‘Blurred Lines’ writer says he did not copy Gaye song
Pharrell Williams denies copyright infringement claims, says he channeled ‘that late-70s feeling.’
Producer Pharrell Williams testified Wednesday that he may have been channeling the “feel” of Marvin Gaye and his era, but he did not specifically discuss or have the late musician in mind when he wrote the 2013 hit song “Blurred Lines.”
Williams took the stand in the second week of a copyright infringement trial that pits him, singer Robin Thicke and rapper T.I. against Gaye’s children, who claim the song was a rip-off of Gaye’s 1977 “Got to Give It Up.”
“Feel, but not infringement,” Williams said when asked whether he recognized similarities between the songs. “I must’ve been channeling that feeling, that late-70s feeling.”
Williams acknowledged that he told journalists during media interviews about “Blurred Lines” that he was “trying to pretend” he was Gaye, but said it was because he realized only in hindsight that he had composed the song in a style similar to the soul legend. He said he grew up listening to Gaye’s music, and felt uncomfortable being accused of stealing from Gaye.
“This is the last place I want to be right now,” he said. “I respect his music beyond words.”
Williams, like Thicke in his testimony last week, disavowed the account Thicke repeatedly gave during press interviews that the pair wrote the song together after Thicke suggested they create something similar to “Got to Give It Up.” The song was mostly written by the time Thicke arrived at the Burbank studio where it was recorded, Williams said.
“Once you have a groove, then you’re pretty much allowing the groove to tell you what’s next,” he said, describing his writing process, which he said took less than an hour. “The feeling of the melody tells you what you should be talking about.”
Thicke testified last week that he lied in the media interviews while he was drunk and high, and that he was trying to undeservedly take credit for writing the song after it became the biggest hit of his career.
Williams’ attorney, Howard King, also sought to do some damage control for a video clip shown to jurors last week of Williams at a sworn deposition. An attorney for the Gaye family, Richard Busch, played a series of snippets from the testimony in which Williams repeatedly refused to answer questions, rolled his eyes and, when asked to read sheet music or define musical terms, said again and again, “I’m not comfortable.”
“I’m not here to teach you music,” Williams said in the video.
King asked Williams to explain the testimony, which the lawyer said was “probably not your best side.”
Williams said he was frustrated because he appeared for the deposition wanting to clarify his position, but the opposing attorney wasn’t being “nice.”
“I felt like he was trying to get a rise out of me,” he said.
Attorneys are expected to give closing arguments Thursday.