"Don't Break My Heart" is a song by British reggae band UB40 from their sixth album Baggariddim. A remixed version was released as a single in October 1985 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, making it their highest charting original song.[1][2]
Songwriting controversy
On its release, the songwriting credits were only given to UB40, apart from in the US where the single and album credited the lyrics as being written by Javid Khan and the music by UB40. Khan was a singer and the next-door neighbour of UB40 lead singer Ali Campbell.[3] However, in 1992, Deborah Banks, a secretary in Birmingham, took legal action again UB40 and the music publishers, claiming she had written the majority of the lyrics for "Don't Break My Heart".[4][5] In the 1980s, Banks and Khan were friendly and Khan was struggling to write an appropriate song, so Banks, who was also an amateur poet, wrote two for him. Khan was paid £10,000 by the band for "Don't Break My Heart" who were under the impression that Khan had written the song, with Banks not receiving any recognition or payment. The case went to the High Court in 1995 presided by judge Jeremiah Harman.[6][7][8] Khan denied the lyrics were written by Banks, saying that they had "come from my head".[9] However, Judge Harman ruled in favour of Banks, stating that Khan had no right to sell the song and UB40 had no right to record it, and awarding her royalties from the song.[10][11] Following the verdict, subsequent albums released with "Don't Break My Heart" co-credited Banks and UB40 as writing the lyrics.
^"Verdict imminent in UB40 lyrics row". Music Week. 4 March 1995. p. 3.
^"UB40 lose out in lyrics legal row". Music Week. 5 August 1995. p. 5.
^"Poet Wins Suit; To Get Royalties From UB40 Hit". Billboard. 5 August 1995. p. 16.
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
