If you think Miley Cyrus' Grammy-winning "Flowers" sounds strikingly similar to Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man," you're not the only one. TMZ reports that Tempo Music Investments, a firm that says it owns a portion of the copyright to Mars' tune, filed a lawsuit this week against Cyrus, claiming she's guilty of "intentionally copying" the Mars song for 2023's "Flowers," with everything from the melody, harmonies, chorus, chord progressions, and even some of the lyrics being too close for comfort to what's found in "When I Was Your Man."
The complaint, which Rolling Stone notes was filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, also names two co-writers of "Flowers" as defendants, as well as Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, and Walmart as distributors of the song. Mars himself isn't named as a plaintiff in the suit. Tempo Music says it became a part owner of Mars' song, which was released more than a decade ago, when it acquired rights via song co-writer Philip Lawrence.
"Any fan of Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man' knows that Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers' did not achieve all of that success on its own," the suit claims, adding that the similarities are "undeniable." Tempo Music is seeking unspecified damages, as well as a ruling that would bar Cyrus, 31, from performing, distributing, or reproducing her hit song, which Page Six notes was reportedly written by the pop star about her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth. (More Miley Cyrus stories.)