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Frank Ocean's American Wedding contains samples of Hotel California by the Eagles. The song, which was produced by James Fauntleroy, stirred up controversy as it was never commercially released and the Eagles claimed that Ocean did not have permission to use the sample. Despite this, Ocean has continued to perform the song live, and it has become a popular and well-known track.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Frank Ocean |
| Song | American Wedding |
| Album | Nostalgia, Ultra |
| Year | 2011 |
| Sample | Hotel California by Eagles |
| Sample Artist | Eagles |
| Sample Song Year | 1976 or 1977 |
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What You'll Learn
Frank Ocean's 'American Wedding'
"American Wedding" by Frank Ocean is a song that samples the Eagles' "Hotel California". The song was described by Steven Hyden of The A.V. Club as Ocean's "boldest move", and also as "dark, playful, a little tasteless, and absolutely riveting". Connor O'Neill of The Miscellany News praised the song for its storytelling.
The track heavily incorporates the instrumental arrangement of the Eagles' song, despite not obtaining the required licensing. In 2012, representatives of Don Henley, the Eagles' lead vocalist and co-writer of "Hotel California", issued a cease-and-desist letter. This threatened legal action if Ocean continued to perform or distribute the song. Henley criticised Ocean's use of the track, stating that it amounted to copyright infringement rather than artistic reinterpretation.
The legal threats led to the removal of "American Wedding" from streaming platforms and music-sharing websites like YouTube. Henley's team also warned Ocean against performing the song live. In response, Ocean addressed the situation on his Tumblr blog, stating:
> "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."
In an interview in 2015, Henley called Ocean a "talentless little prick", stating that Ocean "did not understand or respect intellectual property", and that younger artists looked at songs as "interactive playthings". His remarks were criticised by Stereogum, which accused him of overlooking the influence of African-American genres, such as R&B, on his and the Eagles' music.
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'Hotel California' sampled
"Hotel California" by the Eagles is one of the group's most popular songs and has been performed live by the band over 1,000 times. The song's metaphorical lyrics have inspired a number of interpretations, including allegations that it refers to a hotel in San Francisco that was purchased by Anton LaVey and converted into his Church of Satan. The song has also been rumoured to contain backwards messages referring to Satanism.
Due to its popularity, "Hotel California" has been sampled, covered, and remixed by various artists. One notable example is Frank Ocean's "American Wedding", which samples the entire instrumental track of "Hotel California" and features new lyrics written by Ocean. Released in 2011 on Ocean's mixtape "Nostalgia, Ultra", the song stirred up controversy as Eagles founder Don Henley threatened Ocean with legal action for copyright infringement, claiming that Ocean did not have permission to use the sample.
Despite the threat of legal action, Ocean stood his ground, arguing that he was paying homage to the original song and that his use of the sample was not for commercial gain or personal profit. "American Wedding" was released for free, and Ocean did not make any money from the song. This incident sparked discussions about the nature of sampling and the boundaries between sampling and theft.
In addition to Frank Ocean's "American Wedding", "Hotel California" has also inspired covers and parodies by various artists. For example, Mike Piranha recorded the parody "Hotel Honolulu" in 1998, satirizing the issues of overdevelopment and crime on Oahu, and the Romanian band Vama Veche recorded their own version with different lyrics entitled "Hotel Cişmigiu". The song's popularity and cultural impact have extended beyond the realm of music, with references appearing in economics, politics, and literature.
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Eagles' Henley threatened legal action
Frank Ocean's "American Wedding" samples the Eagles' "Hotel California". The song was released on Ocean's mixtape album "Nostalgia, Ultra" in February 2011. The song is a remake of the Eagles' classic, with Ocean writing his lyrics over the master track of the original song.
Soon after the album's release, Don Henley, the founder of the Eagles, decided to take legal action against Ocean. According to Ocean, Henley threatened to sue him if he continued to perform the song. In a blog post, Ocean wrote:
> "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."
In March 2012, the Eagles' representative, Larry Solters, clarified that Henley didn't personally threaten Ocean, as the master track of "Hotel California" is owned by Warner Music Group. Solters stated that Ocean didn't merely sample a portion of the song but took the entire master track and replaced the lyrics with his own, which Solters considered illegal and not a creative piece of work.
Despite the controversy, it's important to note that Nostalgia, Ultra" was not commercially released, and Ocean released it for free. This incident highlights the ongoing debates in the music industry regarding sampling, copyright claims, and artistic creativity.
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Ocean's response to the threat
Frank Ocean's "American Wedding" contains samples of "Hotel California" by The Eagles. This has led to some controversy, with representatives of The Eagles' Don Henley threatening Ocean with legal action if he continues to perform the song. The sample was never cleared, and the song was never commercially released. Ocean, however, claimed that he released the song for free and was not using the sample for "commercial gain or personal profit".
"American Wedding" appeared on Ocean's 2011 mixtape "Nostalgia, Ultra". The song's sample of "Hotel California" created a major controversy when The Eagles demanded to be paid for every time the song was played. This led to a clash between Ocean and The Eagles, with representatives of the band accusing Ocean of stealing "the whole master track, plus the song's existing melody".
In response to the threat of legal action, Ocean took to his blog, writing:
> "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."
Instead of agreeing to a licensing fee, the parties traded lawyers' letters. It is unclear what the outcome of this dispute was, but it is possible that Ocean may have pulled the mixtape from his website as a result of the threat of legal action.
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WhoSampled and Genius websites
WhoSampled
The WhoSampled website confirms that Frank Ocean's "American Wedding" samples "Hotel California" by the Eagles. The song was produced by James Fauntleroy and was originally included on Ocean's 2011 mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra.
Genius
Genius is a user-generated source of music knowledge, with users sharing facts and insights about songs and artists. The website provides the lyrics to "American Wedding" and also includes a Spanish translation. The song's sample of "Hotel California" created a major controversy when the Eagles demanded to be paid for every time Ocean performed the song live.
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Frequently asked questions
Frank Ocean's "American Wedding" samples "Hotel California" by the Eagles.
Yes, representatives of the Eagles' Don Henley threatened Frank Ocean with legal action if he continued to perform the song. They claimed that Ocean had stolen the whole master track and the song's existing melody.
No, Frank Ocean did not commercially release "American Wedding".
