Pharrell Williams denies ‘Blurred Lines’ rips off Marvin Gaye: ‘It’s completely different’

Williams co-wrote and produced the Robin Thicke hit that is allegedly similar to Gaye's 'Got To Give It Up'

Pharrell Williams has dismissed suggestions that ‘Blurred Lines’, the Number One hit he co-wrote and produced for Robin Thicke, is a Marvin Gaye rip-off.

Last month (August) it was reported that Thicke’s legal team offered Marvin Gaye‘s estate a six-figure sum in order to nip a potential copyright dispute in the bud. Thicke’s offer apparently came after Gaye’s three children accused ‘Blurred Lines’ of plagiarising ‘Got To Give It Up’, a 1977 single by the late soul singer. However, the Gaye family are said to have turned down Thicke’s offer.

On August 15, reportedly after the six-figure sum was rejected, Thicke and the co-writers of ‘Blurred Lines’, Williams and Clifford Harris Jr, filed a lawsuit to protect their hugely lucrative composition, requesting a ruling that ‘Blurred Lines’ does not plagiarise ‘Got To Give It Up’ and another track, ‘Sexy Ways’ by Funkadelic.

Advertisement

Now Williams has spoken about the alleged similarity between ‘Blurred Lines’ and ‘Got To Give It Up’ for the first time. “If you read music, all you have to do is read the sheet music. It’s completely different,” he told the Associated Press. Continuing, Williams said Gaye “is the king of all kings, so let’s be clear about that. And we take our hats off to him. But anybody that plays music and reads music, just simply go to the piano and play the two. One’s minor and one’s major. And not even in the same key.”

Williams also re-iterated his respect for the late soul singer by saying: “I’m a huge fan of Marvin Gaye. He is a genius. He is the patriarch.”

Meanwhile, ‘Blurred Lines’ has recently been banned from student buildings at the University of Edinburgh because it allegedly “promotes an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent”. The controversial track, which features the lyric “I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two”, has been branded sexist by critics, with allegations that it promotes non-consensual sex with the chorus “I hate these blurred lines”.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories