Paul McCartney once accused TLC of plagiarising ‘Waterfalls’
With The Beatles, Paul McCartney was no stranger to a plagiarism case every now and then. The Fab Four were accused on several occasions of stealing from rock ‘n’ roll forefathers such as Chuck Berry. However, years later, McCartney discovered what it felt like to have the shoe on the other foot.
Speak to any McCartney fan, and they’ll inform you that McCartney II is a masterpiece. The album is undoubtedly one of the strongest in his solo canon, and ‘Waterfalls’ is a stand-out track. Although the song was never released as a single, it remains a sonic delight deserving of more attention. Well, that’s the stance held by Paul McCartney, who believes the material should be one of his most beloved songs.
McCartney made this claim during a conversation with The AV Club in 2007 when they asked about the songs he thinks should be bigger hits. He replied: “There’s quite a few, actually. I like… There’s one called ‘Daytime Nighttime Suffering,’ which I think’s really cool. One called ‘Waterfalls,’ I think is nice.”
Macca then inconspicuously brought TLC into the mix and added: “In fact, somebody had a hit, a few years ago, using the first line [of my song], ‘Don’t go jumping waterfalls / Please stick to the lake…’ And then they go off into another song. It’s like, ‘Excuse me?'”
If McCartney wanted to accuse TLC of plagiarism, he’d certainly have a case on his hands. The lyrical and melodic similarities between the two versions of ‘Waterfalls’ is impossible to ignore, but it is not in Macca’s DNA to waste his time on a meaningless lawsuit. Although, some credit for his work would have likely been appreciated by McCartney.
While it could well be a coincidence, Paul McCartney is one of the world’s leading artists. Therefore, it would be staggering if nobody on the songwriting and production team or on their label had heard McCartney’s original.
McCartney once explained the meaning behind the song (via BeatlesBible): “‘Waterfalls’ is basically saying don’t go doing a load of dangerous stuff, ’cause I need you. And that’s a kind of more mature thought for me than I would have been able to have done 20 years ago, ’cause I just didn’t realise that it’s not all gonna be here for ever. That’s the kind of thing you realise when you pass 30.”
‘Waterfalls’ was a monumental hit for TLC and became their second number-one single in the United States. It’s a track which still regularly gets played almost 30 years later, which is an indictment of its brilliance. However, some of the credit for the R&B classic deserves to rest at the feet of Paul McCartney. If you remain unconvinced about his inspiration, listen to the two tracks side-by-side below.
