Miley Cyrus Inspiration for Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' According to Pharrell Williams in Lawsuit Testimony

Things have gotten exciting in the "Blurred Lines" trial as Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams have entered the picture to offer testimony defending their hit song against claims from the Marvin Gaye estate that the no. 1 single is dangerously similar to the soul icon's "Got to Give It Up." Williams, the producer and occasional crooner, took to the stand this week and declared that the first performer he had on his mind when he drafted "Lines" wasn't Gaye at all, but Miley Cyrus (from NME).

"I had Earl Sweatshirt in one room and Miley Cyrus in the other. I was doing a bunch of country-sounding music with Miley," Williams stated. "It was like blending this country sound with this up-tempo groove."

Many may have presumed Thicke's lyrics were somewhat inspired by Cyrus after the way he went to town on her during the MTV VMAs during 2013, but instrumentally? Williams continued for nearly an hour describing the creative process behind the song. He concluded that he could understand the comparisons of the two tracks but denied that any attempt was made to mimic Gaye.

Recent legal cases might shift the direction this lawsuit heads, if the court rules that Thicke and Williams had accidentally borrowed from Gaye's track. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were recently given a minor songwriting credit on Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" because of its structural similarity to the Heartbreaker's "I Won't Back Down." Petty stated very plainly that he didn't suspect Smith of any wrongdoing, and that such things were natural accidents for those in the industry.

That case was settled out of court however, so we're not sure what kind of retrospective payment was made to Petty and Lynne. This case could easily be settled in the same way if the Gaye family doesn't get too ambitious.

Last week's testimony from Thicke was especially interesting, as it involved him playing songs from U2 and The Beatles on a piano in the courtroom to present evidence of similar melodies and rhythms existing throughout the music industry.

Tags

Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus, Marvin Gaye, Sam Smith, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers