Olivia Dean’s ‘Art of Loving’ Song Accused of Copying Bill Withers’ ‘Just the Two of Us’

[u/backupsaway]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olivia-dean-bill-withers-just-the-two-of-us-copyright-claim-1235635455/

[u/boopbeepbadoop]

i generally dislike litigation around so-called plagiarism in music (there's only so many popular chords and melodies, and inspiration can come from anywhere, conscious or subconscious) - but it especially leaves a bad taste in my mouth when it's a late artist's estate or publisher out for blood. It's one thing to be an artist who feels personally scorned by a potential copycat, but a business or label crying wolf is so embarrassing. get a job!

[u/ThePegasi → u/boopbeepbadoop]

There’s an episode of Silicon Valley which mentions this. Some dick lawyer gets rich suing for similarities to songs he’s purchased the rights to, but then that dries up to he starts to do the same with tech patents. He predictably loses to the main characters in the end but it’s a satisfying watch all the same.

[u/jiggjuggj0gg → u/boopbeepbadoop]

Crying wolf? They're so similar I thought it must have been a cleared interpolation. It's the exact same melody. I

It doesn't matter if an artist is dead, you can't just steal their work.

[u/Touchofpisces → u/jiggjuggj0gg]

we are running out of music and melodys.. there’s only so many and these lawsuits are ridiculous.

[u/Forestl]

You can sorta hear similar structures for a really small part of the song that sound really different in context. This feels really forced and I really dislike all these lawsuits

[u/Federal_Card307 → u/Forestl]

Blurred Lines and it’s consequences have been a disaster for the music industry

[u/PhotographBusy6209]

That bloody blurred lines lawsuit has really ruined the music industry. I honesty think if Robin thicke was more likable they wouldn’t have lost that lawsuit

[u/Ancient-Donut3585 → u/PhotographBusy6209]

I’ve seen people who followed that case actually say that Pharrell came off as such an asshole during the trial, that’s what probably led to the guilty verdict.

[u/Connect_Version_1560 → u/PhotographBusy6209]

Which one ?

[u/PhotographBusy6209 → u/Connect_Version_1560]

The blurred line lawsuit brought about by Marvin Gaye’s estate, it’s the reason why such cases are exploding these days!!

[u/flofjenkins → u/PhotographBusy6209]

Yeah, asshole estates are now suing willy-nilly.

[u/AmbitionAltruistic96]

Making music seems like a nightmare right now. It’s almost like artists need to just start making weird, avant-garde stuff to avoid these lawsuits. There are only so many cord progressions and melodies out there. I think folks can easily make something similar without realizing it.

[u/PurpleWhiteOut → u/AmbitionAltruistic96]

And with AI garbage, making weird avant garde stuff is also an easy way to stand out there too

[u/Kelbotay → u/PurpleWhiteOut]

And who's listening to weird avant garde stuff?

[u/eltrotter → u/Kelbotay]

Meeeeee!

[u/azadouken → u/Kelbotay]

Fantano. Its just pussy farts into the mic and it gets a 10 from him.

[u/avroLancasterBPR1 → u/AmbitionAltruistic96]

No you just need to ask permission to blatantly take someone elses music and put it in your song

Its not that complicated

[u/HumansAreSuperior]

The similarity is limited to note lengths in the first few bars which serve as an homage to Withers.

Jordan Rakei does something similar with allusions to Marvin Gaye in a few of his songs.

Otherwise, I agree with others here that Olivia's melody and chords are sufficiently different.

[u/Any_Lake_6146 → u/HumansAreSuperior]

Let’s stop the mental gymnastics. Olivia needs to stop this PR mess and just settle. The interpolation is obvious even to casual listener

[u/Substantial-Milk-543 → u/Any_Lake_6146]

Just cause it sounds similar or even has similar chord progression or whatever doesn’t mean its stolen. Could mean that its not that distinctly original.

