Pharrell Denies “Blurred Lines” Jack

Since the release of Robin Thicke’s five million seller “Blurred Lines“, the song’s producer, Pharrell Williams, has been accused of jacking Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up“. AP caught up with Skateboard P during New York Fashion Week where he disputed the track’s similarities.

“I’m a huge fan of Marvin Gaye. He is a genius. He is the patriarch,”If you read music, all you have to do is read the sheet music. It’s completely different. [Marvin 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.”

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  1. Dashing says:

    Yeah, it’s BS. Just because they have the same “vibe” doesn’t mean they can sue on this. If the Marvin Gaye estate wins on this, it opens the floodgates for a whole bunch of ridiculous lawsuits.

  2. gz says:

    @Dashing…you’re not a lawyer…you have NO clue what you’re talking about – pharrell used the same exact chords, it’s the same exact notes as Marvin

  3. inutero says:

    I dont even hear how they sound the same. Except the high pitch singing but it doesn’t sound the same.

    Someone help me out

  4. Hello says:

    Not similar at all
    NEXXXXXT

  5. mrholloway says:

    It’s the same song…

  6. hands says:

    @gz no it’s not. that’s exactly what pharell is talking about. it’s NOT the same chords, it’s not the same key, it’s not the same tempo, and it’s not the same melody. you can’t sue someone because they were influenced by one of the most influential singers of all time.

  7. Jack Hoff says:

    @gz…you don’t play the piano…you have NO clue what you’re talking about.
    ” 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.”

  8. hands says:

    from Billboard…

    Ron Sadoff, a professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School and Director of Programs in Scoring for Film and Multimedia and Songwriting at Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, told Billboard that “Blurred Lines” may have “been inspired by” Gaye’s 1977 song, but that the comparisons should stop there. “From a musicological perspective, the songs share even less similarities in terms of their use of structural materials such as melody and harmony,” says Sadoff. “‘Blurred Lines’ is composed squarely within the major mode, while ‘Got To Give It Up’ revolves around the blues scale. In this key area of melodic content, there doesn’t appear to be evidence that would suggest plagiarism on the part of Robin Thicke.”

  9. Chronic says:

    I’m just saying, regardless of its plagiarism or not, there’s only so many combos of notes we can make that sound good. It’s bound to happen that some songs similar to others just by a pure number standpoint.

  10. Black Shady says:

    its pretty similar tho…

  11. Joluo says:

    It is definitely Plagarism, Thicke’s and Pharell both been in interviews expressing how Gaye’s song was the inspiration for blurred lines, more over Thicke offered six figures to the Gaye estate before the song came out, and number three why would you file a doc with the courts to protect yourself if you completely are right, who does that? Basically everyone who steals! Hands and hello are idiots, most likely are from an ethnic background who becomes, lawyers, agents, or jewelers, THEIFS!!! Y’all.

  12. Eddie says:

    If Marvin Gaye was alive he would love the blurred lines song it’s good music with great instruments.

  13. Dashing says:

    @gz, not a lawyer, but I know the law and I do read music. And you, sir, don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.

  14. MOOSE says:

    Salute to Pharell being that well versed in music that he can shut em down asap with what he knows about both lol

  15. BrooklynNY says:

    Word, Shout out to a guy in music who claims to read sheet music.

    Also, Shoutout to airplane pilots who know how to fly planes.

  16. flo says:

    everything is similar now a days.

  17. Lihangin says:

    First thing that my father said when he heard the song is, “That’s definitely a Marvin Gaye inspired track” he knew the exact song too. It’s such a classic, that you have to be deaf to not know that whoever played the chords that’s day had Marvin Gaye on the brain. It’s not exactly the same. And it is true that all pop music uses the exact same 4 chords, this is nothing new, it’s all about how well you can cover up your tracks. Pharrell didn’t give a fuck and new that a hit it a hit, even if its a classic they are inspired from. Another thing my father said was that Robin Thicke was smooth with his vocals, and that he never heard of him before. Robin Thicke is a talented vocalist. Point Blank. Pharrell is a damn good businessman and you have to be, in this business.

  18. Pete says:

    It’s more about the drum choice, percussion and rhythm to me then the melody. This song is obviously beat driven. The melody is more of an after thought. In that case, much more attention should be placed on the rhythm section.

  19. tman760 says:

    It’s damn near a sample! The first time I heard the song I thought it was. You can try and slick talk all you want P but without the original you would have never created this song. To completly deny it’s influence is embarrassing. You sound as stupid as Vanilla Ice when they asked him about Ice Ice Baby and Under Pressure.

    1. ceoholla says:

      This is his M. O…but cream…always rises to the top…here is a list of some additional, numerous allegations against our Producer of the Year..LOL..Holla’back v. Young’N Holla back(check Holla’back records’ website), The Currin Bros. Frontin, Geggy Tah, Monte Shelton-Twerk It, Claim for Happy Video , Franz Ferdinand in addition to Marvin’s song and Will.i.am’s trademark inquiry for the I. Am trademark. He has used the same defense in his Blurred lines lawsuit that he used in my suit…not in same key b.s.and he must be stopped.Can we all be falsely accusing the same individual?
      What’s done in the dark…is coming to light!

