Robin Thicke upheld his claim that he did not plagiarize Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" when he came up with "Blurred Lines" in his first interview after a jury has decided otherwise. He recently told the The New York Times. "I'm constantly inspired, but I would never steal. And neither would Pharrell."
The singer then went on to explain the differences between stealing and inspiration, stating that the former could happen unintentionally. "Why would I want to, or have to, steal from anybody to make my music?" He rhetorically asked. Moreover, he said the events of the "Blurred Lines" copyright trial have not affected his artistic practices. "If the verdict holds up, I believe that it will have a ripple effect on the arts and the industry in general," he said. "I mean, if you made the first superhero movie, do you own the concept of the superhero?" The artist, however, was not able to take a chance on the case's appeal.
Thicke also elaborated an example of songs that sound exactly the same. Specifically he said "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars sounded like a song from Gap Band. He also added that Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" are the same. Speaking on the matter, his words are, ""Those songs are the same. "Stay With Me" and Petty's "I Won't Back Down." The same notes, on the same timing, in the same rhythm. The two songs are exactly the same."
Thicke also talked about accusations of spreading rape culture with the lyrics to "Blurred Lines." He said that neither he nor collaborator Pharrell Williams would have written a song with "such a connotation" and that he felt that nobody would make that association had he not made a video for "Blurred Lines".
