Taylor Swift Sued Over ‘Shake It Off’

Jesse Graham contends “Shake It Off” includes a “key phrase” from his 2013 composition “Haters Gone Hate,” according to the New York Daily News.

At issue, at least from Graham’s viewpoint, is that the lyrics in the chorus of Swift’s song – “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play / And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate” – are too close to his own “Haters gonna hate, players gonna play,” to be a coincidence.

“Her hook is the same hook as mine,” Graham told the Daily News.  “If I didn’t write the song ‘Haters Gone Hate,” there wouldn’t be a song called ‘Shake It Off.’”

Graham reportedly first became aware of “Shake It Off” when he saw Swift perform the song on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”  Since then he’s approached Sony, Swift and her Big Machine record label “four or five times.”

At first he asked to be listed as a cowriter for “Shake It Off,” and used that opportunity to also request that Swift pose for a selfie with him. 

But denials were the only responses he received.

“At first I was going to let it go, but this song is my song all the way,” Graham said.

Graham’s legal maneuvering isn’t aimed solely at Swift & Co.  He runs a church organization called “New Day Worldwide” and the Daily News reports that he’s considering suing CNN because the title of the cable news channel’s morning show is … (wait for it) “New Day.”