On the Charts 63 Years Ago, The Chiffons Were at No. 1 With a Song That Would Be at the Center of a Beatles Lawsuit

Sixty-three years ago today (March 30), the Chiffons were at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “He’s So Fine.” It spent four consecutive weeks at No. 1 and was the group’s only single to reach the top of the tally. A few years later, the publishing company that owned the song sued former Beatle George Harrison for plagiarism, claiming his single “My Sweet Lord” lifted from the 1963 hit.

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“He’s So Fine” was the first single released by the Chiffons after they changed their name from the Four Pennies. It was also the first in a string of four pop hits. Their next single, “One Fine Day,” reached No. 5. Then, “A Love So Fine” and “I Have a Boyfriend” landed in the top 40. Their only other career hit came in 1965, when “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” reached No. 10.

[RELATED: On This Day in 2002, George Harrison Posthumously Made Chart History—Taking the No. 1 Spot From Another Deceased Music Legend]

This multi-week No. 1 isn’t best remembered as the Chiffons’ biggest hit. Instead, many remember it as the song that led to a lawsuit against George Harrison after he released his debut single and biggest hit, “My Sweet Lord.”

How the Chiffons’ Hit Cost George Harrison Thousands of Dollars

George Harrison wrote “My Sweet Lord,” and Billy Preston was the first to record it. The song appeared on his 1970 album Encouraging Words. Then, the next year, Harrison released it as his solo debut. It topped the Hot 100 for four weeks.

Bright Tunes Music, the publishing company that owned the rights to “He’s So Fine,” sued Harrison for plagiarism while his song was still on the chart. However, according to Songfacts, the case didn’t go to court until 1976 because Bright Tunes entered receivership.

Throughout the case, Harrison proved that he wasn’t trying to copy the Chiffons’ major hit. He went so far as to note that he was inspired by “Oh Happy Day” by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. However, the judge ruled against him, saying that intent didn’t matter and that Harrison had committed “subconscious plagiarism.” He was initially ordered to pay $1.6 million.

There was an interesting wrinkle in the case, though. When the suit began, Allen Klein was managing Harrison. However, the two parted acrimoniously. In 1978, two years after the ruling came down, Klein’s company, ABKCO, bought Bright Tunes. As a result, Harrison sued. Three years later, a judge ruled that Klein shouldn’t be allowed to profit from the suit against Harrison. As a result, Bright Tunes was ordered to pay back all but $587,000, which is how much Klein and ABKCO paid for the publishing company. The case wasn’t fully settled until 1993.

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