  20. @ONEMANBEATS says:

    i like what he did with the track he just found the same sounds used in the Marvin gaye song on the keyboard then played something else. kept the same vibe. Best thing to do next to sampling.

    Dr Dre replays samples and changes up some notes too. thats why u see and interpretation of “sample”. so when dre does that it becomes public domain meaning he is allowed to do that but he just gotta workout publishing with the publishing company. anyway

    Hit me up for beats @OneManBeats http://www.OneManEnt.com

  21. @gz says:

    @gz

    you’re not a lawyer or a musician apparently.

    Chords are not copyright-able, and either are notes.

    there’s only 12 notes out there and a finite number of chords.

    Pharrell did nothing wrong. they’re two different songs that sound familiar

  22. Stress92 says:

    And drum patterns and rhythms aren’t copyright-able either. I’m a huge Marvin Gaye fan, but I don’t think they stand a chance with this. The rhythmic pattern pays homage to “Got To Give It Up” but that’s where the comparison ends.

    1. ceoholla says:

      Please stop it..if this were the case, no songs would be copyrightable because the same notes, patterns/rhythms are somewhere in various songs…Original drum patterns and rhythms used, as no one has ever used them before, are indeed copyright able along with a combination of other unoriginal items which, standing alone, would not be considered original or copyright able. And original, by copyright definition, is not new or novel, it just has to never had been done by anyone else. Thus, since Marvin’s song predated his, if his combines numerous patterns and rhythms along with other items never done before, it is original and copyright able. Secondly, here is a list of some additional, numerous allegations against our Producer of the Year…Holla’back v. Young’N Holla back, Frontin by the Currin Bros, Geggy Tah, Monte Shelton Twerk it, Frank Zarconi beats, Anne Marsen’s video which she alleged he copied for Happy, Franz Ferdinand, and the Trademark Inquiry by Will.i.Am…can everyone be lying?

  23. StarFox64 says:

    pharrell is the biggest fuckboy known to man

  24. Mt says:

    @StarFox64 I know right? How dare he dominate both pop music and rap . Definitely a fuckboy.

  25. wow says:

    lmao I dammmmmm sure thought this was a sample. That’s ridiculous to say they’re not the same. C’mon son. lmao. Really? This is more laughable than Cee

  26. yeaHOE says:

    Songs don’t need to have identical melodies to be a rip off. Even down to the background chanting in the original that is also featured in Robin Thicke’s version. I’m not an expert on copywrite law or sheet music but any person with ears can hear the blatant similarities.

  27. CORY says:

    yes, these songs sound similar. particularly with regards to the tempo and percussion. and those rhodes chords on the offbeats are similar too.

    that’s about it. OBVIOUSLY these two songs are similar, and i’m sure blurred lines was directly influenced by got to give it up. but they are in no way similar enough to warrant any type of lawsuit. the melodies on blurred lines are different.

    the chord progression on blurred lines is just an 8 bar phrase. 4 bars on the I, and then 4 bars on the V. and it consistently loops. on got to give it up the chords stay stagnant on the I until they go into this part with the IV and the V, and the form does not repeat in a consistent manner like blurred lines does.

    i dunno. i could go on and on. they sound similar. so the fuck what. two different songs. it’s not like pharrel/thicke are trying to greedily take advantage of a sound that marvin gaye established. this is stupid. i don’t even know why i’m still typing about this. or spending time thinking about this. bye

  28. HK says:

    It’s definitely plagiarism.

    Read this and learn something:

    An Open Letter To Pharrell Williams (Blurred Lines Vol. 3)
    by Nicholas Payton –> http://bit.ly/190kH00

    1. Getemout says:

      I just learned that you are a cunt. You know that this is a Hip Hop website and you postin a link of some dick saying he hates Hip Hop Culture. Crack price just went down???

  29. Dashing says:

    There’s a difference between sampling someone else’s work (which is blatant copyright infringement) interpolation (which involces replaying a sample rather than taking it outright) and making a song that sounds very similar to another song.

    There’s nothing proprietary about being heavily influenced by a song an making something similar, particularly when the notation is different, but the vibe is similar..

    Should Lil Wayne sue French Montana for his “Aint Worried about Nothing” because it was clearly inspired by “Aint Got No Worries”? There are a million examples in music and other art (films, art, speeches) of people being influenced by other work. This is a slippery slope. Next thing you know people will sue others for using similar flows and rhyme schemes.

  30. KingJuggaNott says:

    It’s a rip off.

  31. blackman says:

    theif! period end of discussion! thia coming from a faggaot that said kendrick lamar is the new bob dylan!!!! lmao

  32. blackman says:

    sue that bitch ass nigga

  33. Aldo BangBANG says:

    damn, “poor” pharrell :/ still got sued and shit

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