After winning a $7.4 million judgment over one hit song by Pharrell Williams, the family of Marvin Gaye may take Pharrell to court again over another song.
Time magazine reports that the family in looking into similarities between Pharrell’s Academy Award-nominated “Happy” and Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar.”
As we reported Wednesday, the Gaye family just won a huge judgment in a case involving Pharrell and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” with a jury ruling that parts of the song were stolen from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.”
Gaye’s daughter, Nona Gaye, is quoted saying, in reference to “Happy” and “Ain’t That Peculiar”: “I’m not going to lie. I do think they sound alike.”
“Happy” was featured in the movie “Despicable Me 2,” topping the Billboard charts and receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song in 2014.
Nona Gaye also commented about the “Blurred Lines” ruling: “Inspiration’s fine, but the line is when you decide to take the complete and utter essence out of the song. When you take all the meat, and leave the bones.”
Some family members appear to be downplaying the possibility of legal action over “Got to Give It Up.”
Marvin Gaye’s former wife, Janis Gaye, is quoted in the report saying: “We’re not in that space. We’re just in the moment today and we’re satisfied.”
Here’s “Ain’t That Peculiar”:
Wow maybe Pharrell should stop channeling “Motown” and get his own music. This really changed the way I felt about this guy not so apt to buy anything he puts out or watch “The Voice” something I hate more than anything is a liar and a thief!
“Ain’t that Peculiar” is a Smokey Robinson written and produced song. I haven’t heard him complain yet. Marvin Gaye, whom I loved, didn’t write that song.