Reinhard Meyer
Singer-songwriter demands damages from band Dorfrocker
Singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey is taking legal action against his fellow musicians.
© imago images/Scherf
Singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey demands compensation from the band Dorfrocker. The background is a dispute over his hit “Above the Clouds”.
When it comes to the climate, Reinhard Mey (80) doesn’t take a joke. The musician takes legal action against the Bavarian band Dorfrocker and demands compensation, his lawyer told BR24. The reason is a dispute over Mey’s biggest hit “Above the Clouds”.
The band from the Franconian village of Kirchaich had rewritten the song and published a video on Instagram. It shows a climate activist sitting on the street. One of the band members arrives, holding a “Bild” newspaper with the headline “Climate adhesives fly to Bali” into the camera. The song then says: “You mustn’t give a shit about the climate above the clouds. Your fears are just lies – oh man… And tomorrow you’ll stick to something again. And everything else that seems so important to you suddenly becomes irrelevant and small.”
“Abused for hate speech and insults”
Reinhard Mey reacted indignantly to the video. On his website he wrote under the title “Not in my name and with my tolerance”: “Once again, ‘Above the Clouds’ is being rewritten and misused for hate speech and insults. This time I have to take action against it with a lawsuit.”
A short time later, the angry post disappeared from the site, and Mey’s lawyer, Alexander-David Pillokat, told BR24 that there was still no legal procedure: “The whole thing should be clarified out of court as little as possible.” However, according to the lawyer, Reinhard Mey demanded that the band not distribute the song any further. He is also demanding compensation, which he wants to donate directly to the Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND).
The band Dorfrocker initially left the argument with Reinhard Mey uncommented.