Alicia Keys sued over "Girl on Fire"

Alicia Keys is being sued for copyright infringement over her latest single "Girl On Fire," Billboard reports.

Last week songwriter Earl Shuman filed a lawsuit in California federal court against Keys, Sony Music Entertainment and others alleging that the song is similar to "Lonely Boy," a song he co-wrote in 1962 and later became a hit when Eddie Holman recorded it as "Hey There Lonely Girl."

The accusation springs from a November review of Keys' album from on Showbiz411.com that noted similarities between the two songs and suggsted that "Lonely Boy/Girl" might have been sampled.

"In the middle of the song, Alicia sings a couplet or so from Eddie Holman's 1970 classic 'Hey There Lonely Girl,'" critic Roger Friedman wrote. "The song was written by Leon Carr and Earl Shuman, who are both gone to rock 'n' roll heaven.

"Keys only uses two seconds of the original, but it helps makes her record," he added - a line that has since been deleted.

Shuman, who is very much alive, read the review, phoned the writer and later filed the suit, which states: "While the Showbiz411.com statements that Shuman has 'gone to rock and roll heaven' and concerning 'two seconds' of use are not accurate, Plaintiff alleges that the above observations by Showbiz411, in their essence, are apt."

Keys has not commented on the suit.

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