In response to a lawsuit that claims Taylor Swift stole the lyrics to "Shake It Off," the pop superstar has declared that the lyrics for the song "were written entirely by me" and that she has "never heard" the song she has been accused of copying.
A 2017 copyright lawsuit claims that Swift stole the lyrics to her 2014 hit single "Shake It Off" from the 2000 song "Playas Gon' Play" by 3LW.
"In writing the lyrics, I drew partly on experiences in my life and, in particular, unrelenting public scrutiny of my personal life, 'clickbait' reporting, public manipulation, and other forms of negative personal criticism which I learned I just needed to shake off and focus on my music," Swift explained in a motion, according to Billboard.
"I recall hearing phrases about players play and haters hate stated together by other children while attending school in Wyomissing Hills, and in high school in Hendersonville," she added. "These phrases were akin to other commonly used sayings like 'don't hate the playa, hate the game,' 'take a chill pill,' and 'say it, don't spray it.'"
A judge had dismissed the lawsuit in 2018, but an appeals panel resurrected the case. In December 2021, Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald said that a jury might find that Swift's 2014 chart-topping hit had infringed a copyright to "Playas Gon' Play."
(Photo: Valheria Rocha)
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