It’s been rumoured for a week or so that there was a big musical lawsuit brewing, and well… it looks like this is it. Radiohead is suing Lana Del Rey, claiming that her song Get Free off her new album is far too similar to their classic song Creep.
Disregarding for a moment the fact that Radiohead hate Creep so much they barely even play it anymore, here are the two songs, if you haven’t heard them. Decide for yourself! (Note: your decision will have zero bearing on any settlement or court case.)
Radiohead haven’t issued an official statement on the matter, and it’s not entirely clear exactly how much they’re asking for, but a spokesperson for the band confirmed to The Sun that “both teams are trying to thrash it out behind the scenes to prevent going to court.”
The Sun also claims that Radiohead want “either to receive compensation or be credited on the list of songwriters to receive royalties.”
Lana Del Rey has addressed the lawsuit on Twitter, confirming that it’s real and denying that her song is a ripoff of Creep.
https://twitter.com/LanaDelRey/status/950065789549166592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spin.com%2F2018%2F01%2Fradiohead-lana-del-rey-get-free-copyright-infringement%2F
It’s interesting that though she says she wasn’t inspired, her team is obviously not entirely confident that would hold up in a court. 40 percent of earnings is quite a lot to offer on a hit song. 100 percent is also quite a lot too. Radiohead could stand to receive a big ol’ payday.
We’ll keep you posted on this.
