Well it looks like Miley Cyrus might be in a bit of a legal wrecking ball situation. According to a lawsuit, our pop queen and her co-writers Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack didn’t just plant “Flowers” in their own garden—they allegedly snipped some from Bruno Mars’ backyard, too!
Cue the dramatic music, because via Rolling Stone, Tempo Music Investments has filed a complaint in Los Angeles (where else do celebrities get sued, right?) on September 16th. The claim? That Miley’s mega-hit “Flowers” picked a few too many petals off Bruno Mars’ 2013 classic “When I Was Your Man.” I guess they’re saying you can’t just take someone’s bouquet and call it your own!
But wait, it gets juicier. The lawsuit doesn’t just point its legal finger at Miley and her songwriting pals; it also names Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, Walmart, and basically everyone who’s ever hummed the tune in the shower. Apparently, if you sold or streamed “Flowers,” you’re invited to this courtroom party. Hope you RSVP’d!
Tempo Music Investments—who, by the way, sounds like a company that not only invests in music but possibly in the soundtrack for this very courtroom drama—claims they own a piece of the U.S. copyright to Bruno’s song, which they bought from co-writer Philip Lawrence. And no, before you ask, Bruno Mars and his buddies Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt are not the ones throwing legal punches here. They’re too busy being smooth and charming elsewhere.
What’s interesting is that co-writer Michael Pollack, when asked about the resemblance of “Flowers” to “When I Was Your Man,” decided to take the Fifth. He straight-up refused to comment during a Billboard interview in March 2023, which, let’s be real, is pretty much like wearing a neon sign that says, “I’ve got something to hide, but I’m not saying anything… yet!”
Apparently, the inspiration trail runs even deeper—Billboard noted that Philip Lawrence once spilled the tea that “When I Was Your Man” had a sprinkle of Billy Joel’s magic in it. So, is this lawsuit going to turn into a “Billy Joel did it first” situation? Stay tuned, because things are getting tangled faster than Miley’s hair in a windstorm.
The lawsuit claims that any true fan of “When I Was Your Man” can spot the similarities between the two songs faster than you can say, “I should’ve bought you flowers.” Specifically, Tempo is not here for the “melodic pitch design,” “bass line,” “theatrical elements,” and—get this—“certain bars of the chorus” that sound like they were copy-pasted from Bruno’s track to Miley’s. Basically, Tempo thinks “Flowers” is like that person at karaoke who picks your song, sings it better, and then acts like they wrote it. Rude!
Oh, and the lawsuit also calls out the opening vocal line of the “Flowers” chorus as being eerily similar to Bruno’s. You know the line—the one that’s been stuck in your head for months? Yeah, that’s apparently where the legal flower-sniffing begins.
Tempo’s closing argument? They say it’s “undeniable” that without Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” Miley’s “Flowers” would never have bloomed in the first place. According to the lawsuit, it’s basically like she borrowed a bunch of “When I Was Your Man” seeds, sprinkled them into her garden, and grew a Grammy-winning hit. The nerve!
And what does Tempo want for all this alleged flower thievery? Just a little compensation—a cool $150,000 per infringement, or however much the court decides after they blast both songs back to back like it’s American Idol finale night.
Whether “Flowers” blossomed from Miley’s own creative soil or she’s facing a lawsuit over a pop music botanical heist, one thing is certain: this legal drama will be one for the books! Grab your popcorn and stay tuned for the trial—it’s bound to be blooming entertaining. 🌼