Pharrell feels embarrassed by Blurred Lines

[StrawberryBlond 14,881]

In the latest issue of GQ, a special edition called The Masculinity Issue, Pharrell reflected on his controversial 2013 collab with Robin Thicke and T.I. and how, as time has moved on and his research into feminism has grown, he takes a different view of 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. 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. And I would be like, wow. They would have me blushing. 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?

"And then I realized 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 behavior. Or the way I think about things. It just matters how it affects women. And I was like, Got it. I get it. Cool. My mind opened up to what was actually being said in the song and how it could make someone feel. Even though it wasn’t the majority, it didn’t matter. I cared what they were feeling, too. I realized that we live in a chauvinist culture in our country. Hadn’t realized that. Didn’t realize that some of my songs catered to that. So that blew my mind."

Full interview here: https://www.gq.com/story/pharrell-embarrassed-by-blurred-lines

 

It's admirable that he's taken a better outlook but I can't help but feel like he's only doing this now because he was called out. He talks about this song as if it was 30 years old, a completely different cultural time but no, it was just 6 years ago, people know that this language was problematic back then too. And he was 40, was just about to be married, with a 5-year-old, which is more than old enough to know better. And I remember his old songs with N.E.R.D like She Wants To Move and Lapdance and even his recent solo work post-Blurred Lines like Hunter. Not forgetting his jaw-dropping line in Drop It Like It's Hot ("eligible bachelor, million dollar boat that's whiter than what's spilling down your throat"). Even I like all those songs but can see the issues. He's always been the good guy who sings about naughty things but isn't actually into disrespecting women in real life, we're aware of that. So, I find it hard to believe that he didn't have a clue about the issues with this song when it was made. I think one of them even said something like "we're all married and faithful, we just decided to have fun making a naughty song." It's a joke they were all in on. Just feel like they're saying this because they got caught, essentially. I somehow highly doubt he's stopped taking the royalties from all his songs, let's put it that way. But hey, he's admitting to things and changing, so that's good. But he didn't realise we live in a chauvanist culture? *shakes head*

[fivefoottwo 3,108]

i feel like he took way way way too long to denounce the song 

[The Bling 12,253]

1 minute ago, fivefoottwo said:

i feel like Gaga took way way way too long to denounce DWUW

yeah maybe you're right

[FfFfFfFF 56,069]

[DelusionalGaga 29,580]

I would be too if I wrote that. The Light Is Coming next

[Sorcerer 12,507]

Good for him to be finally enlightened and to regret being involved in the song, but the damage was already done when the song was released. Even if the damages might only be minor, artists should be more careful when writing songs, which reminds me of the Do What U Want situation.

But as long as people sincerely apologize for their actions, we should not cancel them for eternity.

[Battle 4 Ur Life 6,716]

as he should. that song is complete trash. 

[LaLa 19,662]

This: "I realized that we live in a chauvinist culture in our country. Hadn’t realized that. Didn’t realize that some of my songs catered to that. So that blew my mind."  is a whole lotta eye roll from me. Like, must be nice to have your mind blown by the fact that sexism exists 

But on the other hand, I'm glad he's actually listened to criticism and reflected and learned.  And him talking about it is valuable. It might influence how other artists respond to things in the future. And having the conversation now is definitely better than never having it at all! So he has my respect for that.

[Morphine Prince 106,185]

The song may be controversial but it's still a bop, I'm not gonna pretend it's not catchy af. 

[Bambino 24,290]

Then he may as well be embarrassed of most songs out there because well that's the music industry for you

[Madling 1,981]

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 

Ain't it great to be a man and to take years to figure out a song is rapey, when all the money has been collected. 

[Madling 1,981]

18 minutes ago, LaLa said:

This: "I realized that we live in a chauvinist culture in our country. Hadn’t realized that. Didn’t realize that some of my songs catered to that. So that blew my mind."  is a whole lotta eye roll from me. Like, must be nice to have your mind blown by the fact that sexism exists 

But on the other hand, I'm glad he's actually listened to criticism and reflected and learned.  And him talking about it is valuable. It might influence how other artists respond to things in the future. And having the conversation now is definitely better than never having it at all! So he has my respect for that.

Has Robin  Thicke ever acknowledged it? 

[Awakened M 3,055]

Oh. Now he speaks up.

[Enzo 37,977]

A weird way to call sweetener but okay 

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

Isn’t he also embarrassed at how he illegally copied the beat from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up”? 

Gurl bye, fraud, it’s too little too late 

You’re not apologising for what you did. You’re apologising that you got called out for what you did