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The guy who composed “da-da-da-da-da-da ... Charge!” is suing everyone

Organ

Good rule to live by in this world: someone owns just about everything. For example, you know that ""da-da-da-da-da-da ... Charge!” thing they play at every ballgame? Well ...

What you might not know is that a Pompano Beach man says he composed it — and says he is entitled to compensation every time it airs publicly. Bobby Kent, 62, holds a copyright for the song, a 26-measure piece he dubbed Stadium Doodads in the late 1970s. The last part of the song is the popular rally cry.

He’s suing the licensing company that sold the rights to it to sports teams, claiming they haven’t paid him his royalties. And he’s suing the sports teams too. Except the Lakers. They settled with him for $3,000.

Of course, it’s not all that simple: others claim that Bobby Kent didn’t write it himself, and that the USC Marching Band has been using it since the 1950s. Which, if I understand copyright law correctly, somehow requires that Fleetwood Mac be brought into this case too (Note: I don’t understand copyright law. But I do like to listen to “Tusk” a lot because it tends to annoy everyone).

Anyway, there’s no word at press time if Kent is going to recruit the estate of Gioachino Rossini and the guy who came up with this thing to turn this into a “charge!” class action. And of course, Gary Glitter is unavailable for comment. If he were available, however, he’d likely say “Hey!”