"Lyrics were written entirely by me": Taylor Swift addresses copyright lawsuit over 'Shake It Off'

American pop-star Taylor Swift has spoken about a copyright lawsuit filed against her over her 2014 single, Shake It Off. The singer has been accused of plagiarizing 2001’s Playas Gon’ Play by the American pop trio 3LW. The lawsuit dates back to 2017, by 3LW songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler. Initially dropped in 2018, the case was later resurrected by an appeals panel. Taylor Swift has now defended the lawsuit, noting that it was her song.

Citing documents from the motion, Billboard quoted the singer as saying:

“The lyrics to ‘Shake It Off’ were written entirely by me.”

Giving more insight into how the song was written, Taylor Swift said:

“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.”

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Taylor Swift says she never heard the song 'Players Gonna Play' until the claim was made

Taylor Swift said she never heard the song 'Players gonna Play' before the lawsuit. (Image via Getty)

In a federal court document filed on August 8, Taylor Swift denied any copyright infringement. Swift argued her case, noting that she could not have plagiarized the 3LW track since she “had never heard the song ‘Playas Gon’ Play’ and had never heard of that song or the group 3LW.” She also added:

“The first time I ever heard the song was after this claim was made.”

Here are both songs for comparison:

Swift also asserted that, “players gonna play” and “haters gonna hate” were widely used aphorisms throughout her childhood. The singer said:

“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.”

Swift also cited various references of the phrase “players gonna play” which has been used in many songs, films, and other works. She also recalled a 2013 performance when she wore a T-shirt with the phrase, “haters gonna hate.”

In a statement, Peter Anderson, who is serving as Swift’s attorney, wrote:

“It is, unfortunately, not unusual for a hit song to be met by litigants hoping for a windfall based on tenuous claims that their own song was copied… But even against that background, [the] Plaintiffs’ claim sticks out as particularly baseless.”

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Taylor Swift released Shake It Off in 2014

Shake It Off was the lead single from Swift’s fifth studio album, 1989. The song was released in August 2014. 3LW released Playas Gon’ Play in 2001 as part of their self-titled debut album. They had initially dropped the lawsuit in 2018, but it was resurrected by an appeals panel the following year. A judge in December 2021 ruled that the case should be decided by a jury, although an official court trial date is yet to be set.

Several copyright issues have been filed against artists previously. Earlier this year, Ed Sheeran emerged victorious from a copyright case filed against his song Shape of You. Katy Perry, too, won a case that was filed against her for the song, Dark Horse.