July 20, 2026
Laptop-Free DVS Is Here! NAP Works Devious Pocket Review
DVS, or digital vinyl systems, have been a fixture in the DJ world for almost a quarter of a century at this point. But truly replicating the vinyl...
Friday, August 16, 2013
Robin Thicke Sues Marvin Gaye’s Family Over “Blurred Lines”
Yesterday, Robin Thicke, Pharrell and T.I. filed a lawsuit in California against Marvin Gaye’s family and Bridgeport Music (which owns some of Funkadelic’s compositions).
The move is intended to protect the trio against lawsuits from the family and Bridgeport who’ve complained about similarities between “Blurred Lines” and at least two songs.
“Blurred Lines” has spent 10 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the summer’s biggest hit.
Immediately after its release in March, critics and fans recognized the single’s resemblance to Marvin Gaye’s 1977 classic, “Got to Give It Up.”
However, “Blurred Lines” doesn’t sample Gaye’s song and the lawsuit states that, “there are no similarities between plaintiffs’ composition and those the claimants allege they own, other than commonplace musical elements.”
Additionally, Bridgeport Music claims that “Blurred Lines” is similar to Funkadelic’s “Sexy Ways” from 1974. Ironically, Funkadelic’s leader George Clinton tweeted support for Thicke and Pharrell earlier today:
No sample of #Funkadelic‘s ‘Sexy Ways’ in @RobinThicke‘s ‘Blurred Lines’ – yet Armen Boladian thinks so? We support @RobinThicke @Pharrell!
— George Clinton (@george_clinton) August 16, 2013
According to the suit, a copy of which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, “Plaintiffs, who have the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies, reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists. Defendants continue to insist that plaintiffs’ massively successful composition, ‘Blurred Lines,’ copies ‘their’ compositions.”
Compare the tracks below:
Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell – Blurred Lines (2013)
Marvin Gaye – Got to Give It Up (1977)
Funkadelic – Sexy Ways (1974)
