Boomtown Rats in royalties dispute over I Don’t Like Mondays

Boomtown Rats in royalties dispute over I Don't Like Mondays

Irish rock star Bob Geldof is being taken to the High Court by one of his former bandmates in a dispute over the royalties for the Boomtown Rats biggest hit; I Don’t Like Mondays.

Former Boomtown Rats keyboard player Johnny Fingers, real name John Moylett, claims he wrote the music and some of the lyrics to the famous hit, and is seeking two thirds of the royalties the song has accumulated over the past 37 years.

Boomtown Rats in royalties dispute over I Don't Like Mondays

I Don’t Like Mondays is the most famous song from the Boomtown Rats. It was written after 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opened fire in her school playground killing her headteacher and the school caretaker and injuring eight children and a police officer.

The explanation she gave was simply: “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”

The Boomtown Rats hit was written and performed less than a month later.

Now the royalties for the song are being disputed. Johnnie Fingers, who now lives in Japan, claims he came up with the song, but was pressured at the time not to take the credit by Geldof. He also claims Geldof warned him not to claim any royalties and assured him he would get his “fair share”.

Fingwers first raised the issue in 2004 and the case will now be decided by the High Court.

Geldof has called for the case to be struck out, and called Fingers’ claims “a figment of his imagination”.

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By Andrew Moore

Andrew Moore is a writer for Irish Music Daily and Ireland Calling. His favourite Irish music bands are the Dropkick Murphys and the Pogues.