IN A TWEET posted yesterday evening, singer Lana Del Rey addressed rumours that the band Radiohead were taking legal action against her.
Rumours had suggested that Radiohead wanted 100% of the profits from Lana’s song Get Free from her new album Lust For Life, because they believe that it is too similar to their song Creep. Lana confirmed that this was true.
The singer said that she knew that she had not plagiarised Radiohead and insisted her song was not inspired by the song Creep. Despite that, she offered 40% of profits as a gesture of goodwill, but it was not accepted. Radiohead’s team were not happy to settle for less than 100%.
It’s evident that the two songs contain the same chord progression, but apart from that they’re two completely different songs.
It’s a very strange move from Radiohead, considering the fact that they were successfully sued by The Hollies over the same song.
The Hollies sued Thom Yorke and the rest of the band for copyright infringement. As a result, the liner notes of Radio’s album Pablo Honey list Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood of The Hollies as co-writers of Creep and royalties had to be split between the two bands. Here’s the song that The Hollies believed Radiohead copied:
Lana mentioned it at her concert in Denver last night.
I just want to say that I do have a particular song that Radiohead wants 100% of my publishing for… Actually, the only reason I mention it is because I wanted to let you know – I know some of you have been brought here by people who actually really are fans, and you’re just sorta here – but, for all the fans…
If the video won’t play, click here.
I just wanna let you know that regardless of what happens in court, the sentiment in that particular song – which was my statement song for the record, my personal manifesto – those sentiments that I wrote, I’m still going to strive for them, even if that song’s not on future releases of the record.
We’ll grab the popcorn while we observe how this one pans out.
