Avril
Lavigne
has
hit
back
over
claims
her
hit
single
'Girlfriend'
is
a
rip-off
of
a
song
written
by
a
70s
rock
band.
The
22-year-old
singer
claims
that
she
has
never
heard
the
1979
track,
'I
Wanna
Be
Your
Boyfriend',
written
by
Tommy
Dunbar
and
James
Gangwer
of
The
Rubinoos,
which
they
claim
is
the
basis
for
her
2007
hit
Girlfriend.
Avril
wrote
on
her
official
website:
"I
had
never
heard
this
song
in
my
life
and
their
claim
is
based
on
5
words.
All
songs
share
similar
lyrics
and
emotions.
As
humans
we
speak
one
language.
Simply
put,
I
have
been
falsely
accused
of
ripping
their
song
off.
My
songwriting
partner
Luke
Gottwald
and
I
have
done
nothing
wrong
and
there
is
no
merit
to
their
claim."
But
The
Rubinoos,
who
have
posted
clips
of
the
two
songs
side-by-side
on
their
website,
don't
accept
Avril's
excuse
and
are
adamant
she
has
copied
them.
Dunbar,
who
filed
the
lawsuit
in
San
Francisco
on
July
2,
said,
"We
are
not
so
naive
as
to
chalk
it
up
to
some
sort
of
cosmic
coincidence.
The
lyric,
the
metre,
the
rhythm,
they're
identical." The
case
is
due
to
be
heard
in
a
California
court
on
August
28.