by musician Jessica Lauren (haven't read all of this yet, but still thought worth posting):
I've been thinking hard about the Marvin Gaye Estate vs Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams judgement and I've spent a little while doing a painful comparison: painful because every time I watch the Thicke/Williams video I feel dirty (in a bad way). There is an indefinable magic about the Marvin Gaye tune - I am in awe of what he and the wonderful musicians he worked with made, something so unique and simple and true and funky and SWEET! There is nothing of that in Blurred Lines, a song and video that I find abhorrent in its dangerous lip-smacking consent-free misogynist entitlement. Compare that to Got To Give It Up: Marvin puts himself in the passive position, admits his insecurities, then compliments the women and hopes that they will find him as attractive as he finds them and choose him. Oh Marvin, Marvin, you so so clever sweet seducer you! kiki emoticon
HOWEVER: in my opinion, T/W were guilty of pinching a vibe and only the vibe. There is some falsetto singing; there are people having a party; and there are some bass line/Rhodes stop and starts that are reminiscent; but as Robin Lee and Richard Payton said on DjMarcia Carr's page, the lyric, melodies, chords and hooks (of which there are many, some very small: I may hate the song but it is full of pop hook 'craft') are absolutely not the same as Marvin's or stolen from it. I believe this is not the right judgement. In my opinion there are reasons they should have been ashamed of their song, but not made to pay $7.4m for it. Sadly I can't see the Estate of Marvin Gaye donating the money to Rape Crisis Centres around the USA and elsewhere (yeah right, that's really going to happen)…
HUBRIS: 'Hubris means extreme pride or self-confidence. When it offends the gods of ancient Greece, it is usually punished.' (Wikipedia)
Thicke and Williams are guilty of hubris and we, who love and treasure Marvin's music (careful! The man was sometimes very different to his art) take pleasure in seeing his smug rich imitators humbled (Thicke undoubtedly more than Williams for sure) but they have paid a huge price for it and I think it's unjust.