Doug Ward Vancouver Sun

Sarah McLachlan testified Thursday she would have shared song-writing credit with Darryl Neudorf if she had felt he deserved it.

McLachlan told the B.C. Supreme Court that Neudorf was a "sweet man" who helped with arrangement and production on her 1988 debut album, Touch.

However, McLachlan was adamant despite rigorous cross-examination by Neudorf's lawyer, Jonathan Simkin, that Neudorf's contributions were not significant enough to warrant song-writing credit.

"I think of myself as a very fair and honest person and by no means did I want to cheat Darryl out of anything."

Neudorf, 34, a former drummer and songwriter with the Vancouver band 54-40, claims he co-wrote four songs -- Vox, Steaming, Strange World and Sad Clown -- on Touch.

The defence has argued that Neudorf was hired to do pre-production work before McLachlan entered a Vancouver recording studio to produce Touch in 1988.

McLachlan testified that Neudorf made a "minor song-writing suggestion" on the song Steaming, but "I would not consider that ownership of a song."

McLachlan recalled that Neudorf was very "nurturing" and helpful with musical arrangement during the making of Touch. However, many of his suggestions were less helpful.

"I appreciated his support but I did not appreciate his ideas," said McLachlan.

"His musical suggestions were either things I had already thought of or things that I didn't like."

Lawyer Simkin told McLachlan that she was far less definitive about Neudorf's contribution during pre-trial examination-for-discovery in 1996.

The lawyer noted, for instance, that McLachlan did not testify during discovery that she did not like or ignored Neudorf's musical suggestions.

"I don't like hurting people's feelings," replied McLachlan.

Simkin asked how she could be so certain now about Neudorf's contributions.

"I've had a lot of time to reflect since then."

Simkin countered: "I'm suggesting to you that you had a little too much time to think about it and change your mind."

Simkin asked McLachlan why, if she did not appreciate Neudorf's ideas for Touch, she worked with him on her next album Solace.

"Because all the good things out-weighted those elements," replied McLachlan.

Simkin suggested that her working relationship with Neudorf on Touch was the same as the one she had with Vancouver musician Darren Phillips, who was given credit on the album for co-writing two songs, Steaming and Uphill Battle.

McLachlan rejected this view, saying, "I let him [Phillips] into a place I don't think I let Darryl into."

Simkin suggested there is a "grey zone" between song arrangement, which McLachlan concedes Neudorf performed, and song-writing.

McLachlan replied that she regards the two roles as distinctly different.

She added: "I'm saying that some of his suggestions could have been song-writing if I had accepted his ideas."

McLachlan said changing of the order of chords does not amount to song-writing.

"I remember writing those songs," McLachlan said.