Pharrell Williams referred to the Marvin Gaye estate as greedy many months ago when referring to the family's lawsuit against himself and Robin Thicke over the similarities between their hit "Blurred Lines" and the soul icon's "Got To Give It Up." Obviously a jury didn't agree with him, dropping a $7.3 million decision against the songwriting duo this week. Williams' statements might seem to air more on the side of truth now that one of Gaye's daughters has hinted that the no. 1 song of 2014, "Happy," might also sound a bit like the vocalist's "Ain't That Peculiar" (from NME).
Daughter Nona and his ex-wife Janis both drew similarities between the two tracks. The latter figure didn't seem interested in making anything out of it however.
"I heard the mash-ups - but I didn't really need to hear them. I know 'Ain't That Peculiar' and I've heard 'Happy'," she said, before clarifying that she didn't believe the family was interested in pursuing it further. "We're not in that that space...We're just in the moment today and we're satisfied."
If you were one of the many who questioned the similarities between "Blurred Lines" and "Got To Give It Up," you'll no doubt be beyond frustrated trying to draw similarities between the two new potential soundalikes. Although Music Times is one to acknowledge the underlying comparison points behind the music of the former pair, comparing "Happy" and "Ain't That Peculiar" may be overstepping and simply drawing too much from a shared genre. Indeed, the gospel influences that both derive from make for any number of similarities, while still resulting in a wildly different song.
Hopefully the Gaye family heeds the instincts of Janis Gaye and opts out of pursuing further legal action against Williams. Marvin Gaye was one of the most influential figures in the R&B genre and it ain't that peculiar that those who walk in his footsteps draw from his legacy.
