Blurred Lines

In July 2012, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams collaborated on "Blurred Lines" during a three-day studio session. Williams developed a funk-inspired drum rhythm with syncopated cowbell patterns and a repeating two-chord sequence. Thicke then added a vocal line and lyrics centered on pursuing another man's partner. The two completed and recorded the song in about 90 minutes. Thicke and Williams wanted to get a rapper from the Southern part of the United States to be part of the song. They ended up choosing T.I. T.I. would add a rap verse to the song several months later. An ad was created for Radio Shack to market the Beats Pill, a small stereo, that showed Thicke, Pharrell, and the models repeating the look of the (clothed) music video, but with the models holding up the Beats Pill. ==Music and lyrics==

"Blurred Lines" has been described as a disco, pop and R&B track. Its instrumentation consists of bass guitar, drums, and percussion. According to Emily Bootle of New Statesman, the song takes on a playful tone, with elements of humor reflected in its bassline, vocals, and lyrical content. Tucker noted that what prevents the song from descending into creepiness is that Thicke remains "gentlemanly and debonair" when the object of his desire rejects him. Sezin Koehler of Pacific Standard suggested that the lyrics imply women are expected to associate sex with pain and identified additional elements she believed had similarities to rape. Thicke told Howard Stern during an interview on The Howard Stern Show that "Blurred Lines" was inspired by his then-wife Paula Patton. He confessed to Stern: "My wife is Mrs. Good Girl, but gradually over our marriage, I've turned her into a bad girl." == Critical reception ==

"Blurred Lines" was heavily panned by music critics, who stated that it glorifies rape culture. The Daily Beast Tricia Romano described the track as "kind of rapey." Katie Halper for Raw Story opined that the track has "rape-condoning lyrics". Elizabeth Plank of Salon.com noted that the "lyrics are rapey". Ann Powers for NPR declared that the verse: "I know you want it," objectifies women and condones rape. Writing for The Independent, Mollie Goodfellow described Thicke as the "weaselly face of the rape anthem 'Blurred Lines'." Callie Ahlgrim and Courteney Larocca of Insider commented that if "you could cancel a song the way fans cancel artists, 'Blurred Lines' deserves to be that song." They continued, saying its "existence is a huge injustice to women everywhere." Andy Hermann for The Village Voice stated that Thicke and Williams ruined the summer of 2013 with the "smug turd of a pop tune" and deemed the song "terrible, tacky, [and] derivative." In his review for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield gave the song a negative review, calling it "the worst song of this or any other year". Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian labeled it as "the most controversial song of the decade". Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club criticized the track for conveying a tone she considered to be demeaning, describing its themes as suggestive and exclusionary. Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune described the song's lyrics as "dunderheaded", while saying Thicke "scrapes bottom with his single-entendre come-on's." Trevor Anderson of Billboard opined that the song continues to draw mixed reactions from critics and listeners. Some reviews, however, were more positive. Jim Farber, writing for New York Daily News, called the song "irresistible" and mentioned it had an "utter lack of pretense". In her review for The Christian Science Monitor, Nekesa Mumbi Moody labeled the song as "undeniable", and wrote that it had become a "cultural flashpoint". The staff of The New Zealand Herald lauded the track as "cool" and "inventive". The Ledger James C. McKinley Jr praised "Blurred Lines" as a "catchy come-on". Brendon Veevers, writing for Renowned for Sound, emphasized Thicke's vocal range and the track's blend of rhythms with help from T.I. and Williams. The staff of Rolling Stone ranked the track at number 50 on their list of the "100 Best Songs of 2013", noting its popularity during the summer and crediting its success because of Williams' hook. Accolades "Blurred Lines" was nominated for multiple awards. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, and for Best Collaboration at the 2014 BET Awards. It was nominated for Hip-Hop/R&B Song of the Year at the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and Single of the Year at the 2013 American Music Awards. It was nominated for Best Collaboration and Best Song of the Summer at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, It also won an award for Song of the Year and Best Collaboration at the 2013 Soul Train Music Awards, and Outstanding Duo or Group at the 45th NAACP Image Awards. ==Release and commercial performance==

