The song, "34 Ghosts IV," was actually included in a beat made by Dutch producer YoungKio, which Lil Nas X subsequently bought online for $30. YoungKio says that before he made the beat interpolating the NIN song, he'd found it on YouTube. Prior to that, he'd never heard of Nine Inch Nails or the group's longtime leader, Trent Reznor.
According to Business Insider , while "Ghosts" was released under a Creative Commons License, which gives "fans the ability to remix and redistribute the work from a multitude of different formats," the sample itself was never cleared to appear on the beat that YoungKio put up for sale, or on Lil Nas X's original song. Once the track started gaining steam, Reznor was contacted regarding the sample, and he approved it; he's now listed as a producer and songwriter of "Old Town Road."
In an interview with Rolling Stone , Reznor called the song undeniably hooky, but his further quotes paint the picture that he definitely feels a little funny about a song that he made flying under the radar for more than a decade, then absolutely blowing up.
The reason I havent stepped in to comment anything about it is, I dont feel its my place to play any kind of social critic to that, he told Rolling Stone. It was a material that was used in a significant way and it turned into something that became something else, and those guys should be the ones the spotlight is on. They asked if I wanted to do a cameo in the video, and it was flattering, and I dont mean to be disrespectful, but I dont feel like its my place to shine a light on me for that. I say that with complete respect.
It's not the first time one of Reznor's songs has been appropriated well beyond its initial means. While his "Ghosts" song has become the all-time longest #1 in "Old Town Road," his 1996 song "Hurt" became a bigger hit than ever when it was covered by Johnny Cash in 2002 on what would be the legendary singer's final album.
The music from Ghosts that turned into Old Town Road certainly didnt come from as intimate a place as the song Hurt did, but its still something that I remember what I was thinking about when we did it and then you hear it turned into this other thing it feels strange at first, he again told RS. But I thought he did a good job with that.
But the question remains, forever. Does Reznor even like "Old Town Road"? The ever-stoic Nine Inch Nails frontman and soundtrack composer pulled his poker face back just enough for us to know .
Its been stuck in my head enough, he said. Lets put it that way.