You know that feeling when you're listening to a song and suddenly you're humming a completely different tune? That’s basically the spark that ignited one of the most confusing, public, and strangely ironic legal dramas in modern pop music. We’re talking about Lana Del Rey’s "Get Free," the closing track of her 2017 album Lust for Life.
It was supposed to be her "modern manifesto." A song about moving "out of the black and into the blue." Instead, it became the center of a copyright storm involving Radiohead, 1970s soft rock, and a lot of deleted tweets.
The Tweet That Started the Fire
In January 2018, Lana took to Twitter (now X) and dropped a bomb. She claimed that Radiohead was suing her for plagiarism, alleging that "Get Free" was too similar to their 1992 mega-hit, "Creep."
The details were wild. Lana told her fans that she’d offered up to 40% of the publishing royalties, but that the band’s lawyers were "relentless" and would only accept 100%. She basically told the world she’d see them in court.
Everyone lost their minds.
Radiohead fans were confused. Lana fans were furious. It felt like a David vs. Goliath situation, except Goliath was a group of middle-aged British guys who famously hate the very song they were supposedly protecting.
Why the "Creep" Comparison Actually Made Sense (Sorta)
If you play the two songs side-by-side, you don't need a degree in musicology to hear it. The verses of Lana Del Rey's Get Free follow a specific chord progression: G major, B major, C major, C minor.
That is the exact DNA of "Creep."
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It’s a distinctive, moody sequence. The way Lana’s melody floats over those chords in the verses feels very familiar to anyone who’s spent time in a karaoke bar. But here’s where it gets messy. Music is built on blocks. You can't really own a chord progression, right? Usually, lawsuits hinge on the melody. And in this case, the vocal phrasing in Lana's verses was just close enough to Thom Yorke’s iconic delivery to make lawyers start salivating.
The Irony of the "Creep" Lawsuit
Here is the part that most people get wrong, or at least the part that makes the whole thing hilarious. Radiohead was actually sued for "Creep" back in the 90s.
Wait, what?
Yeah. The writers of the 1972 song "The Air That I Breathe" (performed by The Hollies), Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, noticed that "Creep" sounded a lot like their tune. Radiohead didn't even fight it. They admitted the similarity, settled out of court, and added Hammond and Hazlewood to the songwriting credits.
So, when news broke that Radiohead was potentially coming for Lana, the internet pointed out the obvious: they were suing her for "stealing" a song that they themselves had technically "borrowed" from someone else.
It was a copyright inception.
What Radiohead Actually Said
While Lana was out here tweeting about "relentless" lawyers, Radiohead’s publisher, Warner Chappell, eventually put out a statement to cool things down. They confirmed they’d been in talks with Lana’s team since August 2017, but they threw some serious shade on her version of events.
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- No Lawsuit: They claimed no actual lawsuit had been filed.
- 100% Demand? They denied asking for 100% of the royalties.
- The Goal: They just wanted credit for all the writers of "Creep."
Did "Get Free" Actually Rip Them Off?
Honestly? It depends on who you ask.
Lana has always maintained that "Get Free" wasn't inspired by "Creep." She called it her "personal manifesto." The song is deep. It’s about her personal journey, her desire to be a better person, and a tribute to "birds of paradise" who never got to fly—specifically Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston.
In the original demo version, which was titled "Malibu," she actually sang their names. She later redacted them to make the message more universal.
Musically, the choruses are totally different. Lana’s chorus is anthemic and sweeping, while "Creep" is... well, it’s "Creep." But in the eyes of the law, if the "heart" of the song (the verse melody and chords) is too similar, you’ve got a problem.
The Surprise Ending in Brazil
Most of these legal battles drag on for years (look at "Blurred Lines" or Ed Sheeran’s "Thinking Out Loud" drama). But Lana ended this one with a single sentence during a concert.
At the Lollapalooza festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in March 2018, Lana finished performing the song and told the crowd: "Well, fuck, now that my lawsuit's over, I guess I can sing that song any time I want, right?"
And that was it.
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She didn't give details. The writing credits on the ASCAP database weren't even updated to include Radiohead. This suggests a few possibilities:
- They settled for a private lump sum.
- Radiohead’s team realized the PR nightmare wasn't worth the check.
- Lana’s team proved enough original intent to make the claim go away.
Why "Get Free" Still Matters Today
Even years later, Lana Del Rey's Get Free remains one of her most discussed tracks. It isn't just because of the legal drama. It’s the song where Lana shifted her entire perspective.
Before this, her music was often drenched in tragedy and "summertime sadness." "Get Free" was the moment she decided to choose life. It’s the sonic representation of her transition from the "sad girl" of Born to Die to the more grounded, reflective artist we see in her later work like Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
If you're a songwriter or a creator, there are a couple of big takeaways here. First, "accidental" plagiarism is a real thing. Subconscious inspiration is a beast. Second, the court of public opinion is sometimes more powerful than an actual courtroom. Lana’s transparency—even if it was a bit hyperbolic—put the pressure back on Radiohead.
If you want to understand the track better, go back and listen to the final 30 seconds. The sounds of the ocean waves and birds aren't just filler. They represent the "blue" she was trying to reach. It’s a peaceful ending to a very chaotic chapter in her career.
To really get the full picture, you should compare the "Get Free" studio version with her live performances from 2018. You can hear the defiance in her voice when she hits those verses. She knew what people were saying, and she sang it anyway.
Next Steps for Fans and Creators:
- Listen for the "Hidden" Names: Check out live versions of "Get Free" where Lana explicitly sings "For Amy and for Whitney" during the bridge.
- Analyze the Chords: If you play guitar or piano, try playing the verse of "Get Free" and then immediately transition into "Creep." It’s a great exercise in seeing how different melodies can live on the same harmonic structure.
- Explore the "Hero's Journey": Lana has mentioned this song is based on the "Hero's Journey" concept. Researching Joseph Campbell’s work will give you a whole new layer of meaning for the lyrics about "crossing the threshold."