Pharrell talks about battle with Marvin Gaye estate over megahit ‘Blurred Lines’

Even though Pharrell is engaged in a battle with Marvin Gaye’s estate over Robin Thicke’s megahit “Blurred Lines,” he wants to make one thing clear — he has incredible respect for the late soul legend.

“I’m a huge fan of Marvin Gaye. He is a genius. He is the patriarch,” Pharrell said on Thursday night.

The hit making singer and producer collaborated with Thicke on the No. 1 smash, which some have said sounds very similar to Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up.” Last month, Pharrell, Thicke and the song’s other collaborator, T.I., filed a lawsuit asking a judge to determine that it does not copy Gaye’s song and a song by George Clinton. It was a pre-emptive strike against future claims from Gaye’s heirs that the song takes from Gaye’s composition without credit.

Pharrell told The Associated Press on Thursday night that the two songs are not similar at all.

“If you read music, all you have to do is read the sheet music. It’s completely different,” he said while on the red carpet during an event for the Calvin Klein Collection during Fashion Week.

Gaye “is the king of all kings, so let’s be clear about that. And we take our hats off to him,” he said. “But anybody that plays music and reads music, just simply go to the piano and play the two. One’s minor and one’s major. And not even in the same key.”

The Grammy winner has had a huge year; he was also a collaborator on the other big song of the summer, Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.”

“I’m thankful. It’s awesome,” he said. “You know, the people are doing it. You know what I mean? They don’t have to, but the fact that they have, it’s a really awesome experience and moment, you know?”