It’s been six years since ‘Blurred Lines’ hit the charts, but we’re all still feeling pretty uncomfortable about it – including one of its collaborators, Pharrell Williams.
When it was released, ‘Blurred Lines’ made headlines for all the wrong reasons – mostly for the song’s sexually inappropriate and misogynistic lyrics that many believed promoted rape culture. The song was banned from university events around the UK and US after officials believed lyrics like “I know you want it” encouraged an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent.
Fast-forward to 2019 and Pharrell is done with defending the track. Speaking to GQ, Williams said he didn’t initially understand the backlash, but eventually realised the impact of the language used in the song.
“Some of my old songs, I would never write or sing today. I get embarrassed by some of that stuff. It just took a lot of time and growth to get to that place… I think ‘Blurred Lines’ opened me up,” he said.
“I didn’t get it at first. Because there were older white women who, when that song came on, they would behave in some of the most surprising ways ever…they would have me blushing,” he admitted. “So when there started to be an issue with it, lyrically, I was, like, What are you talking about? There are women who really like the song and connect to the energy that just gets you up. And I know you want it – women sing those kinds of lyrics all the time. So it’s like. What’s rapey about that?”
“I realised that there are men who use that same language when taking advantage of a woman, and it doesn’t matter that that’s not my behaviour…it just matters how it affects women.”
“I realised that we live in a chauvinist culture in our country,” he said. “Hadn’t realised that. Didn’t realise that some of my songs are catered to that.”
The song was slammed for objectifying women, but that was just the start of the controversy. The same year the song was released, Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke and T.I. were sued by the family of Marvin Gaye for copying the “feel” and “sound” of his 1977 track ‘Got To Give It Up.’
Then, Thicke and Miley Cyrus sent tongues wagging with their performance of the song at the MTV Video Music Awards which became the most tweeted about event in history.
Like us, it sounds like Pharrell is quite happy to forget the absolute sh*tshow that was ‘Blurred Lines.’ Here’s hoping it’s another lesson learned.