The Adeline Story
How Corporate Overreach Killed a Great Song
“Summer of ’89, wandering though life, didn’t have a clue, or care at all to choose”
The year was 2020. I had just survived Covid-19, delta variant, and had been hospitalized for 15 days with the illness and subsequent pneumonia. I was noodling around on the guitar when a progression began to develop that reminded me of the Beatles. Lyrically I was messing around with using a girl’s name like Paul McCartney used the name Michelle.
I decided I wanted to honor the great songwriting duo, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with a song that they would be proud of. The first verse popped into my brain and I began playing with the name Adeline.
“Waiting for the train, another day of rain, each one the same, driving me insane”
The song came together nicely, I recorded it in 2020- and 2021, then released my new song “Adeline” to the world. The world shrugged with indifference. I was distributing through ReverbNation but this time wanted to try a new service that had advertised on my Facebook feed, SONGCAST. I also registered the song with BMI.
“Then I saw her standing there, ribbons in her hair, smile as wide as the Delaware”
After a year of dismal results, I decided to end my business relationship with Songcast. Soundcloud, a service I had used for years, developed a good process for distribution. I uploaded Adeline to Soundcloud. After a week, Soundcloud restricted the song, muted it entirely and claiming I had engaged in “copyright infringement”
“Oh Adeline, Oh Adeline, when will you be mine, when will you be mine. Oh Adeline, Oh Adeline, when will you be mine, when will you be mine ”
I later learned the Take Down Order originated at Songcast. I appealed and lost the appeal without so much as a Hearing, Since I was busy with other life issues, I placed this on the back burner. Then in 2024 Tik Tok restricted my song The Battle of Trenton due to possible copyright infringement. Believe me, I am the only person who wrote a song about the Revolutionary War battle of Trenton.
“I looked into her eyes on Platform 25, we fell in love at first sight.”
And in 2025 Soundcloud decided not to monetize Broken Dreams, further alleging that they did not believe I could have written so many songs on my own yet offering no proof to back their insinuating statement.
“We met each day at two, for tea and then a screw, then back on the train at 6:42-precisely”
I decided to fight back. I provided Soundcloud with copies of my BMI registration for Broken Dreams and my application for a Copyright with the US Library of Congress. Soundcloud, to their credit, reversed their decision and the song is now monetized.
“Oh Adeline, Oh Adeline, when will you be mine, when will you be mine.”
While these corporations will go to bat to protect the few pennies they earn off a song like Adeline, they won’t spend $35.0 0 to copyright individual songs. Besides, I own the recordings, the masters, the lyric sheets and they are all dated. That would be cost prohibitive.
“Winter of 94, I knock on her front door. The man says she don’t live here any more.”
Yesterday I received my Certificate of Registration from the US Library of Congress for my song called “Adeline”. By the end of the day today, Soundcloud will have their copy and one by one, I will repair the damage the corporate interests have inflicted upon my songs and my reputation. My advice to all songwriters? Copyright your works. Sooner isn’t fast enough.
Oh Adeline, Oh Adeline, when will you be mine, when will you be mine?”