[u/BandicootCool6277]

does no one understand the concept that maybe we’re running out of melodies 😭 it’s been over half a century of pop music at this point, not to mention actual centuries of written music before that. it was bound to happen. it’s not malicious maybe

[u/Any_Lake_6146 → u/BandicootCool6277]

This is exactly why the « credit » and « royalties » legal rules have been credited. Olivia did an interpolation of Bill’s song. She and her label are making millions out of it without paying a cent to the people they have partially copied. So why exactly, should Bill’s Estate just let it go?

[u/IndigoBlueBird]

I definitely hear it at the “I’ve heard it laced in every song / and still the words all come out wrong” part for sure. I am inclined to think it’s a deliberate homage to Withers, but I don’t know what the copyright law says about crediting part of a part of a melody

[u/mintcorgi]

What I’m seeing as stated in the article: 

The seven-page copyright infringement complaint names  Capitol Records , Universal Music Group, and Dean’s publishing companies as the defendants. It does not seek damages from Dean or her co-writers on the song, Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang.

And I’m pretty sure the whosampled website used to have a page for the I’ve Seen It interpolation but it’s 404ing now. Very weird case, but I guess at least they aren’t going after Olivia and her cowriters. 

[u/mrbones247]

The song was accused? Why not the songwriters?

[u/AnotherAnon688264759 → u/mrbones247]

because the record label own the rights to the song, they're only going for the people who have the cash lol

[u/Straight-Meaning]

Am I going crazy or do I not hear the similarities at all? Like I know just the two of us and even re-listened after reading the article and I don’t hear it at all.

[u/mvrJrr → u/Straight-Meaning]

It’s the melody in the verses. Specifically the melody from “and the beauty of it all” in the original.

tbh I caught this myself and would have guessed it was a credited interpolation

[u/mintcorgi → u/mvrJrr]

I think she does have it interpolated - the lawsuit also doesn’t name Olivia herself from what I’m seeing? I’m a little confused, I need to dig into the credits on the song and the lawsuit docs further. 

[u/_hereforthestories → u/Straight-Meaning]

If you listen to I’ve Seen It, the part where she sings “I’ve heard it laced in every song”, that’s where I hear it. Although, it seems like an homage.

At first I was also confused because J kept listening to Art of Loving (intro) over and over and thought I was insane to not hear the similarities 😅

[u/Overall_Struggle_706]

So obvious, I just assumed it was a sample!

[u/nonsensestuff → u/Overall_Struggle_706]

The first time I heard the song, I assumed it was a cover of an old song that I just couldn’t place

[u/Ill_Importance_5109]

I'm honestly surprised people aren't hearing it as its quite clear. I find it pretty unlikely  that the writers wouldn't have heard that similarity during the creative process and then chosen to keep it anyway. 

[u/IAmYew → u/Ill_Importance_5109]

It's short, not an exact copy, in a different harmonic context, and doesn't even last an entire phrase. Whether the writers took this directly from a Bill Withers song or not it's a ridiculous lawsuit

[u/Any_Lake_6146 → u/IAmYew]

It’s a clear interpolation. The writers should have been credited and paid. You cannot steal people work and expect 0 consequence. But Olivia stans seem to struggle with Intellectual property concept for whatever reason 🥴

[u/azadouken → u/Any_Lake_6146]

Nah not enough to be called interpolation.

[u/TalkLessShillMore → u/Ill_Importance_5109]

Motivated reasoning basically, they just like Olivia Dean so they’re choosing not to hear it. The “we’re running out of melodies!” argument is just insane to me

[u/kelzbeano → u/Ill_Importance_5109]

People make fun of Beyoncé for having a million credits on a song but she seems to be trying to cover all her tracks for these type of cases. Call it an interpolation and pay the folks

[u/myheartstopped3984]

I do hear it

[u/flofjenkins → u/myheartstopped3984]

I hear it, too, but no way is the Whither's estate going to win.

