Are you kidding me? Marvin Gaye’s song had NO melody to speak of. It’s not even close...
It was a similar rhythm, at best...but, Blurred Lines is a FAR BETTER song.. Different words, different melody..
If THIS is an infringement, then... OMG... virtually EVERY song is a copy of some other song.
I simply cannot believe this ruling...
I like Marvin too, and i agree that the Soul Train clip showed a song that was WAY beneath his talents as a songwriter, but the new song sounded so much like it (to me, anyway) that I can understand the Judge’s ruling. I didn’t know either song until I played the clips, so i had no previous opinion about either of them.
“My Sweet Lord” was a better sounding song than “He’s So Fine”, and i doubt if George had ever heard the other song, but the ruling in that case was based upon the “6-note rule” which was in effect many years ago.
There is actually a legal precedent for this. If more than six notes match in rhythm and interval, it’s considered a copy. Just six notes is all it takes.
So...somewhere, those six notes matched up. I know. it doesn’t seem fair at all...especially with the size of the award.
I agree...I don’t hear it at all...other than the crowd noise behind it, which can’t possibly be protected.
I have a hard time with the ruling. The ending of the double phrase (I don’t know the right words for this) in Pharrell’s version has that catchy base thing at the end that I think is what our brains enjoy. I adore Marvin Gaye but his basic song “line” doesn’t have any of the catchy bit at all.
Without that “dit-dit-dit-Duht- dit (the duht being the dropped low note) it just is not something special like Pharrell wrote.
I think the Gaye family had an attorney who really reached.
I do think whoever wrote “Jamaica Farewell” and their heirs have an excellent case against Disney then (”Kiss the Girl”) - it was too similar to make me terribly uncomfortable. But I was told it was an homage. If this Blurred Lines is not a homage, neither the heck is that one.
Just get the Gaye family’s lawyer.