she did with the song “Justify My Love” by Ingrid Chavez, which I wrote about above).

Madonna doing revisions to a song is like Homer Simpson doing revisions to Shakespeare.

The composer who penned the song is a trained writer, unlike Madonna, but she wrote a few words, revising his already completed song in what was widely viewed in the industry as her unethically trying to horn in on credit for his composition. Credibility is something she’s always sought, but never achieved.

Never mind the man wrote the lyrics, piano and strings for the song already. When songs are credited, the names will appear as though each person did the same amount of work, when with some female singers today that’s not the case.

Horning in on credit for something someone else wrote by trying to add a few words and collecting underserved publishing royalties/credit is not songwriting and is just plain disgusting. 

However, offended and branding her revisions "abysmal and banal lyrics” the writer stood firm, rejected her so called lyrics and later won an Oscar for the song she tried to add a few words to and horn in on the credit for. He won it without her so-called revisions.

If he hadn't stood firm, she would have won an Oscar for an already completed song that she tried to add a few words to, having nothing to do with its creation or music. What a travesty that would have been.

However, that’s what she does. According to a May 27th, 2003 Fox News article titled "Madonna Tour: Does She Need The Cash?" all her songs that were big hits were all written by someone else, while the latter, more unsuccessful songs that she performed and supposedly “co-wrote” were all written with someone else, which is a tell tale sign in the industry. 

Music critic Chuck Dimaria commented, "I always felt that if you leave Madonna in a room with a guitar and a pad of paper, all she’ll write is her grocery list.  I have a hard time swallowing that she’s as much of a songwriter as the credits would lead you to believe."

11. Madonna Steals Credit On "Nothing Fails"

In a third similar case, singer/songwriter Jem, who's been featured on the television show The O.C., implied in an interview that Madonna did not write much of the song “Nothing Fails,” which she penned and submitted to Madonna. Yes, more of Madonna’s so called revisions to horn in on credit for already completed songs given to her to sing. She horned in on credit for this already completed song for the same album she ripped off my debut single for, "American Life." Here is an article excerpt:

Just Like Band Camp Las Vegas Review-Journal By DOUG ELFMAN REVIEW-JOURNAL  She has a law degree. She's a DJ. She used to run a small record label. Madonna picked up Jem's song "Nothing Fails" and recorded it for her own "American Life" album. Madonna shares songwriting credit on "Nothing Fails." Did Madonna change enough of it to merit that credit? "You can't ask questions like that! Somebody should, but there are some things that are best left unsaid," Jem says -- but then she says, yes, Madonna did co-write the song.

Yea, sure she co-wrote it. Nice diplomatic save (LOL). Judging by her past behavior with Chavez and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s songwriting partner, I know what her idea of songwriting is. As Chavez said, changing “one line of the song.”   

12. Madonna does not like to give people credit for their work, typical of a copyright infringer. She was bashed by a reputable newspaper for leaving the illustrator's name off the cover of her children's book, “Yakov and the Seven Thieves.” It was written in the article that it is customary in the publishing industry to put the illustrator’s name on the front, which they were aware of, but left off anyway.

13. Madonna Steals Video For "Love Profusion"

The music video for her latest single “Love Profusion” is a rip off of British singer Billie Piper’s “Honey to the Bee” video, which was released 5 years before Madonna’s knock off. Side by side stills show the striking similarities. Madonna’s video features her in front of a red 3D computer generated flower, while floating on the ocean, which is the same as Piper's video - only Piper's video was filmed and released years before. I remember seeing the behind the scenes segment for Billie’s video a few years ago and you can tell it's a rip off of it. They even used the same technique.  

14. Madonna Steals From Beth Orton

I read a Slant magazine message board, where posters claimed Madonna heavily borrowed from Beth Orton for her music. Upon listening to the albums you can hear similarities.

15. Madonna Steals From Kylie

 According to a UK newspaper, Madonna's "American Life" Che Guevara themed CD cover is a rip off of a previously released Kylie Minogue poster:

16. Madonna Steals From Marilyn Monroe

Another article alleges Madonna ripped off copyrighted 1956 Marilyn Monroe pics for her 1985 “Like A Virgin” promo.  

17. Madonna Steals "Ray Of Light" Video

 There was an article about plagiarism in Rolling Stone magazine, which stated Madonna ripped off the idea for the "Ray Of Light" video which was submitted to her by a director named Stefano Salvati. The album "Ray Of Light" won a lot of awards, even Grammys (I thought you had to be able to sing to win one of those) because of the breakthrough video, which also won awards. Based on records it was authored and filmed by Salvati, before he submitted it to Madonna. It was subsequently stolen by her according to this article and lawsuit:

Joanis Akerlund is also the director Madonna hired for the "Hollywood" video for which they were also sued and had to pay the plaintiff a $638,000 settlement on last year (see number one plagiarism example in this article).

18. Madonna Steals Video For "What It Feels Like For A Girl"

Madonna and her husband were accused of plagiarism by the British band BBMak, who had the hit "Back Here." BBMak publicly stated in an Annanova article that Madonna and her director husband Guy Ritchie plagiarized their music video "Still On Your Side" for her video "What It Feels Like For A Girl."

19. Madonna Rips Off Kylie Again

As pointed out by Dlisted, to the left are the original Kylie pics, to the right are the later Madonna rip offs (Madonna even stole 1-888-Confess from Kylie's previous 1-555-Confide). How pathetic: