As a diehard Led Zeppelin fan I find it ironic that those two 'Blurred Line' twits LOST

[LynneSin]

Let's face it, one can be hard-pressed to find too many artists creating anything truly original especially with the current crop of overly auto-tuned commercial pop music crap out there today. But I kinda think as a huge fan of Led Zeppelin that I should hardly be one to criticize with a hit pop song of today so blatantly sounds like a classic song of the 70s. I mean one only needs to look at the classic collections of Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson to find many of the great songs of Led Zeppelin.

But then again Jimmy Page was never so stupid to actually sue the families of Dixon and Johnson (although the families did sue Zeppelin and rightly so - those artists deserved credit!).

What Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams did was no different that many artists before them have done including the great Jimmy Page - be inspired by the great artists before them to create (or even recreate) the music that inspired them. But only Thicke and Williams were STUPID enough to actually sue the Gaye family when the Gaye family did what everyone else was doing - comment on the very obvious fact that 'Blurred Lines' pretty much sounded closely similiar to Marvin Gaye's 'Got to Give it Up' (and from what I have read it wasn't the first time Thicke did something very similiar to a Gaye song).

So as ironic as it is that yes I am a Led Zeppelin fan and I know my band's history of plagerism at least I know my band would never EVER do something as stupid as suing the families of the the person who originally wrote the song so I had to laugh at this headline!

Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke to pay $7.4m to Marvin Gaye's family over Blurred Lines
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/10/blurred-lines-pharrell-robin-thicke-copied-marvin-gaye

A jury awarded Marvin Gaye’s children nearly $7.4m on Tuesday after determining singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams copied their father’s music to create Blurred Lines, the biggest hit song of 2013.

Marvin Gaye’s daughter Nona Gaye wept as the verdict was being read and was hugged by her attorney, Richard Busch.

“Right now, I feel free,” Nona Gaye said after the verdict. “Free from ... Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told.”

Personally that 'Blurred Line' song is crap. The lyrics treat women like shit and some of the lyrics are borderline rapelike. Marvin Gaye's song was about a guy who saw a beautiful girl on the dance floor and was working up the courage to ask her to dance with her.

[olddots]

1. maybe the cool notes in music are finite

so all we will get now ate rehashes like movies and TV .We learn by copying then hopefully embellish or refine what we learned .

Gimme a real bass player and real drummer anyday over samples damn it !

[Phentex]

2. Well, the plagerism line was not blurred...

[Dont call me Shirley]

3. The lyrics are abusive and mysogenistic.

[LynneSin]

5. That's the other thing that brings me great joy

I love 'Got to Give it Up' and if you listen to the music is really is about a man at a club who doesn't want to stand along the side of the dance floor anymore. There is probably one line a bit questionable in the song (Baby, just party all night long. Let me slip into your erotic zone.) but even then no where in the lyrics does Gaye treat women like dirt nor try to force himself on a woman who might not be interested. Whereas 'Blurred Lines' outside of calling women bitches here's my favorite line - 'I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two'

Gaye's song was classy sexy fun but what Thicke and Williams put out - if a guy tried seducing me to that song I'd slam the damn door in their face.

[Dont call me Shirley]

7. This is the way of new music, make happy sounding tunes and use violence promoting lyrics

Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-03/entertainment/ct-ent-1004-foster-lyrics-20111004_1_school-shooting-pop-music-song

Foster the people how, I ask, into a world of violence against women and classmates? These young artists need to start thinking about the ramifications of their violent hateful lyrics.

I'm really glad that Thicke and Williams lost their suit. The words of their songs are a chilling tale of how women are viewed in this world. That these songs are being promoted to the ears of our young girls and boys is the truly messed up part of this concerning trend.

[LynneSin]

8. I read an interview where Williams and Thicke said it was ok they sang those lyrics because...

they are married men and they both have kids.

To me that made me even madder. Do they have daughters? Do they want their daughters dancing to a song where the guy sings how he wants to do something to her butt that is degrading? I understand there are trillion of songs on the radio today that are just as bad (and some even sung by married men with kids) but for a married father to say 'Hey I can sing these lyrics in joke because I am a married man and father' show just how ignorant these two men really are.

Ironcially Robin Thicke's wife ditched him. Paula Patton can do way better than this sorry person who let's face it, got his fame because of his Daddy's famous name (Robin Thicke is the son of Alan Thicke).

[Dont call me Shirley]

9. Dumber and Dumbest, they sing these lyrics BECAUSE they have kids and are married?!

These hateful violent lyrics are being used as a tool to cause social division amongst our youth. The memes of hatred of women, do-gooders, parents are woven into the melodies and words. It's the anti-60's-love-and-peace movement. It's the skull-and-crossbones-hate-and-divide movement.

Do Thicke and Williams encourage their own kids to indulge in their pop-hate? Or like the tobacco execs, discourage their kids from using their toxic death product?

I miss the music of the 60's, Buffalo Springfield, Mamas And Papas, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, CSNY, when music meant something good, of love and peace. Flower Power. Life.

[progressoid]

13. Last year I was at a valentines fundraising event for a high school

When it was winding down, the DJ played (by request) Blurred Lines. It was bad enough that it was played at all, but more disturbingly was seeing teenage girls AND their mothers dancing to it.

[Dont call me Shirley]

16. The moms probably did not know the lyrics. I didn't until I read them. But if the moms did know...

the lyrics then triple shame on them!

[progressoid]

12. Yeah, Thicke tried to claim the song was an ode to his wife.

Gimme of fcking break Robin.

