Fucking lawyers. 
Roddenberry's lyrics
- Thread starter Trekker09
- Start date
Copyright/royalties were meant to protect the artist.
How did the royalties work on TOS if thats what they're called. I know the cast don't get royalties every time an episode is shown like they do in "Friends". But does GR's estate gets a cut every time an episode airs with the theme song???
And copyright. I'm guessing "Edith Keeler" belongs to Harlan Ellison's estate but does every character belong to a writer? So why don't tribbles belong to David Gerrold or do they?
How did the royalties work on TOS if thats what they're called. I know the cast don't get royalties every time an episode is shown like they do in "Friends". But does GR's estate gets a cut every time an episode airs with the theme song???
And copyright. I'm guessing "Edith Keeler" belongs to Harlan Ellison's estate but does every character belong to a writer? So why don't tribbles belong to David Gerrold or do they?
in theory. In practice they have been used to the advantage of labels and other big fishes trough the history.
Unless you're the 80's supergroup GTR.
Not gonna lie…that was actually pretty darn good and entertaining. Hadnt seen/heard it before. Thanks for sharing
Only artist that means anything here is Alexander Courage. And he was quite well protected as it was.
Like I keep saying: Gene didn't deserve royalties for lyrics that not only were never used, but that he KNEW would never be used!
Ah well. Like I said: Fucking lawyers.
It's like I always say: Lawyers are the enemy of common sense.
sure. But there are people that abuse the system, such as in this case.Coming up with lyrics is just as creative as coming up with melodies.
Otherwise rappers wouldn't get anything at all
Agreed and great explanation by Jack Black but still the lyrics were terrible.
Perhaps we'd all forgive GR if his lyrics were any good. Something we could sing along to.
We've got some talented people on this website (not me). Surely someone could come up with something better.
I don't think we need a theme song but I think something to erase those pathetic lyrics would be good.
I do not believe that once an artist has written a song with no words, some random, unconnected person could just add lyrics and then claim half the royalties every time the piece is played. The use of that originally-wordless music would, I think, still be protected for the composer. Roddenberry and Courage, working on making a show, were not just two randomly unconnected people, and so must have had some kind of legal arrangement, even if Roddenberry had potentially used lots of tricky language of some kind. Otherwise, as the (probably) joke above said, someone could just come along, put words to a Star Trek piece, and then claim half the royalties forever. I do not see that happening...or rather, I don't see said person actually getting royalties when the piece is played with no words. Just my opinion.
Yes, as you correctly implied, Roddenberry sneaked fine print into Courage's contract in order to grab half of Courage's composer royalties. And then Roddenberry carried out the plan by dashing off a lyric that was hasty, ill-conceived, weird, and embarrassing, and that did not even fit into the melody.
I don't have first-hand knowledge, but that would fit with established principles.
Except that Roddenberry's estate gets half of Courage's composer royalties on the movie soundtracks that just quote the opening fanfare:
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/roddenberrys-lyrics.310643/#post-14056913
Oh, then it must have been contractual. That's not how things would work in the absence of an agreement, I don't believe. So Gene swindled Courage? Sigh.
you might not believe it, but this happened a lot with instrumentals back then.
I hadn't heard this until now, and it sounded like Nichols rushed into the studio to record it the minute she heard Donna Summer (edit.. corrected that.. early in the morning here) and Giorgio Moroder's "I feel love"
then I looked it up.. 1991?! That can't be right.. can it?
Thanks for all the replies and videos!
So, Roddenberry never intended the lyrics to be sung-- not only do they not fit the music, they sound like a wistful ‘girl he left behind’ - like Ruth from Kirk’s academy days in ”Shore Leave.” GR was so into the Space Cadet band-of-brothers mindset, a cheesy love song would have been a very weird intro for the adventures of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
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Courage said his theme was partly inspired by the song "Beyond the blue horizon." I just watched TNG "The Big Goodbye" with the background theme song, "Out of Nowhere"...some very similar sounds, to my ear.
So, Roddenberry never intended the lyrics to be sung-- not only do they not fit the music, they sound like a wistful ‘girl he left behind’ - like Ruth from Kirk’s academy days in ”Shore Leave.” GR was so into the Space Cadet band-of-brothers mindset, a cheesy love song would have been a very weird intro for the adventures of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
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Courage said his theme was partly inspired by the song "Beyond the blue horizon." I just watched TNG "The Big Goodbye" with the background theme song, "Out of Nowhere"...some very similar sounds, to my ear.
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