Can a Lyric Writer Take Action if their Lyrics are Changed without Permission?

Because in that case, Sondheim should sue the pants and sparkles off of Shirley Bassey.

Go to the site that shall not be named, Type in Shirley Bassey I'm Still Here and prepare to hear the worst lyrics changes ever! There is no way Sondheim wrote those!

double

Updated On: 2/18/07 at 12:09 PM

There's a lyric change in Company, but I believe it was with permission. However, I don't like it. And this post reminded me of it.

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Updated On: 2/18/07 at 12:12 PM

Well, I think there is a case of composers giving permission to change lyrics and a case of a performer not knowing what they hell they are singing and making it up as they go along. I think Ms. Bassey had probably had some vino herself when she took on "I'm Still Here."

But Sondheim isn't territorial with his lyrics - he's allowed lots of changes for concerts etc. He doesn't care. He still gets paid.

And some of the truncated rhymes were clearly done to accomidate trims in the structure of the song -- I don't really see what the big deal is -- I've seen Sondheim butchered far worse than this.

As Pierce has pointed out, Sondheim allows his lyrics and music to be changed according to how much clout the person has. Someone of Shirley Bassey's stature wouldn't change the lyric without permission, because it would diminish her professional reputation.

Sondheim doesn't always make the right lyric changes. For example, in the Roundabout Follies, in I'm Still Here the lyric "I've been through Brenda Fraser" was changed to "I've been through Shirley Temple." IMO, this was a poor lyric change because Brenda Fraser had a different connotation than Shirley Temple.

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Gotham-
That was actually changed for the London production and left in. He changed it because most British audiences (And most of today's) would have NO idea who Brenda Fraser was, but they do recognize Shirley Temple.

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I know off the bat that the revival of Company has it as "it's much the plainest of crimes."

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"He changed it because most British audiences (And most of today's) would have NO idea who Brenda Fraser was, but they do recognize Shirley Temple."

While I understand that, it changes the dynamic of the song. If we were to put it in modern terminology, it would be "I've got through Paris Hilton" would be changed to "I've got through Dakota Fanning".

The point in using Frazier was that she was living a lavish lifestyle on an inheritance while other people were "stuffing dailies in their shoes".

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Updated On: 2/18/07 at 01:21 PM

I did a show once and Sondheim gave full permission to have lyrics change for any reason. Sondheim is one of the greatest and caring guys in the world. He really does not care if you change his lyrics, he is very giving in letting full permission to do so, you just have to run it buy him first and from what I heard he has never turned anyone away. He loves to try new things, no matter if it is good or bad, new is new and he likes that. If this person did not get permission then that is a different story and Sondheim is at an age I think that he is not going to care about little things like this...it is not going to ruin him. He is a great guy!

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