[LynneSin]

14. And we wonder why Robin couldn't make it work with his wife

She divorced him. His follow-up album was a pathetic failure - it was suppose to be his giant size 'I'm sorry' to his wife and not only did she not buy it but nobody else did either.

[progressoid]

15. The sooner he and that song are gone the better. n/t

[Algernon Moncrieff]

4. Zeppelin has also been sued

The difference: they have always been smart enough to settle out of court.

For the record, I don't blame Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/Peter Grant as much as I blame Ahmet Ertegun. Ertegun, of all of them, should have had the greatest familiarity with the blues artists and music in question, and the legalities of the situation.

Note: I'm a huge Zep fan and an admirer of all 6 men mentioned above.

[LynneSin]

6. Led Zeppelin wasn't the only one who did it back then

It was pretty common place - I think the Brits had a serious fascination with those classic bluesmen of the deep south back in the early 20s. Just that Led Zeppelin did it better than all of them.

And you are right - LZ and Page, who for the most part controls the LZ library, made sure everything was out of court. They weren't going to argue with the family or make fools of themselves and if you buy a LZ album today you will see credit to the original song writers on the remakes.

If only Pharrell Williams had the guidance of someone like Jimmy Page (from what I read Williams is taking most of the blame for the song, Thicke was high the entire time), maybe the Gaye family would worked out a deal. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being inspired by the classics but when you sample a bit too close then give a little credit.

[Johonny]

17. Well, Zep also stole lyrics and lics from contemporary bands

You can get away with taking a riff from a 20-40 year old blues album back then (although most bands credited the source even back then). For instance "My Generation" uses a Jimmy Reed driving beat.

But Zep also stole riffs and whole lyrics from bands like Moby Grape and Spirit which were contemporary with them. Personally I don't mind that Page had a good ear for riffs and working them into his works. I just think they loathed to give any credit to other artists. Their response to comments over the years has ranged from denying it, to paying royalties out of court, to admitting they did it, to acting dumbfounded that people would suggest it. So err... who knows. The bottom line is the Band still put out good product.

[mulsh]

10. The Gaye family sued Pherrell and Thick. Neither the members of Led Zeppelin or Pharrell and Thick

are stupid enough to initiate a plagersim suit

Robert Johnson was long dead, left no legal estate by the time Zep and other were ripping hi...un...inspired by his songs. I'm not sure why Willie Dixon didn't sue. Perhaps he felt like other blues greats of his generation that just getting the exposure these younger groups we getting them was enough.

[LynneSin]

11. No it started when Thicke and Williams pre-emptively sued the family

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/blurred-lines-case-robin-thicke-pharrell-williams-pay/story?id=29539005

The dispute began in 2013, when Thicke, Williams and Harris filed a lawsuit against the Gaye family to defend themselves against a public accusation that they stole parts of "Got to Give It Up." Later that year, the Gaye family counter-sued. Then, in 2014 a judge sided with Gaye's loved ones, ruling that their musicological experts provided sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial.

Look the Gaye Family did what all of us did who are familiar with the music of Marvin Gaye and that was to point out the similarity between the two songs. And btw this wasn't the first time Thicke did a song that pretty much ripped off a Marvin Gaye song. There were other songs that had the same familiarity

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/robin-thicke-sues-marvin-gayes-family-blurred-lines.html
In addition to the alleged infringement on the dance classic “Got To Give It Up” that Thicke and producer Pharrell are supposed to have engaged in to create their massive song of the summer “Blurred Lines,” the Gaye family is also taking aim at alleged use of “After the Dance” on Thicke’s title track “Love After War”–

But the Gaye Family had not taken up any legal actions at the time Williams and Thicke filed their lawsuit. Thicke & Williams started the legal action thinking if they started action first they could get the upper hand in the case. This is something even Jimmy Page would have never been so stupid to have done (for Led Zeppelin they were smart and settled everything out of court - Page was more than willing to admit they used the music). Gaye's family only filed the counter-suit after the first lawsuit was filed.

I would think if Thicke and Williams had so much respect and admiration for the music of Marvin Gaye that instead of jumping the gun on legal action that they would have met face to face with the family and worked out a deal. Thicke and Williams were stupid and I look forward to watching them write a $7.3 million dollar check for that sexist piece of crap song. I have no clue if the Gaye Family was planning a lawsuit, we'll never know since they did not file until afterwards but again what choice did they have? I would have done the same thing if I was being sued for writing a song that someone else may or may not be ripping off and then decided to sue me for questioning it.

[mulsh]

18. You are right. I was wrong. Thanks for setting me straight.

That additional info you posted makes pharrell and thicke sound even more more moronic than that song their plagiarized song.

[LynneSin]

19. It's ok and btw I'm not even sure if the song was truly plagiarized

You listen to Led Zeppelin's "You Shook Me" off of Led Zeppelin I - that was a Willie Dixon song and the family pretty much had to sue Zeppelin to get credit. Page and Peter Grant were jerks about it first but in the long run they settled out of court and did the right thing.

But there is a vague similarity between "Blurred Lines" and "You Got to Give it Up" so I'll be the first to agree with Williams and Thicke that maybe it was more like a song inspired by Gaye's classic hit. But since the idiots of "Blurred Lines" sued first I hardly feel sorry for them losing and to add to that the lyrics of "Blurred Lines" are so overly sexist/misogynistic that the thought of that song offends me. Thicke and Williams claim that since they are Husbands and fathers that it was funny that they sang those lyrics because it's the last thing they would ever think towards women. I have to wonder if either of them had a daughter and how they would feel if a boy played that song for their daughter that sang about how 'I going to give you something that will break your ass in two'.