Hives Sued For Plagiarism

The Hives' "Tick Tick Boom" is a familiar tune to Jason Shapiro, and that's not just because he's a fan.

Shapiro is suing the Scandinavian band for plagiarism. He alleges that the main riff and vocal melody to The Hives' "Tick Tick Boom" copies those from a song called "Why You?" that he wrote with his band The Roofies. (We personally think Shapiro should know better than to name his band after a date rape drug, unless the name refers to guys who shingle houses.) Shapiro, who previously played guitar for glam-poppers Celebrity Skin, re-recorded the song in 2002 with another one of his bands, Three Way.

"I absolutely love The Hives and don't feel great about suing a band I love," Shapiro told LA Weekly magazine. "But I also feel credit is due where it is due if you borrow a riff."

Shapiro told the magazine that he took both songs to a musicologist and that the expert said the questionable parts were "very similar and its uniqueness led him to believe it wasn't just a coincidence."

This makes us wonder if Randy Fitzsimmons, the "sixth Hive" who's credited for nearly all of the band's songs and may or may not exist, will be called to testify in court.

"Tick Tick Boom" originally appeared on The Hives' The Black And White Album, which came out last year. It was also used in the trailer for this past summer's hit comedy Get Smart.