Pharrell Williams got to take the stand on Wednesday in the ongoing infringement lawsuit between the late Marvin Gaye’s children and Robin Thicke over “Blurred Lines.” The song’s writer testified that it did have the “feel” of a Gaye song, but actually cited Miley Cyrus as an inspiration on the track.
Gaye’s children - Frankie and Nona Gaye - allege that “Blurred Lines” is too similar to Gaye’s 1977 song “Got To Give It Up.” The trial is now in its second week, with Thicke taking the stand last week. Thicke confirmed that he did not really write “Blurred Lines” and was asked to perform a piano medley of songs that were slightly similar.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trial has already revealed that “Blurred Lines” made a whopping $16 million when it was a smash hit in 2013. Williams testified on Wednesday, revealing how the song was written.
“I must've been channeling... that feeling, that late-'70s feeling. Sometimes when you look back on your past work, you see echoes of people,” Williams explained. “But that doesn't mean that's what you were doing.”
The song was recorded in June 2012 and Williams’ attorney had him trace the history of the song.
“I had Earl Sweatshirt in one room and Miley Cyrus in the other. I was doing a bunch of country-sounding music with Miley,” Williams said. When he began work on “Blurred Lines,” he had bluegrass and “yodeling” in his head, so the Thicke song “was like blending this country sound with this up-tempo groove.”
Williams’ attorney asked him why he wouldn’t want to copy Gaye. The “Happy” singer said that Gaye is too much of an idol for him to want to copy.
"The last thing you want to do as a creator is take something of someone else's when you love him,” Williams said. He said that “Blurred Lines” shares the “feel” of “Got To Give It Up,” but it’s “not infringement.”
The trial will continue today with Thicke’s manager, Chris Knight, possibly testifying.
image courtesy of Zak Hussein/INFphoto.com
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