After performing one of the most listened to songs of 2023, which won her the Grammy for Best Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, American singer Miley Cyrus is facing a case- law for such a famous song: Flowers.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, Cyrus is being accused of plagiarism by Tempo Music Investments, a company that owns part of the song’s copyright. When i was your manby Bruno Mars.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles Court this week, the song, co-written by Cyrus, Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack, “misappropriates legalization of key aspects” of Mars’ original romantic tradition, apparently without asking for permission.
The lawsuit does not directly involve Mars or his co-writers, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt, but is directed against several companies such as Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target and Walmart, for being releasing the allegedly stolen song.
The accusation is based on the alleged similarities between the lyrics of the two songs, where the song is by the singer Party in the United States ending up as a kind of “response” and against the signs of romance described in the Bruno Mars song, something Cyrus’s own fans have been seeing since she released the song.
But apart from the lyrics, the lawsuit also refers to the similarities between the melodic, harmonic and lyrical elements of the two songs, as well as the sequence of notes.
Okay, but Miley takes the clips of the chorus of “When I was your man” by Bruno Mars and reinterprets them in “Flowers. ☕️ Bruno’s song was played at Miley and Liam’s wedding, plus, it’s Liam’s birthday today, and well, we love it. ✨🖤 pic.twitter.com/99tVK3cbLm
— Meredith Gay 🛋️✨ (@MerGarza) January 13, 2023
According to Tempo Music, one of the most striking similarities is chorus Flowerswhich not only references Mars’ lyrics in 2012, but also has similar melodic, bass, and chord progressions, making the song “very similar” to When i was your man.
“It cannot be denied, based on the combination and the number of similarities between the two albums, that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man.’ “With ‘Flowers,’ Cyrus, Hein and Pollack have created an unauthorized derivative work of ‘When I Was Your Man,'” the company said.
“I should buy you flowers, and hold your hand. I should have given you my hours while I had the chance, and taken you to every party because all you wanted to do was dance.” notes the chorus of Mars’ song.
“I can buy flowers, write my name in the sand. I can talk to myself for hours, saying things you don’t understand. I can take myself out to dance, and hold my own hand“, responding at the same time as Cyrus’ song, something fans at the time took as a response to her own husband, actor Liam Hemsworth, at whose wedding the Bruno Mars song was played.
The lawsuit also cites an interview with Michael Pollack, one of the co-writers of the song, with Billboard, where he refused to comment on any comparison between the two goals. The company says that this could be treated as a clear acknowledgment of possible links between the songs.
The charges also emphasize that When i was your manalthough it was written by Mars, it was partly inspired by the work of other artists, including Billy Joel, as Philip Lawrence has said in previous interviews.
Miley Cyrus and her ‘Flowers’ co-writers are being sued by Tempo Music Investments for allegedly copying Bruno Mars’ album ‘When I Was Your Man.’
If successful, Cyrus and other named defendants would be prohibited from reproducing, distributing or publicly performing ‘Flowers.’ pic.twitter.com/N8Yij6B5ZR
– Pop Base (@PopBase) September 17, 2024
Tempo Music requests financial compensation, although the specific value will be determined in court, although it is known that the maximum legal penalty could reach $150,000 for each case of copyright infringement, which could be a large sum considering the great commercial success Flowers.
In addition, the lawsuit also seeks to prevent Cyrus and her collaborators from continuing to reproduce, distribute or perform publicly. Flowers. So far, neither Bruno Mars, nor Miley Cyrus nor the co-authors of the song have commented on the allegations.
#Click on Beats 🚨 Miley Cyrus has just been sued for allegedly copying, plagiarizing and taking inspiration from a Bruno Mars song to make Flowers a hit 🌻#MileyCyrus #BrunoMars #Flowers #Plagiarism # request pic.twitter.com/9njL9xtY33
— GarmoClick (@GarmoClick) September 18, 2024