"Blurred Lines" first appeared as a video posted on Vevo on March 20, 2013. It was released as the lead single on March 26, 2013, from Thicke's studio album Blurred Lines (2013), through Star Trak Recordings and Interscope Records. It was released to Contemporary hit radio on May 21, 2013. It was released as a single with a remix by Filipino music producer Laidback Luke in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2013. A remix featuring Colombian singer J Balvin was released on July 23, 2013, in Colombia. A no rap version of the track was released alongside Laidback Luke's remix and both music videos. An EP featuring remixes by Laidback Luke, Australian producer Will Sparks, and American producer DallasK was made for the single. Another EP for was released for "Blurred Lines". The EP also features the Laidback Luke remix, "When I Get You Alone", "Lost Without U", "Magic", and "Sex Therapy". "Blurred Lines" debuted at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100. After the song's unrated version of the video was released, the song rose from number 54 to number 11. The song reached number one in June 2013, giving T.I. his fourth, Pharrell his third, and Thicke's first number one hit in the US. "Blurred Lines" topped the Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, making it the longest running single of 2013. Billboard named "Blurred Lines" the song of the summer in September 2013. On the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the song reigned at number one for 16 weeks, making it one longest tracks to stay at number one on the chart. In June 2018, The single was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting track-equivalent sales of 10,000,000 units in the US based on sales and streams. The remained at number one the following week, selling 200,000 copies. It spent five non-consecutive weeks at number one. "Blurred Lines" was confirmed to have sold 1 million copies on its 50th day of release, becoming Williams' second song in only a month to achieve that feat in Britain after being featured on Daft Punk single "Get Lucky". According to the Official Charts Company, the single became Britain's best-selling single of 2013 with sales of 1,472,681 copies. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with sales of 14.8 million, simultaneously breaking the record for the largest radio audience in history. == Music video ==

Background and synopsis A music video for "Blurred Lines" was directed by Diane Martel and was released on March 20, 2013, while an unrated version was released on March 28, 2013. The unrated version of the video was removed from YouTube on March 30, 2013, citing violations of the site's terms of service that restricts the uploading of videos containing nudity, particularly if used in a sexual context. It was restored on July 12, 2013. The unrated version of "Blurred Lines" generated more than one million views in the days following its release on Vevo. Thicke told GQ they wanted to do "some old men dances" whilst jesting with taboo subjects such as bestiality, drug injections, and things that are "derogatory towards women". When it came to the silver Mylar balloons arrangement, Thicke said it was Martel's idea. They wanted to "go over the top" and be as witless as possible. The video features Thicke, T.I., and Williams. It also includes three models: Emily Ratajkowski, Elle Evans, and Jessi M'Bengue. The video includes a scene with silver Mylar balloons arranged to spell out "Robin Thicke Has a Big Dick". The video depicts topless models lying in bed with Thicke, posing playfully, while one model is shown on a large stuffed dog sticking her tongue out. Bertie Brandes of Vice criticized the video as offensive, arguing that it relied on sexist themes and uninspired imagery posed as playful provocation. She described it as being more disturbing than entertaining. Andy Kellman of AllMusic labeled it as a "deliberately sexist video", opining that it "further polarized opinions". Writing for Slate, Geeta Dayal called the video "loathsome". Aidan Moffat for The Quietus labeled it is as "awful, sexist and asinine". The Cut Ann Friedman mentions that her issue was not the naked women and it being inappropriate. She opined it that featuring naked women and clothed men in "party mode is boring, uninventive, and slightly alienating". In response to criticism of the video, Thicke stated that its provocative content should not have been considered controversial. He attributed the concept to Martel, noting that he preferred the version featuring clothed models and claimed he only released the unrated version after encouragement from his wife and her friends. Thicke told Digital Spy the critics needed "to come up with something more original" when calling it sexist. In February 2021, Thicke said to the New York Post that he was never going to make a video like "Blurred Lines" ever again. Ratajkowski at first defended the video, saying she didn't think it was sexist and was made with a "sarcastic attitude". She said that they were "being playful" and having a good time with their body. The model thought it was important for young women to have that confidence, and that it is actually celebrating women. In an interview with InStyle in September 2015, Ratajkowski stated the video is "the bane of my existence". The visual was nominated for Video of the Year and Best Male Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. It was also nominated for Best Video at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. == Controversy and criticism==

Upon its release, "Blurred Lines" faced criticism from commentators for trivializing sexual violence, objectifying women, and perpetuating rape myths. Katie Russell, a spokeswoman for Rape Crisis England & Wales, a feminist charity that raises awareness and understanding of sexual violence, said the lyrics glamorized violence against women and reinforced rape myths. She argued that the song's lyrics and music video objectified and demeaned women, contending that many considered it offensive and outdated. She concluded by saying certain lyrics are "explicitly sexually violent and appear to reinforce victim-blaming rape myths." In the U.S., in Marshfield, Wisconsin, Lisa Joling, head coach of the Marshfield High School dance team, was fired in August 2013, three days after a halftime performance by her dance class to the song. In the United Kingdom, some universities banned the song from use at student events. At the University of Edinburgh, students' association officials stated that the song violated its policy against "rape culture and lad banter" and promoted an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent. It was also banned at the universities of Bolton, Derby, Kingston, Leeds and West of Scotland. Students at the University of Exeter voted against a ban but for a condemnation of the lyrics to be issued by the Students' Guild. Williams initially defended "Blurred Lines". The singer told NPR there was nothing misogynistic about it and that he was grateful to everybody who supported the song. Further defending the song, Williams mentioned to Pitchfork that there was nothing controversial about the song and appreciated how "Blurred Lines" helped Thicke "to a place where he deserves to be vocally." In an interview with GQ in October 2019, Williams explained that he had misunderstood the backlash, assuming the song appealed to women. He stated that the song reflected elements of a "chauvinistic culture" and admitted that some of his music had reinforced those attitudes. Accusations of sexual harassment On October 3, 2021, The Sunday Times published an excerpt from Ratajkowski's memoir My Body, in which she alleged that Thicke sexually harassed her during the filming of the music video. She claimed that Thicke unexpectedly groped her, prompting her to pull away and turn toward him, noticing he appeared to be smiling. ==Lawsuit==

