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Tempo Music, a music rights fund, has filed a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus and several other entities, alleging that her 2023 hit song “Flowers” infringes on the copyright of Bruno Mars’ 2013 hit “When I Was Your Man.”
The lawsuit claims that “Flowers” shares numerous similarities with “When I Was Your Man,” including melodic structure, harmonic progressions, and lyrical themes. Tempo Music, which acquired a portion of the copyright to “When I Was Your Man” in 2020, argues that “Flowers” would not exist without the original song.
The lawsuit names Miley Cyrus, Sony Music Entertainment, several music publishers, and even streaming services and retailers who sold or streamed “Flowers.” The complaint specifically points to the lyrical similarities between the two songs, highlighting the line “I should have bought your flowers and held your hand” from “When I Was Your Man” and its apparent echo in “Flowers” with the line “I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand.”
Tempo Music seeks damages for copyright infringement, potentially reaching a significant sum given the immense popularity and sales of “Flowers.” The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were aware or should have been aware that “Flowers” was an unauthorized derivative work based on “When I Was Your Man.”
