Did Idol’s David Cook Rip Doxology Off?
Uh, I’m sorry but I think this is lame. The almost unheard of group, Doxology, is alleging that American Idol contestant, David Cook, ripped off their version of the Beatles tune “Eleanor Rigby.”
Okay… First of all, let me remind everyone that this show is about performing other people’s songs. If this show was about creating original music, then I could understand this blatantly transparent attempt to capitalize on the situation and gain attention.
Second, how many ways can “Eleanor Rigby” be rockified? Seriously, this is lame. It sounds like “Rigby” gone rock. Nothing super unique to me,
Third, grow up! When a band complains about someone covering their cover of another group’s songs, I cry foul. Sorry, Doxology, but I don’t see a point to this…
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POSTED IN: American Idol Season 7, Rumors, Top 12, Videos
33 opinions for Did Idol’s David Cook Rip Doxology Off?
Jenn
Mar 14, 2008 at 11:01 am
what ever you guys can dis david cook all you want but he is amazing !!!!!!!
he is going to win!
go david cook!!! i love youu!!!!!
ashley
Mar 14, 2008 at 11:03 am
i think that this “jenn” person is weird!!…….ha ha ha ha and she is a loser!!
ashley
Mar 14, 2008 at 11:06 am
come on…who spells there name with two “n”s anyway…..
ashley
Mar 14, 2008 at 11:07 am
ha ha ha…dont worry jenn is my younger sister
G. Smythe
Mar 15, 2008 at 9:23 pm
You all are missing the point… it is NOT about the Beatles … it is about the ARRANGEMENT and COMPOSITION of the song. READ the release… and then re-think your thoughts… I am Doxology Fan from Seattle… check’em out - they are ALL about originals… Geez.
erika_jenny
Mar 16, 2008 at 3:40 am
it’s david cook’s version.. and he was able to pull it off… doxology must react if david cook ruined it… which, of course, wasn’t the case..
i’m a big, big fan of david cook. and i do believe that he nailed it and IF EVER his version was of the doxology’s.. then the group must be proud.
G. Smythe
Mar 16, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Ericka - I am sure the band is TOTALLY proud of their version…. they created the arrangement. In the music industry - it is only professional and the right thing to do by acknowledging where an artist gets the music… The Beatles were definitely acknowledged for the song… the “unique” arrangement of the cover went suspiciously un-recognized. All David needed to do was give the right and just shout out to that band. It has been amazing to read the blogs and stories of the folks focused on the EXACT wrong thing here… Oh well, I am sure those that KNOW what they are talking about will settle it all. Latah
G. Smythe
Mar 16, 2008 at 6:29 pm
And, by the way… I went out and checked out all of Doxology’s songs on their myspace… this band is SOLID and their focus is on ORIGINAL music… I think it’s unfortunate they had to call out David and Idol over a cover… but, it still is the right thing to do.
Jeanne
Mar 16, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I get that it’s about the arrangement, G. My problem is that Doxology’s isn’t so unusual that it couldn’t have come from any good rock mind.
Doxology is a good band from what I can see. This just made them look petty, in my mind. Sorry.
When is a contestant supposed to say that? How many groups and artists out there are thinking “OMG, we did that song just like that!” I mean come on.
Besides, does ANYONE have any PROOF that David had even heard of Doxology before?
G. Smythe
Mar 16, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Yo J… I hear ya and understand your position. It’s just from what my friends who are “experts” in music composition say - the recorded version on iTunes is the exact same as Doxology’s and that warrants attention… The contestants would typically say something when that guy Seacrest interviews them post performance…
Anyways - I don’t think it is petty… I think to keep things honest… people just need to be more honest.
I bet we will get to the bottom of this very soon… Proof is coming from what I hear.
Anyways… I agree - they are a pretty good band. It’s too bad this even needed to be an issue.
Have a great week.
Rebecca
Mar 17, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Ok, so who can say FOR SURE that David Cook even knows this band or has heard their version of this song before? People are saying he ripped them off says so because THEY SAY SO… but where is the proof? David’s version sounds similar because it is the same song, that is just common sense.. how can anyone say it is the exact same- he had less than one week to prepare the song.. I don’t think he would have had time to memorize someone else’s arrangement of the song and perform it perfectly- note for note- in that short of time.. this is just some no name band trying to get 15 minutes of fame from American Idol.. which is sad for David Cook, since he deserves the credit for the song that he performed.. and if Doxology thinks Idol is going to give them a “shout out” in front of millions of viewers- for free- then they are sadly mistaken.. Simon and his producers make American Idol for ONE reason- TO MAKE MONEY- point blank.. they have no reason to mention some small time local band from Seattle.. mark my words, no one on Idol will mention this band’s name.. they have no reason too - this band didn’t perform the song, they aren’t on the show week after week in front of millions of fans so why should they get ANY of David Cook’s spotlight for all of his hard work.. they are just trying to get their band’s name out there…. no one heard of them last week and now, people are saying how great and original they are…. yet, they are asking for credit on a cover version of a Beatles song that has been re done many times over.. yeah,that just shows how “original” they are… LOL
It would totally different if he had performed a song they wrote and then claimed it as his own and did not credit them as the writers, but in this case David Cook and American Idol recognized the true owners of the song- The Beatles….
