Robin Thicke Performs Music Medley on Stand During ‘Blurred Lines’ Copyright Trial
Singer put on a free show for everyone in the courtroom, including Pharrell Williams and Marvin Gaye’s family
Pamela Chelin | February 25, 2015 @ 6:49 PM
Last Updated: February 25, 2015 @ 9:00 PM
Robin Thicke at the BET Awards June 2014/Getty Images
Music and star power took center stage in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom Wednesday at the “Blurred Lines” copyright trial.
During the second day of the proceedings, superstar musician Robin Thicke took the stand. Dressed in a conservative suit, Thicke appeared confident as he testified in the case that will decide whether the Grammy-nominated song ripped off R&B legend Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit, “Got to Give It Up.”
Those in attendance, including “Blurred Lines” collaborator Pharrell Williams, got a free show when Thicke played a keyboard while singing a medley consisting of U2’s “With or Without You,” Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry,” Alphaville’s “Forever Young,” Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and The Beatles’ “Let It Be,” to demonstrate how easy it is to view any song as similar to another.
Although Thicke said he can’t read music, he revealed he taught himself to play piano by ear when he was 10. But then admitted, “It [sheet music] looks like algebra to me.”
When “Blurred Lines” was played for the court, Thicke swayed along to his own tune while some people in court could be seen grooving, too. Not so for the Gaye family, including children Nona and Frankie and ex-wife Jan, who looked less than enchanted with the display.
Nona Gaye Jan Gaye and Frankie Gaye outside the court (Credit: Pamela Chelin)
When being cross-examined by Gaye family attorney Richard Busch, Thicke tried to distance himself from statements he made in 2013 interviews about Marvin Gaye and “Got To Give It Up” — saying his previous comments were because he was high on Vicodin and vodka every time he talked to the press.
When interviewers would raise a perceived connection between “Blurred Lines” and “Got To Give It Up,” Thicke claimed he just went along with whatever was being said. Thicke went on to say that when he told Oprah Winfrey in an interview after the lawsuit was filed that Gaye and Michael Jackson are his biggest influences, he was not telling the truth then either.
Thicke also said he has been referred to in the past as “the white Marvin Gaye,” which he always considered to be an honor and so he embellished stories to the media to capitalize upon the connection. While there was laughter in the courtroom in response, the Gaye family did not appear amused.
The single “Blurred Lines” was a hit worldwide. But Thicke said his record company was not enthralled by the song when it was finished, and his manager suggested six months later that they add a rap by popular hip-hop artist T.I.
Because there are spoken parts in Marvin Gaye’s song “Got To Give It Up,” Busch was intent to demonstrate the rap of “Blurred Lines” as similar to it, which Thicke dismissed.
Busch also played video of Williams’ deposition where he was asked if he thought the bass lines of both songs were similar, to which he answered: “When people say they feel that, I understand. But silk and rayon are two different things.They just feel the same,” adding that there was no intention of making it sound like Gaye, and that you can’t trademark a groove.
Earlier in the case, Thicke said he had gone into the studio and written the track with Williams. But three months later, he added an amendment saying that his recollection had been inaccurate and that, in fact, when he went into the studio, Williams had already created the track and then he’d feed Thicke four lines at a time to go in and loop.
Thicke admitted he was ultimately jealous that the biggest hit of his career had been produced by someone else and later realized he had wrongly convinced himself that he co-wrote the song, thinking of it as a “white lie” that wouldn’t hurt Williams’ career — but that it could boost his own.
Both stars remain adamant that they had no intention of creating a copy of a Marvin Gaye song. “It’s common in studios for someone to say, ‘That reminds me of another song.’ But the goal is to make sure it’s your own song,” explained Thicke.
The trial continues Thursday at 11:20 a.m. in downtown Los Angeles.
Hollywood's Most Outrageous Lawsuits (Photos)
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.
Lindsay Lohan filed suit against Fox News and Sean Hannity on Feb. 2, 2015, after a news correspondent accused Lohan's mom of snorting cocaine with her troubled daughter. It didn't take long for Fox to fire back. “We will defend this case to the fullest,” the network told TheWrap the next day.
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A former nanny for Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon filed a lawsuit on Jan. 28, 2015, alleging she was fired after showing the couple's kids too much affection and did not receive overtime pay despite working 100 hours per week.
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Legendary funk artist Sly Stone won $5 million on Jan. 27, 2015, after suing his former manager and entertainment attorney for misappropriating royalties owed him for more than 20 years.
Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” executive producers Patrick Moses and Kevin Kaufman filed a suit against Bravo in Nov. 2014, claiming they were deceitfully ousted from the show and bilked out of millions of dollars after helping to create the show and the franchise.
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Jessie Nizewitz, a contestant on VH1’s “Dating Naked,” filed suit in New York in Aug. 2014, seeking $10 million in damages for emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment after the show allegedly failed to properly blur her genitals.
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Octavia Spencer was awarded $940,000 in Dec. 2014 after claiming a weight loss company, Sensa Products Inc., wrongfully fired her from an endorsement deal and still owed her money.
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Former Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former company June 2014, alleging she was repeatedly called a "whore" by CMO Justin Mateen and was stripped of her co-founder title simply for being a woman.
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Former TMZ producer Jarrett Gaeta slapped his former employer with a lawsuit in June 2014, claiming he was wrongly terminated. Gaeta was let go after a subordinate accused him of "racist behavior," including defending blackface and sending pictures of watermelons to African-American employees.
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CNN America was sued in Aug. 2014 by a pair of plaintiffs who claim that correspondent Arwa Damon bit one of them and threatened both during a drunken altercation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta sued Lionsgate in Aug. 2014 claiming she was run over by an ambulance while filming "Nurse 3D." Lionsgate filed a motion to dismiss, which De La Huerta opposed on Jan. 23, 2015. Lionsgate then opposed her opposition on Jan. 30, 2015, in a seemingly neverending loop of opposing motions.
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Rapper Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, was sued in civil court in June 2014 for allegedly assaulting a woman while making his way through a crowd during the 2013 Made in America Festival.
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Nicki Minaj’s former hairstylist and wig designer filed a $30 million lawsuit against the rapper in 2014 for allegedly stealing his wig designs and costing him a potential reality show. A judge later dismissed the case for lack of sufficient evidence.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West filed suit against YouTube founder Chad Hurley on Oct. 31, 2013, claiming he posted a video of the couple’s surprise engagement to his website without permission. The process was delayed when Hurley’s reps filed an anti-SLAPP motion in an attempt to have the case dismissed.
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Jahmel Binion filed a lawsuit against Shaquille O’Neal in July 2014 when O’Neal posted a photo to his Instagram account mocking Binion, who suffers from a rare condition that causes facial abnormalities, sparse hair and missing teeth. Binion claimed defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy in the $25,000 lawsuit, and after pressure from the public O’Neal apologized.
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In 2014 singer Chris Brown was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by the cousin of artist Frank Ocean. The defendant claimed Brown and an associate allegedly kicked and punched him when he confronted them about parking in a spot designated for Ocean at a Los Angeles recording studio. Ocean, who was also injured, later said he wouldn't seek criminal or civil penalties.
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From embezzlement to slander, there’s no shortage of celebrity court action
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.