Up top is a screenshot of a Frank Ocean Tumblr post claiming that the Eagles’ Don Henley is trying to sue him for his use of “Hotel California,” which Ocean heavily samples on last year’s excellent Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape. Pitchfork points out that the YouTube clips of Ocean performing the song no longer have sound, so apparently some action has been taken. I just Googled if wolves and eagles are natural rivals, and the first video it pulled up was some gory footage of an eagle hunting competition (!!!!) which I won’t link, but it would suggest that they aren’t exactly buddies.
UPDATE: Don Henley’s spokesperson, Larry Solters, has released a statement:
Frank Ocean did not merely “sample” a portion of the Eagles’ Hotel California; he took the whole master track, plus the song’s existing melody, and replaced the lyrics with his own. This is not creative, let alone “intimidating.” It’s illegal. For the record, Don Henley has not threatened or instituted any legal action against Frank Ocean, although the Eagles are now considering whether they should. Any further questions regarding this matter should be directed to Warner Music Group as it is the entity that currently owns the master recording and made the contact with Frank Ocean’s representatives concerning his infringement of the master recording. -Larry Solters
UPDATE: Frank fires back in an updated Tumblr post:
Don henley(’s label—Rhino) is apparently intimidated by my rendition of Hotel California..
He (They) threatened to sue if I perform it again. I think that’s fuckin awesome. I guess if I play it at coachella it’ll cost me a couple hundred racks. If I don’t show up to court, it’ll be a judgement against me & will probably show up on my credit report. Oh well. I try to buy my shit cash anyway. They also asked that I release a statement expressing my admiration for Mr. Henley, along with my assistance pulling it off the web as much as possible. Shit’s weird. Ain’t this guy rich as fuck? Why sue the new guy? I didn’t make a dime off that song. I released it for free. If anything I’m paying homage.
(via Tumblr)
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whats a don henley?
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don henley can suck a dogs dick
As I scrolled through the thread scrambling to think of more Don Henley solo songs to make jokes about, I saw first the facetious question “whats a don henley,” from some hilarious jokester. Soon to follow, however, was a pointed reply. “A talent far exceeding anything your simple minded little brain could appreciate. Keep focusing on American Idol and cotton candy,” said the person represented by an image of a gargantuan dog presumably raping NFL quarterback Michael Vick.
People really don’t like jokes these days.
this is the end of the innocence.
It’s a shame they had to air out their dirty laundry so publicly. One wonders if they ever had the chance to get down to the heart of the matter. What about the average young female Frank Ocean fan? All she wants to do is dance! It’s amusing how legal action like this can be threatened in a new york minute. Frank Ocean will likely never be able to perform this song at festivals for the boys of summer. This just proves that there is not enough love in the world.
you sir, are a real desperado.
It’s been a long day and I hate the fucken’ Eagles, man.
signed in just to upvote this
ooh ooh ooh, do “Life in the Fast Lane” next, Frank!
would this not be protected under fair use in the same way that weird al’s parodys are protected?