Blurred Lines - final settlement.

[Cold]

A final ruling has been made regarding Robin Thicke and Will Pharrell's 2013 hit Blurred Lines being plagiarised from Marvin Gaye's Got to Give It Up from 1977.

Thicke and Pharrell have been ordered to pay just under $5m to the Gaye estate which is a revised figure from earlier rulings and any further royalties will be paid forward too.

They both still insist that they were simply inspired by Gaye's hit but the courts decided otherwise after a complaint was made by the Gaye estate.

Guardian link

Personally, I don't see/hear the link, but I'm no expert just a consumer. What say you?

Marvin Gaye, Got To Give It Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyjB_0s5wPI

Thicke + Pharrell (SFW video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l5H6576MCQ&li...

[Scabutz]

I can't hear the link either. It's a st song anyway, with a disgusting message.

[Jambo85]

The bass riff (which is the majority of the instrumental content) and cowbell percussion are very similar to my ears.

I wonder if the non-PC nature of the song motivated the Gaye estate to do something about it? Sometimes artists are less bothered - for example I remember years ago when Kelly Jones was asked what he thought of Oasis stealing his riff from Same Size Feet in Hindu Times, he just laughed and said it made up for all the stuff he had nicked from Noel G.

[thebraketester]

Absolute bullst.

It’s a bit like Tesla being sued by jaguar because their car looks vaguely like a Jaguar XF if you squint really hard.

[Jambo85]

Do you mean they don't sound alike braketester?

Try this - play the first 20s of the Marvin Gaye song to a family member who knows the Thicke song but not Gaye's and ask them what song it is. Just tried with my other half and she said it was blurred lines.

Maybe we are exceptionally musical! (Or the reverse)

[soad]

Sounds similar even if not used as a sample.

[thebraketester]

Jambo85 said:

Do you mean they don't sound alike braketester?

Try this - play the first 20s of the Marvin Gaye song to a family member who knows the Thicke song but not Gaye's and ask them what song it is. Just tried with my other half and she said it was blurred lines.

Maybe we are exceptionally musical! (Or the reverse)

The idea is similar yes, but

Intro...

Give It up stays on 1 chord.... blurred lines is based on 2 chords.

Cow bell is similar but different rhythm.

Bass line is similar... but its only similar rhythm, not the same harmonically.


"Similar" is not "The same"


Does it sound similar? Yes.

Is it the same? No


It's a bit Freddy Mercurys estate trying to sue because the first 3 notes of the bass-line to Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, are the same as the bassline to Another One Bites the Dust.

Edited by thebraketester on Saturday 15th December 12:33

[singlecoil]

thebraketester said:

It's a bit Freddy Mercurys estate trying to sue because the first 3 notes of the bass-line to Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, are the same as the bassline to Another One Bites the Dust.

The case would be thrown out, because that's a John Deacon song

[Jambo85]

Next you'll be saying that Queen didn't nab the Under Pressure bass riff from Vanilla Ice.....



Seriously though I suppose it becomes very subjective as soon as it isn't a sample or note for note identical. A tough thing to rule on, I guess that's why it has taken 5 years for a verdict.

On a loosely related note I was surprised to see Richard Ashcroft supporting the Stones this year in Edinburgh.

[thebraketester]

singlecoil said:

thebraketester said:

It's a bit Freddy Mercurys estate trying to sue because the first 3 notes of the bass-line to Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, are the same as the bassline to Another One Bites the Dust.

The case would be thrown out, because that's a John Deacon song

Fair comment.... my overall point still stands.



I think its a slipper slope.... bad ruling in my eyes.

[Mastodon2]

I think it's a truly crap song, but that aside, if Rick Beato thinks it's a bad ruling and sets a dangerous precedent then I'm inclined to agree with him.

[B17NNS]

Cold said:

Marvin Gaye, Got To Give It Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyjB_0s5wPI

Needs more cowbell.

[Mr_Yogi]

Mastodon2 said:

I think it's a truly crap song, but that aside, if Rick Beato thinks it's a bad ruling and sets a dangerous precedent then I'm inclined to agree with him.

I'm not a musician, and I think the song is crap, but I have watched a few you tube video's covering this including the Rick Beato one about Ed Sheeran also being sued. I think it's a terrible ruling. With what only 7 notes, 12 semi tones and the millions upon millions of songs already written and recorded what are the future generations of musicians going to write?

[Condi]

Mr_Yogi said:

I'm not a musician, and I think the song is crap, but I have watched a few you tube video's covering this including the Rick Beato one about Ed Sheeran also being sued. I think it's a terrible ruling. With what only 7 notes, 12 semi tones and the millions upon millions of songs already written and recorded what are the future generations of musicians going to write?

This.

Music is an infinite as our imagination, however the number of notes and chords are more limited. At some point all the 'good' songs will have been written.

[RJG46]

Always thought the later song was inspired by the party vibe sound at start of the Marvin Gaye tune. Certainly not wholesale thievery.

[RJG46]

Jambo85 said:

Cowbell percussion

How unique.

[Jambo85]

RJG46 said:

Jambo85 said:

Cowbell percussion

How unique.

How weird.

Didn't think this needed to be further spelled out, but just for you... the bass riff is extremely similar, cowbell over the top with a similar rhythm makes the whole thing more similar still.

I obviously wasn't suggesting that the use of the cowbell alone was something peculiar to Gaye.

Having said that, it doesn't make appearance in popular music all that often! Underrated if you ask me.