Yesterday, news broke that Lana Del Rey is being sued by Radiohead over alleged similarities between their song ‘Creep’, and her track ‘Get Free’. Now, Lana Del Rey has provided fans with an update on the situation.
Taking to Twitter yesterday, Lana Del Rey announced the details of the lawsuit. “Although I know my song wasn’t inspired by ‘Creep’, Radiohead feel it was and want 100% of the publishing,” she wrote. “I offered up to 40 over the last few months but they will only accept 100. Their lawyers have been relentless, so we will deal with it in court.”
It’s true about the lawsuit. Although I know my song wasn’t inspired by Creep, Radiohead feel it was and want 100% of the publishing – I offered up to 40 over the last few months but they will only accept 100. Their lawyers have been relentless, so we will deal with it in court.
— Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 7, 2018
As Pitchfork reports, Lana Del Rey addressed the crowd at her show in Denver, Colorado, where she explained the situation, and noted that the lawsuit could result in the removal of the track from physical copies of the album.
“I do want to say there’s a particular song that Radiohead want 100% of my publishing for,” she began. “I just want to let you know that regardless if it gets taken down off of everything, that those sentiments that I wrote… that I really am going to strive for them, even if that song is not on future physical releases of the record.
“I just wanted to let you know that for the kids and for the not-kids, who are the real fans, who are here. So that’s probably the last thing I’ll say about it. But thanks.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZM_CQGX8Gw
Of course, this whole situation has been met with derision from much of the music community, including “The Internet’s Busiest Music Nerd”, Anthony Fantano, who released a video today outlining the facts of the case.
Throughout the video, Fantano discusses just how similar the track’s chord progression does sound similar to Radiohead’s ‘Creep’, but only so far as the verse of the song. In fact, Fantano notes that Sam Smith’s ‘Midnight Train’ is far more responsible for “ripping off” Radiohead Lana Del Rey’s tune.
Fantano also goes on to note how Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ was originally sued itself for infringing upon the chord progression in The Hollies’ ‘The Air That I Breathe”.
“The irony of this is that Radiohead doesn’t even completely own ‘Creep’,” he explains. “Because back in the day they were sued over this song, because this track had a similarity to another track.”
“Whats hilarious is that the point in that song that Radiohead got sued over, is the chord progression, which basically matches that of the chord progression in a lot of similar ways, in the Lana Del Rey song. So basically, Radiohead are suing Lana over the least original part of their song.”
While Lana Del Rey hasn’t released any new official statement on the case, we’ll be following this one closely, so stay tuned.
Check out Radiohead and Lana Del Rey’s respective songs:
