'I'm constantly inspired, but I would never steal. And neither would Pharrell,' the R'n'B singer says as he insists that his 2013 hit isn't a rip-off of Marvin Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up'.
- Jul 2, 2015
AceShowbiz - Robin Thicke admitted to being "very surprised" when a judge decided that he and collaborator Pharrell Williams' 2013 hit "Blurred Lines" infringed on Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up". Speaking out about the highly-publicized case in a new interview with the New York Times, the R&B singer insisted that he didn't steal anything from the late singer.
"I was surprised. Very surprised. Obviously, that's why we're appealing," he said of the verdict. "I know the difference between inspiration and theft. I'm constantly inspired, but I would never steal. And neither would Pharrell."
Thicke went on discussing his attempt to distance himself from the song in the deposition, saying his action was "careless." According to him, the infringement case was nothing to him back then compared to his split from his ex Paula Patton.
"My personal issues were all that mattered to me at the time. That's why I use the word 'careless' to describe my attitude at the time," he explained. "Obviously, I didn't give my all to the trial. It simply wasn't as important to me as what was going on in my personal life. I was lost at the time. I had lost my way."
Thicke and his high school sweetheart Patton separated last year before finalizing their divorce earlier this year. In attempt to win her back, the singer released the "Paula" album which was a disaster both critically and commercially.
In the interview, he said he started to move on from Patton after he performed "Forever Love" off the album during the 2014 BET Awards and dedicated it to his ex. Following the performance, he said, "I came home, and my best friend of 20 years, Craig Crawford, said, 'I saw your BET performance.' And I said: 'Oh yeah! What did you think?' You know - excited. And he goes: 'I gotta be honest with you, buddy. You're kind of playing yourself. You look like a sucker.' "
"It hit me that I'd lost my perspective. What I thought was romantic was just embarrassing," he added. "And he said, 'You should just go away for a while.' So I shut everything down. I took some time off to be with my son, and to be with my family and close friends. And the more time I took off, the more everything became clear."
