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Pharrell Opens Up About How the ‘Blurred Lines’ Controversy Changed His Perspective Forever: ‘I Didn’t Get It at First’

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The ripple effects of “Blurred Lines” still persist in music and culture today. On the surface, it’s just another sleazy R&B and pop song about trying to hook up with a woman. However, the censored music video and some of the songwriting created an incredible unease, especially with some female listeners. Women knew firsthand some of the gross tactics guys try and coerce a woman to have sex with them. Gradually, the Robin Thicke, Pharrell, and T.I. song became extremely outdated in the world of increased feminist empowerment.

Robin Thicke’s career tanked shortly afterward, as he grappled with all the backlash. Moreover, the copyright lawsuit with Marvin Gaye’s estate put him and the Neptunes producer in an incredibly uneasy situation. Amidst all of this though, Pharrell’s perspective on masculinity slowly began to change.

In a 2019 conversation with GQ, Pharrell got into a deep conversation about blurring the lines of masculinity. There, he opened up about growing up in an era where misogyny was the norm and more sexually explicit content wasn’t always the most thoughtful. Consequently, it made him a little bit embarrassed. But it was the “Blurred Lines” controversy that radically altered his perspective for good.

How the ‘Blurred Lines’ Controversy Inspired Pharrell’s Growth

“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?’” Pharrell admitted. “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 r*pey about that?’”

Then, he realized that a lot of men would use a lot of the same “Blurred Lines” language in order to take advantage of women. It opened up his mind to the kind of world he lived in, where these kinds of horrible things are normalized. Realizing his contribution with some of his older records, Pharrell pivoted away from that particular form of masculinity.

As an example, he recalled making his smash hit “Happy” with Cee-Lo Green in mind. But once he made it for himself, it made him a lot softer.

“But when I do stuff for other people, that allows me to channel things for them, and so the universe set up the perfect conditions to get me to write a song like that. That made me cry. It literally made me cry,” Pharrell admitted. “Like, I was on the ‘Oprah’ show for my birthday, and she showed me a video of people around the world singing that song, and that sh*t f*cked me up. Bad. I was never the same. So I don’t beat on my chest. I haven’t been the same since any of that music.”

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