Former Easy Action singer Zinny Zan recently opened up about the plagiarism controversy surrounding Poison\u2019s hit song \u201cI Want Action,\u201d revealing details of the settlement in an interview with The Hair Metal Guru.<\/p>\n
The discussion centered on the striking similarity between Easy Action\u2019s \u201cWe Go Rocking\u201d and Poison\u2019s \u201cI Want Action,\u201d specifically the chorus sections of both songs.<\/p>\n
When asked about the lawsuit and its outcome, Zan explained how he first discovered the similarity. \u201cWell, it was a friend of mine that heard his first. I was back in Sweden then back in 1986 and my friend called me up and say, \u2018Listen to this.\u2019 And I heard the song and first, I didn\u2019t recognize it I said, \u2018Yeah, okay. What\u2019s that?\u2019 He said, \u2018Listen to the chorus again.\u2019 And I listen. And I go like, \u2018What the f?\u2019 I go, \u2018What\u2019s this?\u2019 It\u2019s a band called Poison,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Zan then described contacting Warner Records, which represented both bands at the time. \u201cSo the thing is I called up the record company and of course we were signed to Warner back in those days as well. So Warner said, \u2018Wow, this ain\u2019t good.\u2019 You know, we got to talk to these guys. But it took a long time. It took a real long time,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
The story took an unexpected turn when Zan moved to Los Angeles and encountered someone connected to Poison\u2019s production.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then I moved to LA in 87ish, something like that. And then I met one night about a Cat House where everyone went back in those days in Hollywood. And this guy comes up to me and he said like, \u2018Hey, you\u2019re Zinny from Easy Action, right?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Oh yeah, I am.\u2019 He said, \u2018My name is Rick.\u2019 I didn\u2019t know who that was,\u201d Zan recalled.<\/p>\n
The producer, identified as Rick, explained how Poison came to know Easy Action\u2019s music. \u201cHe said, \u2018I was in Sweden at the Polar Studio. One night I went out to a club. You guys were playing. I thought you were absolutely great. Next day I went bought the album. Then I brought it home to America and when I met the Poison guys, I had it in the studio and they played it all the time,’\u201d Zan said.<\/p>\n
Regarding the financial settlement, Zan revealed that Warner Records took decisive action to force negotiations.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what happened was that Warner saw to it that their accounts were frozen. The Poison accounts were frozen and then of course they had to make a deal because doing a lawsuit and all going through all that thing that can take years and years. So we sat down and when we saw that the figures were going up to a comfortable number and which I still can\u2019t say because that\u2019s the in writing with Poison,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
The exact settlement amount remains confidential under the terms of the agreement with Poison.<\/p>\n
The plagiarism case highlights a significant moment in 1980s glam metal history, involving two bands at different stages of their careers. The controversy centered on songs released years apart. Easy Action\u2019s original work predated Poison\u2019s commercial success.<\/p>\n
Last.fm reported that Easy Action released \u201cWe Go Rocking\u201d as a single in 1983, three years before Poison\u2019s \u201cI Want Action\u201d appeared on their debut album. Poison\u2019s track was released in 1986 as part of their breakthrough album \u201cLook What the Cat Dragged In.\u201d The album helped establish the band\u2019s presence in the glam metal scene and became one of their early hits.<\/p>\n
Easy Action was a Swedish glam metal band formed in the early 1980s that gained recognition in the Scandinavian rock scene with their melodic style. Spirit of Metal noted that the band featured notable members including Bo Stagman, who performed under the stage name Zinny J. Zan, on vocals and Kee Marcello on guitar. The band experienced several lineup changes throughout their career but maintained a presence in the Swedish rock community.<\/p>\n
The legal dispute resulted in Easy Action winning their case against Poison. The Swedish band received a financial settlement for the unauthorized use of their chorus. Last.fm documented that Easy Action later reunited for performances in the 2000s, including an appearance at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2006. They recorded a new album in 2008 with producer Chris Laney. Following his time with Easy Action, Zinny Zan pursued a solo career and remained active in various musical projects within the Scandinavian rock and metal scenes.<\/p>\n
The case remains one of the more notable settled plagiarism disputes in the glam metal genre. It demonstrates how copyright issues could arise even between bands signed to the same record label during the genre\u2019s commercial peak in the 1980s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Easy Action singer Zinny Zan recently opened up about the plagiarism controversy surrounding Poison\u2019s hit song \u201cI Want Action,\u201d revealing details of the settlement … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n