OFF BEAT: Man files suit claiming Elton John stole his idea for 1985 hit

A South African photojournalist has accused Elton John of stealing his idea for a Cold War-themed ballad and repurposing it for his 1985 hit song “Nikita,” according to a Chicago Tribune report.

In a lawsuit filed April 26 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, photographer Guy Hobbs claims to have written the lyrics to a song entitled “Natasha” about a Russian waitress with whom he had a romantic relationship aboard a cruise ship in 1982, at the height of the Cold War, according to the Tribune.

Mr. Hobbs claims he registered a copyright for the song, and in 1984 submitted it to several music publishers, including the Elton John-linked Big Pig Music Ltd., the report said.

According to the Tribune, Mr. Hobbs became aware of similarities between his song and Elton John’s “Nikita” in 2001, and had since made several unsuccessful attempts to settle with the pop artist and his longtime songwriting collaborator, Bernie Taupin.