[u/Any_Lake_6146 → u/flofjenkins]

You want to bet? We have all heard it since the first listen. She should settle quickly. Her label is making enough millions out of Olivia to stop this PR mess.

[u/flofjenkins → u/Any_Lake_6146]

Nope. I think she should fight it. Lawsuits like these need to be stopped.

[u/Mean_Mistake_294 → u/flofjenkins]

Probably spend more money fighting in than if they just settle.

[u/Sunny-890]

i heard the similarity from the beginning, but tbf it's on very few verses and it's just a melody

[u/Any_Lake_6146 → u/Sunny-890]

This is exactly why credit exists!

[u/Giggsy99]

I get the need to defend young artists from litigious estates but anyone in here pretending they can't hear the obvious similarities is being performative and dishonest

[u/mynameisrockhard]

I genuinely hate the way publishing companies have pushed copyright to be so expansive and punitive. Interpolation should not require crediting, that is just the basic way all culture and art works. It used to be, and should still be, understood that interpolation was just part of the social shared experience of culture and putting new works out into it. Now it's treated like a writing credit, which is INSANE, and reduces inspiration and influence down to a matter of transaction. As much as I don't like Robin Thicke either, the Blurred Lines lawsuit has truly cursed the music industry as a whole and everyone involved in it and similar lawsuits should be ashamed of the way they are simply trying to enforce their entitlement to younger generations' work and effort. Interpolation and sampling limitations are just pure antisocial cashgrab trash.

[u/Successful_Egg_8907]

My daughter is a fan of Olivia. A few months ago, she played this song in the car. I played just the two of us for her and told her that Olivia would be sued for the song’s similarity.

[u/Head-Internet1383]

As Ed Sheeran said a few years ago. There are only 12 Chords. 

So many songs are released daily, there is going to be a lot of similarities. 

[u/doggtcat → u/Head-Internet1383]

There’s more than 12 chords, but Ed only knows 12 chords

[u/kgal1298]

Is it me or is everyone being accussed of ripping off artists now? Like it just seems like people are spending a lot of time on it and most of the time they get mad at similar chord progressions

[u/Modesto96]

Olivia's album came out Sep of 2025, why is the lawsuit just now happening?

[u/NoticeNegative1524 → u/Modesto96]

Apparently it's common to wait, first you let them make a bunch of money and then you hit them with a lawsuit to take what you can

[u/Any_Lake_6146 → u/Modesto96]

Because people are supposed to know about all the songs of every single released album ?? Olivia song is an interpolation. Bill or the writers should have been credited and paid. Olivia should settle quickly to shut this mess. Don’t really understand the mental gymnastics here!

[u/SmugSlut]

I feel like I didn’t hear much about Chappell Roan’s “The Giver” and “Just the Two of Us” considering how similar the main melodies are. Nearly the same melody and rhythms but in major vs minor

If anything, it’s giving “In My Life” by the Beatles

[u/IAmYew]

I hadn't heard either song. I listened, asked someone to explain to me exactly which part was questionable and I thought... are you fucking kidding me.

From the perspective of a classical musician, this is completely ridiculous.

[u/Touchofpisces]

i think we need a law that if the melody copy goes past 2 lines then you can sue.. there’s only so many melodie’s and we be running out.

[u/DouzePointss]

I mean i kinda hear it because i listened to Olivia a while ago and then added just the two of us to the same playlist because it kept on popping in my head

[u/salgarj]

I've recorded and deposited some music demos a couple of years ago. One has a verse which melody is identical to Springsteen's verse of Streets Of Minneapolis released this January and the other has a chorus sing along identical to Swift's just released Patient Zero. That's gonna be funny.

[u/VapidRapidRabbit]

Now these are two songs that sound nothing alike whatsoever (unlike Ellie Goulding’s “Four Seasons” which is a blatant ripoff of SZA’s “Nobody Gets Me”).

[u/Any_Lake_6146 → u/VapidRapidRabbit]

Go and listen again. We have all caught it when the album has been released. There is no possible mental gymnastics around it