International pop star Miley Cyrus has been sued for her Grammy-winning track ”Flowers.” As per the lawsuit the hit single which has been on top of the charts worldwide has a striking resemblance to Bruno Mars’ 2012 hit ”When I was your Man.” The complaint has claimed that Cyrus has copied some portion of Mars’ song without taking permission, resulting in intellectual property infringement.
The case has been filed in federal court by Tempo Music Investments, a firm that claims to own a share in Mars’ song. It has been alleged that the lyrics and melody structure of ”Flowers” have been taken from Mars’ Grammy-awarded song. Mars has lamented the past lover for not treating her well in the hit track whereas Cyrus’ song has lines that consist of a message of self-empowerment.
Similarities in the songs
Bruno Mar’s track goes like this, ”I should have bought flowers and held your hand. On the other hand, Cyrus’s lyrics say, ”I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand”. The narrative of the song in Cyrus’ track has been changed to self-reliance and independence. The plaintiff argues that the lyrics and theme interplay but it is still not different from each other. The melody and the chord progression have also been claimed to have similarities.
This is not the first time a famous artist has been accused of borrowing elements from another artist’s work. A string of copyright lawsuits has been in the news recently involving singers like Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, and Robin Thicke. Courts will be identifying the differences and verify whether there have been similarities between the songs or is just a mere coincidence.
A formal statement regarding the copyright lawsuits has not been issued either by Miley Cyrus or by her legal team.
