Miley Cyrus is being dragged through the courts regarding her smash hit ‘Flowers’, but it seems she’s not ready to roll over. Attorneys for the songstress fired back against Tempo Music Investments, a fractionally owned part of Bruno Mars‘ composition ‘When I Was Your Man’, after alleging that Cyrus’ No. 1 single borrowed heavily from the 2013 hit.
In their rebuttal filed yesterday, Cyrus’s lawyers dismissed the claims, saying the composition of the two songs could only be done through professional comparison. Here’s what Miley’s lawyers are saying in defense.
Tempo Accuses Miley Cyrus Of Duplication, Her Attorneys Fire Back
Tempo, which owns half the copyright of Miley Cyrus’ song because co-writer Philip Lawrence has half a stake, is not associated with Bruno Mars or other co-writers on the song, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt. As a consequence, Cyrus’ lawyers argued that Tempo doesn’t have the capacity to sue, as it does not also exercise exclusive rights over ‘When I Was Your Man’.
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Tempo’s complaint asserted that ‘Flowers‘ “duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements” from the grammy-winning singer Mars‘ song. The two tracks share similar themes, with ‘When I Was Your Man‘ expressing regret for not showing enough affection, while Cyrus’ ‘Flowers‘ flips the narrative, celebrating independence.
It claimed “that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man,'” arguing that it “duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements” from Mars’ song that came way back in 2013.
Miley Cyrus And Bruno Mars’ Song Comparisons Sparked Controversy Way Back
In ‘Flowers’, Miley Cyrus sings, “I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand / Talk to myself for hours / Say things you don’t understand.” Mars’ lyrics go, “I should’ve bought you flowers / And held your hand / Should’ve gave you all my hours / When I had the chance.”
It was in January 2023 that ‘Flowers‘ was released, which immediately sparked comparisons with Mars’s hit. But Cyrus has explained the song’s evolution, saying, “The original chorus was quite melancholic: “I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand, but I can’t love me better than you can.”
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The final version, however, became an empowering anthem of self-love and independence. Whether the likeness will last in court remains to be seen, as the legal battle unfolds. For now, Miley Cyrus is holding her ground, with her legal team moving to get the case dismissed.