David Cook did NOT borrow their arrangement- he rocked that song on his own and it was brilliant!
G. Smythe
Mar 17, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Oh Rebecca… I don’t even know this band Doxology however, after reading comments like the one you left, I feel inclined to continue to chime in for the “little” guy… Again, from the press release posted on the band’s myspace page it clearly details what the real issue is… and if you buy the track on iTunes you will see what the issue really is… This is an Arrangement and Composition issue my friend… geez - why can’t people get that through their thick skull? People want to try and put together “powerful hurtful statements” when all the band is looking for is acknowledgement of the HARD work around the work that was lifted from them. Your comment around “David Cook not having time to memorize someone else’s version…” This is EXACTLY why he did it… remember him saying… “this song just fell into my lap”… push rewind on your Tivo and you will see.
Anyways -I am not looking to get into a words battle with you… or anyone for that matter - the truth speaks for itself - believe what you want… the truth will come out.
Take Care
epiquestions
Mar 17, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Well when american idol copied a “live”(the band) song arrangement without crediting them, they invited them to perform on stage. So does this mean that because doxology is an unknown band they shouldn’t get the respect “live” did?
There are many ways to “rockify” a song. And there is a seven note rule that musicians follow to prevent them from creating “carbon copies” of other music. And hearing david cooks’ and doxology’s version I think that that rule was definitely broken.
Credit is all they want (which they deserve) they don’t want royalties from profit from itunes.
Bouffe
Mar 17, 2008 at 7:16 pm
““this song just fell into my lap”… push rewind on your Tivo and you will see.”
Seacrest was talking about “Hello” that Cook did the previous week. Push rewind on your tivo and you will see. I did. Seacrest says to him “I feel like last week was a big moment for you.” David then says “Yeah I got lucky, the song fell into my lap at the right moment”.
http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/xe9ic_igrecman_ai7-top12/video/x4oklz_ai7top12-part-5-david-cook_music
Starts at 4:58
Classic case of the media manipulating the public into believing what they (the media) want us to believe.
But…
The point is, Doxology says David Cook took their arrangement and didn’t acknowledge them. Thing is, we only have one side of the story here. Until AI and/or David Cook come out and say where the arrangement came from, no matter how much “experts” say it’s the same composition and what not, we will NEVER know if David took it from Doxology or not.
G. Smythe
Mar 17, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I bet we WILL know Bouffe… why would you think there couldn’t be a resolve to this? Instead of attacking Doxology for trying to do the right thing… why aren’t you joining the side of all up and coming artists and looking to 19E/AI to come clean… Isn’t this world already cinical enough…
A true David and Goliath story here - Let’s keep AI honest…
Bouffe
Mar 17, 2008 at 7:41 pm
G. Smythe:
First, I knew of Doxology way before this whole thing started. I’ve been enjoying the band’s music for over a year now. So believe me, I am NOT attacking Doxology. You are jumping to conclusion.
What I am saying is that instead of going after David Cook, Doxology should go after AI, as it is they who are the real culprit in all of this (IF, again, it was Doxology’s arrangement that has been used).
Chuck
Mar 18, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I heard Doxology’s version of Eleanor Rigby. These guys are really good .What I heard was the pulsing guitar as in Davids song of Eleanor Rigby. Although there was a slight comparison between the two. David Cook Nailed the chorus which was what I thought seperated his song and made it great. That was not what I heard on Doxology’s version .
To take nothing away from Doxology’s lead singer
He is very good .
Chuck
Mar 18, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Doxology if they did one thing they got me to listen to them whether David cook stole it….HHMMM..Doesn’t really matter David aced it
and Doxology got some press…..Good for both of them.
Lauren
Mar 19, 2008 at 5:20 pm
If that’s the case, then Doxology (whoever they are) needs to give credit to Thrice…who they probably ripped their arrangement from.
Megan
Mar 20, 2008 at 4:47 pm
ummm…. Did David write the arrangement or did the BAND?
Chuck
Mar 21, 2008 at 4:32 am
I think the bottom line is made with Jeanne ’s comments. American Idol is about performing , makes no difference if it’s other peoples songs .
After all doxology really got this song from the Beatles…So David was asked to do a Beatle song …He did just that….Bottom line. Beatle song
JACK
Mar 25, 2008 at 10:04 pm
If you don’t know by know David Cook’s plan to win American Idol is very clear. Idol wants to prove that it is something different this year, hence the higher number of rockers/alternative and folk style singers. David Cook knows that the panel doesn’t have a good understanding of alternative. So he’s taking the most inventive alternative arrangements of others and using them. I’d be fine with it if he wasn’t getting so much credit from the judges for being “brilliant” and “brave” when he didn’t come up with the arrangement.
Here is who he has ripped off so far:
Billy Jean — listen to the Chris Cornell version from Carry On
Eleanor Rigby — Doxology
Hello — Incubus
Daytripper — White Snake
Bouffe
Mar 25, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Oh, will this ever end?
