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Michael McCloud vs. Toby Keith

Toby Keith is a famous country singer and songwriter, who is very famous for his outspoken politics and music. In 2006, a musician by the name of Michael McCloud filed a lawsuit against Keith claiming that Keith’s song "I Love this Bar" was copied from his self-written song "Tourist Town Bar". [1] Keith was adamant about proving his innocence, and convinced the courts that the original writer was Scotty Emerick and he did not copy the song. This helped Keith's case tremendously and the lawsuit against him was dismissed.
Below is a video clip of the two songs.

Toby Keith - I Love this Bar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q85rPq1u9sc

Michael McCloud- Tourist Town Bar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU9OYRPb7nw

My first thought when I was watching McCloud's video was how rude and pathetic he seemed in the YouTube clip which was taped during his many performances of that song. He comes off very arrogant and sneaky. If he really is innocent and was really fighting for musical integrity there was no need for him to add the part of how Keith was going to make him "...a rich man, with a comfortable life, retirement, house, car, big boat, and Harvard education for kids". It displays selfish motivation behind the whole incident. Yes, one could say he was bitter about the fact that his song was stolen, but in this case I think he was going into it more for the money and attention then the music.

But anyone that is remotely familiar with country music will know that Tobey Keith is a very controversial artist and I was very skeptical about him too. I am very much aware of the trouble that the Dixie Chicks went through a couple of years ago, and like many people became a loyal fan of the Chicks. During the controversy Toby Keith only added fuel to the fire and had many negative comments about the Chicks and the lead singer Natalie Maines. He crossed the line many times and Natalie fought back, which created the now infamous Toby Keith and Natalie Maines feud. He is not one to walk away and his actions can cause some confusion and doubt of his character. But after listening to both songs, I think it's just one of those simple catchy tunes that aspire from something else and there's not that much similarity. The notes are not the same, neither are the words. The two similarities I did notice was that both men have pretty deep voices and added the same emphasis when they sing "I love this bar" or "tourist town bar" at the end of a verse but that is what's usually the case for songs that are structured this way. Below are the lyrics of the opening verses for each song.

"Tourist Town Bar"

We get bimbos and bozos and bikers and boozers
Daytime drunks and three-time losers
We get a room full of rednecks and fancy dressed fellas
And busloads of bluehairs and dirtbags and sailors.

"I Love this Bar"

We got winners, we got losersChain smokers and boozersAnd we got yuppies, we got bikersWe got thristy hitchhikersAnd the girls next door dress up like movie stars

There is no obvious copying and I again think it's just one of those simply constructed songs that have a hook. Even McCloud has said that it's a no-brainer song. "The song was written on the toilet and it took me five minutes". [2] I think this hurt Keith's reputation a little bit, but during that year he had lost a lot of support because of his prior feud. After the case he also had the chance to talk up about the case, and talk is exactly what he did.

"It is an awful thing to be accused wrongfully of copyright infringement. It goes to the core of what you are as a man, a singer/songwriter and an artist. You know it is being done to you by some greedy lowlife opportunist who just wants to get rich off you." [3]

Clearly, both men did not shy away from talking shots at the other. Both men have aggressive personalities and carry a lot of pride. I don’t a direct connection can ever be proven and I think the lawsuit only helped Keith. The song was not that very popular to begin with and with the lawsuit the appeal skyrocketed. In a way, Keith does owe McCloud one thing and that is gratitude for helping his song climb the charts.

[1] "Toby Keith Cleared off Infringement Case", Aces Show Biz, November 30, 2007 <>
[3] “Toby Keith Cleared off Infringement Case", Aces Show Biz, November 30, 2007 < http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00012698.html
Lyrics Sources:
"Tourist Town Bar" - http://www.the9513.com
"I Love this Bar" - http://www.lyrics007.com