(pictured) ruled that Thicke and Williams owe Marvin Gaye's family $5.3 million. In August 2013, Thicke, Williams, and T.I. sued Marvin Gaye's family and Bridgeport Music for a declaratory judgment that "Blurred Lines" did not infringe copyrights of the defendants. Gaye's family accused the song's authors of copying the "feel" and "sound" of "Got to Give It Up". In the lawsuit, Gaye's family was accused of making an invalid copyright claim since only expressions, not individual ideas can be protected. In September 2014, The Hollywood Reporter released files relating to a deposition from the case. Within the deposition Thicke stated that he was inebriated on Vicodin and alcohol when he showed up to record the song in the studio, and that Williams had the beat and wrote the vast majority of the song. Within Williams' respective deposition file, the producer noted that he was "in the driver's seat" during the song's creation and agreed that Thicke, in past interviews, "embellished" his contributions to the songwriting process. On October 30, 2014, United States District Court for the Central District of California Judge John A. Kronstadt allowed Gaye family's lawsuit against Thicke and Williams to continue, concluding that the plaintiffs had presented enough evidence to suggest that "Blurred Lines" shared similarities with "Got to Give It Up". The trial was set to begin on February 10, 2015. Williams and Thicke filed a successful motion in limine to prevent a recording of "Got to Give it Up" from being played during the trial. The motion was granted because the family's copyright covered the sheet music and not necessarily other musical elements from Gaye's recording of the song. The unanimous jury awarded Gaye's family 7.4 million ( in ) in damages for copyright infringement and credited Marvin Gaye as a songwriter for "Blurred Lines". In July 2015, the judge rejected a new trial and the verdict was lowered from 7.4 million to 5.3 million ( in ). In August 2016, Thicke, Williams, and T.I. appealed the judgment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A few days later, more than 200 artists—including Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, John Oates of Hall & Oates, R. Kelly, Hans Zimmer, Jennifer Hudson, and members of Train, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Black Crowes, Fall Out Boy, The Go-Go's, and Tears for Fears—joined an amicus curiae brief authored by attorney Ed McPherson. The document argued that the jury's verdict risked penalizing songwriters for creating tracks influenced by earlier music. In December 2018, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's finding of infringement against Williams and Thicke. Both singers still had to pay Gaye's family 5.3 million. Thicke was also ordered to pay more than 1.7 million ( in ) and Williams and his publishing company had to pay 357,631 ( in ) in separate awards to Gaye's estate. In December 2019, Gaye's family opened the lawsuit back up again, accusing Williams of lying under oath during the trial. The plaintiffs pointed to a November 2019 GQ interview in which Williams noted that he had "reverse engineered" Gaye's "Got to Give It Up". They contended that this conflicted with his earlier deposition testimony, where he claimed he had not entered the studio intending to create something that was similar to Gaye's music. In February 2021, Judge Kronstadt determined that Williams had not committed perjury, stating that his comments in the interview were ambiguous and could be interpreted in multiple ways. ==Live performances==

