Felder's Role in Writing Hotel California

[Topkat]

Freypower

I don't know about all this 'elevate themselves unfairly' stuff. Look at the beginning of the quote: 'When I wrote that song and that track'.

He doesn't get it. It works both ways. If Frey/Henley have 'elevated themselves unfairly' so has he.

He has a case for being upset that his name was placed last in 1994, but he still clings to this apparent belief that he wrote the entire song.
__________________

I have to side with Don Felder in this case. Henley/Frey obviously gave Felder first credit originally when the song first came out, therefore acknowledging that he wrote most of the song.....To change it later in 1994, & give him last credit is unfair & it was knocking his contribution.....It was an obvious dig to Felder... He wasn't elevating his contribution, it was rightfully his.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

"I couldn’t say anything publicly about it when I was in a band, but to me that’s the classic example of greed, power and control. Somebody who would seize something like that credit for themselves, to elevate themselves in history unfairly and unjustly over what they’d done – it’s a shame to me. But despite all of that small stuff, I didn’t care about that. The fact that I was able to write something that was part of being such a legendary hit means everything to me."

This part of the article that Soda posted is where I have a lot of problems with Felder. Even though, again, we don't know all the details of how this went down, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say that this is "a classic example of greed, power and control". Felder constantly writes, speaks, and complains about these things, but always turns right around and says things like 'but I didn't care about that'. BS! If he didn't care about it so much he wouldn't constantly dwell on it even to this day.

I agree from everything that's been written here that, at least in the U.S., it seems the only components that are legally recognized for a songwriting credit are the lyrics and melody. So, I guess that there may not have been any legal requirement to credit Felder on the song. I guess Henley/Frey giveth, and then they decided to taketh away. As I said, I personally don't agree with the legal definition though. I absolutely think that music is a huge component of a song and the writer should be credited. I'm glad that Felder was recognized for his part in Hotel Calfornia. It was the right thing to do, IMHO.

And if we use Freddie Mercury's standards, then Elton John doesn't even qualify as a songwriter, does he? I guess he may have written some lyrics, but I believe Bernie Taupin has written about 99% of the lyrics for Elton's songs.

[Freypower]

Freypower

I have to side with Don Felder in this case. Henley/Frey obviously gave Felder first credit originally when the song first came out, therefore acknowledging that he wrote most of the song.....To change it later in 1994, & give him last credit is unfair & it was knocking his contribution.....It was an obvious dig to Felder... He wasn't elevating his contribution, it was rightfully his.

He elevates his contribution every time he says 'I wrote Hotel California' which he does again in the quotation I posted; and that is what I object to, his endless insistence that 'he' wrote it.

The key word in your own post is MOST.

[Scarlet Sun]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what you guys have said, it sounds like any additional credits besides melody and lyrics are bestowed out of nicety rather than out of legal obligation. Other than "Whiter Shade of Pale" I can't recall any other prominent legal battles. I'm sure there must be others that I'm unfamiliar with, but it doesn't seem to be commonplace.

Yes, it basically it is nicety. Los Lobos didn't think Paul Simon was being very nice in this situation, but they didn't sue:

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/0...-simon-no.html

Whiter Shade Of Pale was very noteworthy case because it took 38 years for the claim to be made and because Fisher was granted 40% credit for the music for an organ solo.

Songwriting litigation is rare and usually involves claims of plagiarization. I can think of one other case that concerned credits, and that's when Mike Love successfully sued Brian Wilson for failing to credit him for writing the lyrics to many Beach Boys songs.

[Topkat]

After reading that interview with Steve Berlin from Los Lobos, sounds like the guy is full of it.
Talking about Simon, "People forget, before Graceland he was viewed as a colossal failure. He was low." Maybe he should go check Simon's bio & see what kind of "failure" he was. He's got 13 Grammys, Lifetime Achievement Award, is one of the Top 100 People Who Shaped the World, by Time magazine,,,
Even after Simon & Garfunkel broke up his solo albums were all major successes & had huge hits. I could go on and on about Paul Simon's achievements, before Graceland.
What kind of trash talk is that. Believe me, they would have sued if they had any real credibility. He's full of crap!
Please, can you say JEALOUS MUCH.

[whitcap]

Perhaps he figures the fact that he wrote the music is implied when he says he wrote HC or maybe when he refers to HC he is simply refering to the music. I think anyone watching or reading these interviews is probably familiar with Don Felder and his role in writing HC beforehand. He gave them credit for the lyrics in his book and I've heard at least one interview where the lyrics came up and he clarified that Henley and Frey wrote the lyrics.

[chaim]

And if we use Freddie Mercury's standards, then Elton John doesn't even qualify as a songwriter, does he? I guess he may have written some lyrics, but I believe Bernie Taupin has written about 99% of the lyrics for Elton's songs.

I hope you realized that this was not my opinion. My point was that it seems that the artists can also decide what is worthy of a credit and what is not in their own music. Of course it's silly to think that the lyricist should be the only one credited and I'm sure no one in the band really agreed with Mr. Mercury. Brian certainly didn't.

[sodascouts]

Wow, I'd never heard that about Paul Simon before. Ouch.

As for Felder's credit, I think it's reasonable to believe he wrote most, if not all, of the music, and not just the chord progression. There's a reason his name went first on that album, and it wasn't because Henley and Frey were being sweet, lol. In the eagerness to ensure Frey and Henley get appropriate credit, let's not minimize Felder's contribution.

[EaglesKiwi]

This part of the article that Soda posted is where I have a lot of problems with Felder. Even though, again, we don't know all the details of how this went down, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say that this is "a classic example of greed, power and control". Felder constantly writes, speaks, and complains about these things, but always turns right around and says things like 'but I didn't care about that'. BS! If he didn't care about it so much he wouldn't constantly dwell on it even to this day.

My thoughts exactly!

The first time I opened this article I had to close it again because I was fuming!

[chaim]

Wow, I'd never heard that about Paul Simon before. Ouch.

As for Felder's credit, I think it's reasonable to believe he wrote most, if not all, of the music, and not just the chord progression. There's a reason his name went first on that album, and it wasn't because Henley and Frey were being sweet, lol. In the eagerness to ensure Frey and Henley get appropriate credit, let's not minimize Felder's contribution.

I understand that the person who originates a song is often mentioned first, unless there's a fixed order of names that has been agreed upon (Lennon/McCartney). So although someone's name is mentioned first, it doesn't necessarily even mean that he wrote most of it. Although in this case we know that Felder wrote at least all the essential music that is not sung.