by Former Easy Action singer Zinny Zan recently opened up about the plagiarism controversy surrounding Poison’s hit song “I Want Action,” revealing details of the settlement in an interview with The Hair Metal Guru.
The discussion centered on the striking similarity between Easy Action’s “We Go Rocking” and Poison’s “I Want Action,” specifically the chorus sections of both songs.
When asked about the lawsuit and its outcome, Zan explained how he first discovered the similarity. “Well, 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, ‘Listen to this.’ And I heard the song and first, I didn’t recognize it I said, ‘Yeah, okay. What’s that?’ He said, ‘Listen to the chorus again.’ And I listen. And I go like, ‘What the f?’ I go, ‘What’s this?’ It’s a band called Poison,” he said.
Zan then described contacting Warner Records, which represented both bands at the time. “So 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, ‘Wow, this ain’t good.’ You know, we got to talk to these guys. But it took a long time. It took a real long time,” he continued.
The story took an unexpected turn when Zan moved to Los Angeles and encountered someone connected to Poison’s production.
“And 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, ‘Hey, you’re Zinny from Easy Action, right?’ And I said, ‘Oh yeah, I am.’ He said, ‘My name is Rick.’ I didn’t know who that was,” Zan recalled.
The producer, identified as Rick, explained how Poison came to know Easy Action’s music. “He said, ‘I 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,’” Zan said.
Regarding the financial settlement, Zan revealed that Warner Records took decisive action to force negotiations.
“So, 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’t say because that’s the in writing with Poison,” he explained.
The exact settlement amount remains confidential under the terms of the agreement with Poison.
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’s original work predated Poison’s commercial success.
Last.fm reported that Easy Action released “We Go Rocking” as a single in 1983, three years before Poison’s “I Want Action” appeared on their debut album. Poison’s track was released in 1986 as part of their breakthrough album “Look What the Cat Dragged In.” The album helped establish the band’s presence in the glam metal scene and became one of their early hits.
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.
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.
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’s commercial peak in the 1980s.
