Singer and pop star Miley Cyrus’ hit song Flowers is back on the news. However, it is not another win for the Hannah Montana star, as she became the recipient of a lawsuit. According to TMZ, the singer was sued by an investment firm that shared the rights to Bruno Mars’ When I Was Your Man, citing the similarities between the two tracks.
Flowers won the Grammys last year for Record of the Year, making it the first win for Miley Cyrus. The similarities between the two songs have been brought up before, but they reportedly end with some of Cyrus’ lyrics being a response to Mars’ song. According to an expert, Cyrus does not have to credit Mars as a writer despite it being related lyrically.
Miley Cyrus Gets Sued For Flowers’ Similarities With Bruno Mars’ Song
Miley Cyrus’ Flowers broke several records when it was released in 2023. Apart from staying on top of the US Billboard charts for multiple weeks, it also topped many charts globally and was the best-selling pop single of 2023. It also won Cyrus her first Grammy Award, winning for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
However, the dream run of the song may have hit a snag as Cyrus’ hit solo seemed to have been the subject of a lawsuit. TMZ reported that the firm Tempo Music Investments had filed a lawsuit against the pop star for allegedly copying Bruno Mars’ hit song When I Was Your Man, which the firm claimed to share the copyright for.
The firm reportedly claimed that Miley Cyrus’ Grammy-winning song had many sonic similarities and some lyrics even mirrored Bruno Mars’ chart-topping single from a decade ago. They reportedly claimed,
It is undeniable based on the combination and number of similarities between the two recordings that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man.’
Bruno Mars is reportedly not a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The firm also reportedly mentioned that they were trying to stop Cyrus from performing Flowers.
Miley Cyrus’ Flower Might Just Be Safe From Copyright Infringement, Says Expert
The similarities between Miley Cyrus’ Flowers and Bruno Mars’ When I Was Your Man have been pointed out since the former’s release. While the sonic similarities may be minuscule, the chorus of Flowers can be interpreted as a direct response to the chorus of When I Was Your Man, with Cyrus’ song claiming independence from a past relationship.
Despite the similarities, however, an expert claimed that Cyrus does not need to credit the writers of Mars’ song for Flowers. Many songs have been responses to another track by a rival artist or have references to other artists’ tracks. Diss tracks, by nature, refer to a rival’s songs. The expert mentioned that Cyrus was under no obligation to give the credit.
Lyrically, sure, there’s enough similarity to make listeners think that ‘Flowers’ is deliberately responding to the earlier song. But even if we assume that’s true, so what? Using one song to issue a retort to an earlier song is not, by itself, infringement. John Mayer and Taylor Swift don’t need to cross-license anything when they write songs at each other.
The song has also been speculated to be a reference to Miley Cyrus’ ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, who was previously reported to have dedicated When I Was Your Man to her.
Flowers and When I Was Your Man is available to stream on all major music platforms.