On May 14, 2013, Thicke performed the song for the first time live on NBC's The Voice alongside Williams and T.I. Thicke also performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 16 with Pharrell and three models doing backup. In June 2013, Thicke performed the song alongside Williams with American actress Hayden Panettiere dancing to the song on the British television chat show The Graham Norton Show. Thicke, Williams, and T.I. performed the song on the 2013 BET Awards on June 30, 2013. They performed against a backdrop of Thicke's name in giant red block letters. Thicke also performed the track solo on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on July 8, 2013, as well as This Morning on July 10, 2013. Thicke also performed the song complete with dancers in studio on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM Radio on July 29, 2013. He also performed the song on The Colbert Report on August 6, 2013, after French duo Daft Punk canceled. On September 20, he performed "Blurred Lines" at the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival. On November 10, Thicke performed the song with Iggy Azalea at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. In December, he performed the song at Jingle Ball 2013 concerts. In May 2014, Williams performed the song as part of a medley at the iHeartRadio Awards where he received the iHeartRadio Innovator Award. In May 2017, Thicke performed the song at the 4th Indonesian Choice Awards. MTV Video Music Awards Thicke performed "Blurred Lines" as a duet with American singer Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, medleyed with Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" and "Give It 2 U", featuring 2 Chainz. The performance began with Cyrus performing "We Can't Stop" in bear-themed attire. Following this, Thicke entered the stage and Cyrus stripped down to a small skin-colored two-piece outfit. The performance drew extensive reactions and became the most tweeted about event in history, with Twitter users generating 360,000 tweets about the event per minute; breaking the previous record held by Beyoncé's Super Bowl XLVII halftime show performance six months earlier. Critics universally panned the performance. Shirley Halperin for The Hollywood Reporter described the performance as "crass" and "reminiscent of a bad acid trip". Writing for the American news program Today, Anna Chan called the performance "embarrassingly raunchy", while Katy Kroll of Rolling Stone labeled it a "hot mess". B. J. Steiner of XXL magazine gave the performance a negative review, labeling it as disastrous and noting that the audience appeared to respond with a mix of confusion and discomfort. Louisa Peacock and Isabelle Kerr of Telegraph described Cyrus' actions as her going into "overdrive [...] trying to kill off her Disney millstone, Hannah Montana. In July 2017, Cyrus said she felt sexualized while twerking during the performance. Parodies • On the June 12, 2013, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, in which Thicke and Pharrell were both guests, they aired a parody version of the "Blurred Lines" video in which host Jimmy Kimmel and his sidekick Guillermo attempt to join Thicke, Pharrell, and the dancers but keep getting rebuffed. • On August 2, 2013, Bart Baker released a parody of "Blurred Lines" on his YouTube channel. • On September 11, 2013, the drag queen group DWV (Detox, Willam Belli, and Vicky Vox), released a parody called "Blurred Bynes". The song is about Amanda Bynes and her behavior in the previous months. • On September 17, 2013, a parody music video featuring then-AKB48 members Yuko Oshima and Haruna Kojima was released on YouTube as a collaboration between Thicke and AKB48 to promote the song in Japan. • On November 5, 2013, Dave Callan, as part of his review of Just Dance 2014 on the ABC show Good Game performed a parody of the music video in response to the incorrect choreography of the song in the game. • On December 19, 2013, the Canadian sketch comedy group Royal Canadian Air Farce released a parody of the music video called "Rob Ford's Blurred Lines", highlighting the recent admissions by Toronto mayor Rob Ford of public drunkenness and using crack cocaine. • On July 15, 2014, "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody of the song entitled "Word Crimes" from his album Mandatory Fun. A music video for the song was released the same day. • In September 2021, singer Devon Cole released a rewritten version of the song on TikTok to highlight the importance of consent. • In October 2021, Amanda Palmer and Reb Fountain uploaded a mashup of "Blurred Lines" and the Nirvana song "Rape Me" on YouTube. == Track listing ==

• Digital download and streaming • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I.) – 4:22 • Colombia single • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell Williams and J Balvin) – 4:22 • UK single • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I.) [Clean] – 4:22 • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell & T.I.) [Laidback Luke Remix] – 4:39 • No Rap single • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell Williams) [No Rap Version] – 3:50 • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell and T.I.) [Laidback Luke Remix] – 4:40 • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I.) [Music Video] – 4:33 • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I.) [Music Video – Clean] – 4:33 • The Remixes • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell and T.I.) (Laidback Luke Remix) – 4:40 • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell and T.I.) (Will Sparks Remix) – 5:08 • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell and T.I.) (DallasK Remix) – 5:00 • EP • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I.) – 4:23 • "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell & T.I.) [Laidback Luke Remix] – 4:40 • "When I Get You Alone" – 3:36 • "Lost Without U" – 4:14 • "Magic" – 3:53 • "Sex Therapy" – 4:35 ==Credits and personnel==

Credits and personnel adapted from Blurred Lines album liner notes. • Robin Thicke – writer, vocals • Pharrell Williams – writer, vocals, producer, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards • T.I. – writer, vocals • Marvin Gaye – writer • Andrew Coleman – recording, digital editing, arrangement • Todd Hurt – recording assistant • Tony Maserati – mixing at Mirrorball Studios (North Hollywood) • Justin Hergett – mixing assistant • James Krausse – mixing assistant • Chris Tabron - mixing assistant • Chris Gehringer – mastering == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts All-time charts == Certifications and sales==