George Michael Estate Smacks Down Tory Lanez Over Unauthorized ‘Careless Whisper’ Use
Charlie Amter Late last year, Madonna made headlines when she went after embattled rapper Tory Lanez for what she felt was unauthorized usage of her 1985 hit “Into the Groove” in his song “Pluto’s Last Comet.”“Read your messages tor [sic] illegal usage of my song Get into The Groove!” she wrote on Instagram, later adding in a comment to Rolling Stone, “I am tired of being taken advantage of and I mean business.”Now, another iconic name from the 1980s is speaking out against Lanez: the George Michael estate, who have taken action to get a different song (“Enchanted Waterfall”) from Lanez’s ‘80s-inspired fall 2021 album, “Alone at Prom,” yanked from Spotify. They claim it lifts from Michael’s 1985 hit “Careless Whisper,” which the singer wrote with Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley.