I can still remember the first time I heard this bit of musical plagiarism.
I was driving home from my cousin’s place in a 1970 English Ford Cortina 2-door and this song came on the radio which sounded to me to be a direct ripoff of Roger McGuinn’s song with The Byrds “Chestnut Mare.”
No matter how many times I’ve heard it, all I can ever think of is George Harrison was sued - successfully - for doing something similar to “He’s So Fine” when he wrote “My Sweet Lord.”
My ex-wife was a YUGE (well, she was quite pear-shaped by the time we divorced) Springsteen fan and dragged me to a concert in München’s Olympiahalle one night where after about the first hour of his drivel I fell asleep.
She didn’t speak to me for days.
Some of the best days of my life.
Funny story.
In 1973 the Chiffons, who originally scored with He's So Fine, recorded and released My Sweet Lord, apparently to bait and taunt George Harrison and invite him to "come and get us." I like their version much better than his. The arrangement and orchestration are better, and their vocals are better than his. I also like th e fact that heir version is a hymn to the God of the Bible and makes no mention of any Hindu deities.
Interestingly, it includes the line "he's so fine."