The year 2013 seems much further back than a mere three years ago. Here’s a brief recap: Prince George was born, Jodi Arias was convicted of murdering her husband, both Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher passed away, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden came to international fame, and most importantly, "Blurred Lines" was the longest running number one single of the year.
My beef with Blurred Lines mostly revolved around it’s explicit message of “no” not necessarily meaning “no,” and the overall objectifying tone of the accompanying video. I must confess, I had never heard of Marvin Gaye until rather recently. For someone who was unacquainted, Gaye was a prolific soul singer and songwriter known for pioneering R&B. One of his most well-known songs is 1997’s “Got to Give it Up.” A song so well known, that a Los Angeles court ruled that "Blurred Lines" completely ripped it off. Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams are now on the line for 7.3 million dollars to Gaye’s family. The judge did rule that rapper T.I. is off the hook, though.
Newly released deposition footage that was played at the trial, show Thicke and Williams in very different states of mind while being questioned. Pharrell laces his fingers and covers his mouth. He rarely speaks before glancing at his lawyer. It is clear that he is beyond frustrated and bored. The man conducting the interview is attempting to prove that Pharrell did indeed write Blurred Lines with the intent to plagiarize "Got to Give it Up." He asks Pharrell about the chord similarities between the two songs. Pharrell rolls his eyes and states “I’m not here to teach you music. I am not a teacher”. The interviewer accuses him of not answering his questions. “Bro,” he says slowly. “Whatever you wanna do, man.”
In Mr. Thicke’s deposition video, the tone is a little lighter. Like Pharrell, he’d clearly rather be somewhere else. Unlike Pharrell, he doesn’t seem particularly insulted or surprised that "Blurred Lines" could be too close for comfort to "Got to Give it Up." He speaks clearly and annunciates. He’s bizarrely candid. The interviewer refers to an Oprah conversation he had done the previous year. With all due respect, I was high and drunk every time I did an interview last year," he says, "So there are some quotes I don't remember saying." For someone who is being accused of intentionally ripping off a music legend, he comes off as very snide and arrogant. “I say whatever I need to say in order to sell records,” he states.
Although his song "Happy" will haunt my nightmares forever, I have such respect for Pharrell. Unlike most of his of contemporaries, he writes his own music and can actually play instruments. Before his face became a fixture on "The Voice," he was involved in numerous other critically-acclaimed projects. He genuinely seems to like music. Robin, on the other hand, does not seem as forgivable. He is repetitive, forgettable, and his shock value comes off as exploitative, rather than revolutionary. Regardless of their character, they are worth more than 100 million dollars combined. This case will not be the end of their careers or their bank accounts.
