'Blurred Lines' trial drawing to a close.

AuthorMcCartney, Anthony
PositionLiving

Byline: Anthony McCartney

LOS ANGELES -- Marvin Gaye was part of the soundtrack of Pharrell Williams' life growing up, and the Grammy-winning singer-producer told a jury that he did not borrow from his idol's work to craft the 2013 hit "Blurred Lines.''

Williams' testimony about how he wrote the song could be crucial to a federal jury that will soon decide whether "Blurred Lines'' improperly copied from Gaye's 1977 hit, "Got to Give It Up.''

Testimony in the case will conclude on Thursday after jurors hear from rapper T.I., who was added to the song after Williams and singer Robin Thicke recorded it in one night in mid-2012.

Williams wrote the music and almost all the lyrics, even though Thicke and T.I. share songwriting credits, testified that he can see how people draw similarities between "Blurred Lines'' and Gaye's music, but that wasn't his intention during the creative process.

"He's one of the ones we look up to,'' Williams, 41, said Wednesday. "This is the last place I want to be.''

Williams said the last thing he would ever do is "take something of someone else's when you love him.''

The inspiration for elements of "Blurred Lines,'' which was the biggest hit of 2013, came from phrases Williams said he heard growing up and the upbeat sound of the disco era in the 1970s.

Williams spent more than an hour describing to a packed courtroom his musical process and he how he crafted "Blurred Lines'' in between working on tracks with Miley Cyrus and rapper Earl Sweatshirt. Thicke arrived after the music and lyrics had been written, Williams recalled. He quickly brought the singer up to speed and they began recording.

"We were bopping and dancing,'' Williams recalled. "It was a cool night.''

His answers were sometimes too lengthy for U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who cut off Williams several times midsentence and didn't allow him to elaborate on some of his answers.

"Blurred Lines'' has earned more than $16 million in profits and more than $5 million apiece for Thicke and Williams, according to testimony offered earlier in the trial.

Williams said after the song was released, he saw similarities between "Blurred Lines'' and Gaye's work but said that wasn't a conscious part of his...

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