Written for Kurrent Music
Published February 17th 2016
Not many artists have had a hit single that kept playing in high rotation for like two years straight, but Robin Thicke is among them with “Blurred Lines”. Within certain circles, Robin Thicke, already had a great reputation, but only sporadically he seemed to hit the mainstream until his collaboration with Pharrell and instant fame followed.
From the outside, it looked like he’d won the lottery, but he let fame get to his head (and mess with it) and lost his long-term relationship with his wife, as well as himself in the mix. And then came the “Blurred Lines” aftermath, where the Marvin Gaye estate sued Robin and Pharrell for copying most of the music. It’s turned into a leading case for the music business, that explores the boundaries of how much ”borrowing” and “sampling” is actually allowed in music, and how songwriters write songs nowadays.