The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) released a song that has remarkable similarities with the Sister Sledge tune 'We Are Family'.
ADVERTISEMENTChic’s songwriter extraordinaire Nile Rodgers has issued legal demands against a right wing populist party in Switzerland for using a song with startling similarities to Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’.
The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) released ‘Das Isch d’SVP’ ('That’s the SVP') on Monday as a promotional tool ahead of the October Federal Elections. The song’s chorus is uncannily like that of the 1979 Sister Sledge song, which Rodgers penned with Bernard Edwards.
The SVP are the largest single party in Switzerland’s National Council and are aiming for an even greater vote share this year. With their Eurosceptic and anti-immigration agenda, Rodgers took even greater exception to the use of his song.
“I wrote ‘We Are Family’ to be the ultimate song about inclusion and diversity at all levels, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion or sexual orientation,” Rodgers wrote on Twitter. “I condemn its use by the SVP (Swiss People's Party) or anyone else not keeping with the values of the song and all decent people. The purpose of the song is to bring joy to all with no exclusions!”
Rodgers has issue a cease-and-desist letter against the SVP for using the song. Since, the song has been removed from the party’s YouTube page.
Thomas Matter, an SVP politician and the songwriter behind ‘Das Isch d’SVP’ has denied he copied the Sister Sledge tune. Written under the moniker DJ Tommy, he told the Swiss newspaper Blick that he did know the song, “but ‘Das Isch d’SVP’ was written especially for this project and has nothing to do with We Are Family.”
“Of course, in pop music there are a million songs that sound alike, there’s nothing surprising or new about that”, Matter continued.
The politician and former businessman however did tell the magazine Republik that his ringtone was ‘We Are Family’ earlier this year.
