Marvin Gaye’s Children Use Audio as Evidence of 'Blurred Lines' Infringement
The battle between Marvin Gaye’s children and Robin Thicke over his Pharrell-produced smash hit “Blurred Lines” continues with audio evidence and a second record in question.
Nona Gaye, Frankie Gaye and Marvin Gaye III filed their summary of judgment papers in California on Monday (Sept. 8). In it the Gaye children presented a judge with audio mash-ups of “Blurred Lines” and Gaye’s classic “Got to Give It Up,” playing vocal materials from both songs over one another. The move, defendants said, will prove “concrete musical illustrations of the substantial similarities" between the two songs.
The Gaye children also claimed infringement of another song, citing similarities between Thicke’s record “Love After War” and their father's "After the Dance."
Their legal battle with Thicke has been brewing since August 2013 when Thicke insinuated the Gaye family “smelled money,” and filed a preemptive lawsuit denying that they stole samples of Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” for the production of last year’s hit.
The Gayes counter sued in October 2013, claiming that Thicke admitted to using “Got to Give It Up” to make “Blurred Lines,” citing Billboard and GQ interviews in which Thicke noted the 1977 single as his “favorite of all time,” and stated that he was looking to produce a track “with that groove.”
In addition to the media interviews and vocal mash-ups, the Gayes recruited expert musicologists who found eight distinctive similarities between “Blurred Lines” and “Got to Give It Up.”
Filing suit first looks like it may not have been the best move for Thicke. The debate will continue to drag out through next year, with a jury trial scheduled for Feb. 10, 2015.
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(Photo: Jim Britt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)