The Grammy-winning producer, who created the 2013 hit almost all by himself, said he could feel the similarity between the song and Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up', but he denied he ripped it off.
- March 5, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Pharrell Williams denied he copied Marvin Gaye's song. The produces told a jury on Wednesday, March 4 that he was trying to evoke the feel of the late singer' music but did not copy his work when he created the 2013 hit "Blurred Lines" for Robin Thicke.
Pharrell wrote the song's music and lyric almost all by himself. Thicke has previously admitted that he had almost zero contribution to the track, saying he often showed up at the studio while being drunk and high on drugs.
In the Wednesday trial, Pharrell said he grew up listening to Gaye's songs including 1977's "Got to Give It Up", the song he and his "Blurred Lines" collaborators allegedly ripped off. When asked if he recognized similarities between the two songs, the Grammy-winning hitmaker said, "Feel, but not infringement."
"I must've been channeling that feeling, that late '70s feeling," he continued. "Sometimes when you look back on your past work, you see echoes of people. But that doesn't mean that's what you were doing."
"Blurred Lines" was one of the biggest hits of 2013. As part of the court proceedings, UMG Distribution, Star Trak and Interscope have revealed that the song cost $6.9 million to make but had made a profit of over $16.5 million since its release. Pharrell and Thicke pocketed more than $5 million each while T.I. "only" earned around $700,000.
Gaye's children who sued the trio are seeking a total of $40 million in damages, their lawyers said during the opening arguments of the case.
