“Uptown Funk” gon’ give The Gap Band songwriting credits
Many legal experts predicted the $7.3 million verdict against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams—for allegedly building “Blurred Lines” from Marvin Gaye’s spare parts—would have a “chilling effect” on songwriters. Apparently that effect is so chilling, even musicians as cool as Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson are taking bold precautions to insulate themselves against frosty accusations of copyright infringement. Music Week reports the addition of five names to the songwriting credits for Mars and Ronson’s inescapable smash “Uptown Funk,” hoping to avoid a potential copyright suit based on the song’s similarities to The Gap Band’s 1979 funk classic, “Oops Upside Your Head.”