Ryan gave credit to Chris Cornell before David performed tonight.
Ryan gave credit to Whitesnake for David’s performance last week.
Once again, we don’t know if David used Doxology’s version, so there’s no argument here. This is a one sided story.
Incubus version of Hello is vastly different than David’s version. No argument there again.
We have never once heard David take credit for any of those so called rip off versions. And I do think it’s a big deal to perform a version of a song that is vastly different from the original, like Billy Jean was. Doesn’t matter if David came up with it or not - bottom line is that he is there to sell his song to the audience/home audience… And that, he does, week after week after week.
Bouffe
Mar 26, 2008 at 9:47 am
So, Blake lewis posted on rickey.org:
“Now that I have seen all the new season… as of this week. new light has shined. I found out that David Cook did my Boys Doxologys version of Eleanor Rigby and was stoked, but then he gave them no props. Later to find out he did, but the cut it off the show.”
BTW - I soooooooooo called this in previous posts….
If this is true, I feel terrible for David Cook. He’s getting a bad rep because of AI.
G. Smythe
Mar 30, 2008 at 3:03 am
Hmmm…. so it is starting to look like some of us were right all along…
DAVID COOK DID DOXOLOGY’S VERSION OF ELEANOR RIGBY…
Give the band the credit they deserve… I don’t think “cutting it” from the show is “good enough” for goodness sake!!!
Bouffe
Mar 30, 2008 at 12:01 pm
“Give the band the credit they deserve… I don’t think “cutting it” from the show is “good enough” for goodness sake!!!”
He DID give the band credit, and AI cut it off at editing. What else is he suppose to do? Build a Doxology shrine, make people pay 1000$ for entrance and send them the money with a long letter of apology? It is ridiculous to blame Cook when it is AI’s fault Doxology didn’t get the credit for the arrangement.
Bouffe
Mar 30, 2008 at 12:02 pm
And if Blake Lewis, a personal friend of Doxology, can get over it after hearing the story, surely we fans can, too!
G. Smythe
Apr 2, 2008 at 2:12 am
American Idol and David Cook Credit Doxology For Their Eleanor Rigby Arrangment
· Seattle, WA – April 2, 2008: In a live on-air interview with Ryan Seacrest, David Cook announced that the version of Eleanor Rigby (performed on the American Idol episode on March 11th) was that of Seattle band Doxology. The band was in rehearsal for their upcoming show on Thursday, when they took a break to watch the show; they heard the unexpected and highly anticipated news.
· Luke McPherson, Doxology front man, spoke on the news that David Cook credited them for their version of Eleanor Rigby: “Re-imagining the Beatles is always tough. We worked very hard to do it in a fresh and new way. The band and I were thrilled to hear the mention tonight. We have to give a lot of credit to the folks at 19 Entertainment, and American Idol for working with our management; their mutual commitment to fix this issue was great; the support throughout has been amazing. And, most important we gotta give David Cook massive props. We all just wanted the same thing here, and that was simply to ’right’ the situation from a few weeks back. David did that on Idol tonight and we thank him for that. Now, we’re excited to just move on and continue recording the new album we are working on.”
Chuck
Apr 2, 2008 at 3:26 am
This is insane!!!!!!!Who really cares anymore.
Last night David Cook actually ran down a list of songs and who’s version of these originals He took them from ….This whole thing is just soooo dumb..Got a question…Is David the best singer on american Idol?? Do any of the top 10 ever do their original songs?????? I think the two Davids are the cream of the crop this year….David Cook win or not will sell CD’s like Daughtry…His voice is unique .His range is through the roof , and he can sing anything. He in my opinion is the best male vocalist along with Chris Daughtry Ai has ever had on it…..Last night he even nailed a Dolly Parton song….Come on give this guy some credit!!!!!!!
Chuck
Apr 2, 2008 at 4:04 am
I just saw an online blog ….David Cook was rushed to the hospital.they found out he had dangerously high blood pressure.I quess his brother has Cancer. so maybe all this
idol chatter is just that…idol chatter…
I hope for all his fans including myself that he will be allright..The show will be boring without David
Monica
Apr 15, 2008 at 7:38 pm
If you would watch Idol on a regular basis, David does say he used some of Doxology’s version. Futhermore, he has also stated all the other versions of the songs he did. He said he got the ideas off the internet and named the bands that he used for his ideas. Watch the show! I really don’t care if you like him or not, he has talent. I am sure you all have access to youtube, watch the episode where it shows him before he is hospitilized. What more can I say. Grow up, and quit hating because you don’t have his talent.
Chuck
Apr 18, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I agree Monica..,..He is the best . although Little David Archuleta has a great voice.
David Cook has been my choice since he sang HELLO!!!!!!!!Go DAVID COOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Journey to the American Idol Finale: David Cook
May 21, 2008 at 11:32 am
[…] 12 - He sang “Eleanor Rigby” which led to controversy when Doxology accused David of covering their cover of the Beatles tune. *sigh* All the same, it was a wonderful performance - not my […]
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