Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood Seeks Removal of Unauthorized Song from Melania Documentary

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, along with director Paul Thomas Anderson, requested the removal of a song they claim was used without permission in the documentary “Melania.” According to a statement from Greenwood’s team, his song “Barbara Rose” was included in the film without proper consultation.

“It appears that music from ‘Phantom Thread’ is featured in the ‘Melania’ documentary,” the statement noted. “While Jonny Greenwood doesn’t hold the copyright for the score, Universal went ahead and licensed the music for this project without consulting him, which breaches his composer agreement. Therefore, both Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for the song to be taken out of the film.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Amazon MGM Studios, the distributor of “Melania,” for their comment on the situation.

Greenwood, co-founder of Radiohead, created “Barbara Rose” for Anderson’s 2017 film “Phantom Thread,” which was released by Focus Features and Universal Pictures. They allege that Universal failed to secure the necessary permissions for the song’s use in “Melania.”

The documentary provides an inside look at Melania Trump during the 20 days preceding President Donald Trump’s second term and has surprised Hollywood with its record-breaking opening for a documentary in over ten years.

Notably, “Melania” received criticism from entertainment commentators as a potential vehicle for Trump administration propaganda, yet it earned a 99% approval rating from verified users on Rotten Tomatoes.

Reports indicate that Amazon MGM Studios invested $40 million into the documentary, along with an additional $35 million for marketing efforts. Despite grossing less than $10 million during its opening weekend, the studio hopes to recover its costs through licensing agreements and plans to stream the film on Prime Video.

Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution at Amazon MGM, expressed optimism, stating, “We are very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, and early box office sales for ‘Melania’ exceeded our expectations.”

The message from the studio continued, “This initial momentum is just the beginning of what we envision as a long lifecycle for our films and upcoming docuseries, extending well beyond theaters into valuable opportunities for our customers on Prime Video over the coming years.”