Jack White gets writing credit for Netta’s Eurovision winner amid plagiarism row
White Stripes front man is now listed as co-writer of Toy, which helped Israel romp to victory in the singing competition
Rock star Jack White is now listed as a co-writer of Israeli singer Netta Barzilai’s “Toy,” the pop song that propelled her to win last year’s Eurovision contest — even though he wasn’t involved in the song’s creation.
Following the European song competition in May, representatives from the Universal Music Group contacted the writers of “Toy” for White — the multiple Grammy winner and former frontman for the White Stripes — asking about the sonic similarities between the song and the White Stripes’ ubiquitous rock anthem “Seven Nation Army.”
“Toy” is an idiosyncratic pop tune in which Netta uses her signature loop pedal to layer her many vocal sounds — including some that make her sound like a chicken — but some critics pointed out that the song’s chorus uses the chords found in “Seven Nation Army.” Ben Shalev had written in Haaretz in March: “Let’s hope Jack White doesn’t hear this song before the Eurovision Song Contest. He may sue.”
After several months of speculation and negotiation, the “Toy” and Universal Music teams came to an unusual agreement: White will become a co-composer of “Toy,” along with its Israeli writers Doron Medalie and Stav Beger, and presumably receive future royalties from the song.
According to Haaretz, Israeli broadcaster Kan first announced the truce.
Netta, her manager and the writers of “Toy” have all declined to comment as of Thursday because the Universal agreement contains a confidentiality clause, according to Amnon Szpektor, who oversaw Israel’s entry into Eurovision and commented for The New York Times.
“That’s a hole [Netta] would not want to fall in,” he said.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
