Currently, there are conflicting claims about whether Radiohead is suing Lana Del Rey for plagiarizing “Creep” or not. Lana Del Rey has stated on social media that the rumors of a lawsuit were true. However, a representative of Radiohead has stated that Radiohead has not sued Lana Del Rey at this point in time. With that said, what is clear is that there is a dispute between Radiohead and Lana Del Rey over whether a Lana Del Rey song called “Get Free” plagiarized “Creep” or not, but considering the conflicting claims that have been stated, it seems probable that the exact truth of things will remain uncertain for some time to come. For further proof, look at the fact that Lana Del Rey has claimed that Radiohead wants 100 percent of the proceeds from the song, whereas the representative of Radiohead has stated that said claim is in no sense true, thus making the whole matter that much more confusing.
Why Are Claims of Musical Plagiarism So Common?
Regardless, it is entertaining to note that Radiohead doesn’t actually own 100 percent of the rights to “Creep.” This is because when “Creep” was released, Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood sued Radiohead claiming that the song bore more than a little bit of resemblance to a song that they had written called “The Air That I Breathe.” In the end, the judge ruled in favor of Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, which is why they are entitled to a place in the credits for the song as well as a share of the royalties from the song. As a result, the question isn’t whether Radiohead is suing Lana Del Rey or not, it is technically whether Radiohead as well as the other two rights-holders are suing Lana Del Rey or not.
With that said, it can seem as though claims of musical plagiarism are becoming more and more common. After all, this is far from being the first notable claim of musical plagiarism to have been voiced in recent times. For example, there was Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” while other examples ranged from Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph” and “Shape of You” to Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me.” However, it is interesting to note that the number of claims seems to have been caused in part by uncertainties over what should and shouldn’t be considered plagiarism when it comes to music. Something that is perhaps unsurprising considering that there is no simple and straightforward method for telling the difference between a song that sounds similar to another song and a song that plagiarizes another song. As a result, it is no wonder that more than 200 musicians were spooked enough to issue a statement urging that the judgment against Robin Thicke be overturned because of concerns over what the ruling might do to creativity in their chosen field.
It remains to be seen what will happen with the Radiohead and Lana Del Rey case. Things sound bad at the moment, but it seems clear that the two sides were conversing with one another not so long ago. However, until there is a solution for the problem of figuring out exactly when a song crosses the line of plagiarism, it seems probable that such cases will continue to pop up in the times to come.
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