Miley Cyrus sued, accused of copying Bruno Mars song in 'Fool'

Miley Cyrus is the victim of a lawsuit alleging she and co-songwriters Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack copied parts of a Bruno Mars single when they wrote her Grammy-winning global hit “Flowers,” according to Rolling Stone.

According to a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles, Tempo Music Investments claims that “Flowers” includes unauthorized “exploitation” of elements from Mars' 2013 piano-driven ballad “When I Was Your Man.” The lawsuit names Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, Walmart and several other companies as defendants for allegedly distributing “flowers.”

Tempo owns a percentage of the US copyrights to Mars' songs, which it acquired from co-writer Philip Lawrence. Mars, along with co-authors Ari Levine and Andrew Watt, are not named as plaintiffs in the suit.

A representative for Cyrus when contacted did not return a comment diversity

The lawsuit also notes that Pollack “declined to comment” on the similarity of “Flowers” to “When I Was Your Man” on Mars.
Interview with Billboard in March 2023. In the same article, Billboard notes that Lawrence once said that “When I Was Your Man” was inspired by the artistry of Billy Joel.

Although Mars' lyrics refer to flowers, no similarity between the two is readily apparent from casual listening. However, the lawsuit claims, “any fan of Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man' knows that Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers' didn't achieve all that success on its own. 'Flowers' numerous tunes from 'When I Was Your Man' , imitates melodic and lyrical elements, including melodic pitch designs and verse sequences, connecting bass-lines, specific bars of choruses, certain theatrical musical elements, lyrical elements, and specific chord progressions.”

The suite meticulously dissects the melodic and melodic elements, pitch ending patterns, bass-line structure, and lyrics of both songs, noting that they are “substantially similar”, particularly the opening vocal lines from the chorus of “Flowers”.

“It is undeniable that based on the similarities and numbers between the two recordings that 'Flowers' would not have existed without 'When I Was Your Man,'” the complaint continues. “With Flowers, Cyrus, Heine and Pollack created a derivative work of 'When I Was Your Man' without authorization.”

The lawsuit seeks a “judgmental amount” or a maximum of $150,000 in damages for infringement, which could be a very large total given the record-breaking stream of “flowers.”