By Scott T. Sterling
Publishers for the band Radiohead have something to say about an alleged Lana Del Rey lawsuit.
The situation was ignited earlier this week when Lana Del Rey tweeted that Radiohead was suing her over the song, “Get Free,” for its resemblance to the band’s hit, “Creep.”
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“It’s true about the lawsuit,” she wrote regarding the track from her most recent album, Lust for Life. “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.”
Del Rey doubled-down on her claims at a concert in Denver, telling fans that “Get Free” might not be included on future physical versions of Lust for Life.
Today (Jan. 9), Radiohead’s publisher, Warner/Chappell, has released a statement clarifying their part in the situation:
“As Radiohead’s music publisher, it’s true that we’ve been in discussions since August of last year with Lana Del Rey’s representatives,” a spokesman for the company said (via The New York Times). “It’s clear that the verses of ‘Get Free’ use musical elements found in the verses of ‘Creep’ and we’ve requested that this be acknowledged in favor of all writers of ‘Creep.’ To set the record straight, no lawsuit has been issued and Radiohead have not said they ‘will only accept 100%’ of the publishing of ‘Get Free.'”
The New York Times points out that Radiohead’s “Creep” was the subject of its own plagiarism lawsuit. Radiohead was successfully sued by publishers for the Hollies’ song, “The Air That I Breathe.” Now, Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood of the Hollies are credited as co-writers on “Creep” and get a cut of the song’s royalties.
