On March 15, 1997 “Got to Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye was released.
The single, which has become one of Gaye’s signature hits, was a worldwide success. It topped various Billboard charts, including the Hot 100 chart. In addition, it was Gaye’s first “disco” song.
Marvin Gaye performing “Got to Give It Up” on Soul Train:
The song attained popularity once again in 2013 when Robin Thicke released “Blurred Lines,” featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I. “Blurred Lines” was a worldwide success, being Robin Thicke’s biggest hit of his career. The song, however, was the subject of copyright infringement, with the Gaye family accusing Thicke and company of copying “Got to Give It Up.” Thicke himself in various statements gave conflicting accounts regarding how “Blurred Lines” came about, and ultimately, in 2015, a federal jury declared that “Blurred Lines” did in fact infringed on “Got to Give It Up.” The family of Gaye, as a result, was awarded $7.4 million.