Girl (Pharrell Williams album)

Williams provided vocals for French electronic duo Daft Punk's 2013 album Random Access Memories. After returning from the Paris recording sessions, he attended a meeting with record label managers, who said that the results were "spectacular" and that "Get Lucky" would be Daft Punk's next single. They also made Williams an offer to record his own album, to which he quickly agreed. On December 17, 2013, it was announced that Williams had signed to Columbia Records and would release his second studio album in 2014. On February 18, 2014, Williams unveiled a trailer for the album. ==Concept==

The work was described as a feminist "almost-concept" album in early reviews. ==Music and lyrics==

The opening track on the album, "Marilyn Monroe", begins with an orchestral string introduction. The song's production is characterized by Williams' distinctive bass line. The album's first single, "Happy", is a neo soul and funk song that Williams sings in a falsetto tone. "Come Get It Bae", which features uncredited guest vocals from Miley Cyrus, is a funk song with playful beat. Lyrically, the song is based around sex and the metaphor "You want to ride my motorcycle?" serving as a double entendre for sex. ==Singles==

"Happy" was first released on November 21, 2013, the song was originally written for and included on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack. The song was reissued on December 16, 2013, as the album's lead single. On November 24, Williams released the first 24-hour music video for "Happy". Guest appearances included Magic Johnson, Steve Carell, Jimmy Kimmel, Jamie Foxx, Odd Future, Miranda Cosgrove, Janelle Monáe and many others. The song has been commercially successful, peaking at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping charts in 19 other countries, and reaching top 10 positions in several more. It received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 86th Academy Awards, and Williams performed the song live at the ceremony on March 2, 2014. In an interview with New York radio station Power 105.1, Williams revealed that the album's second single would be "Marilyn Monroe". On March 10, 2014, the single was added to the playlist of British urban contemporary radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra. "Come Get It Bae" serves as the third single release from Girl and the second in the United States. It impacted rhythmic, urban contemporary and contemporary hit radio on May 20, 2014. "Gust of Wind" was released to Italian contemporary hit radio on October 24, 2014, as the album's fourth single. "It Girl" was released to British contemporary hit radio on November 10, 2014, as the album's fifth single. ==Critical reception==

Girl was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 67, based on 35 reviews. Andy Kellman of AllMusic felt that the "carefree soul throwback appears here, almost smack in the middle. It doesn't sound out of place in a set of upbeat, candy-coated pop-R&B that is relatively modern-sounding, laced with some elements of R&B from the mid- to late '60s and that sweet late-'70s to early-'80s spot." He gave the album four out of five stars. Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine gave the album three out of five stars, saying "As Williams tells it, the Despicable Me 2 team made him go through eight drafts before he arrived at the disarming, first-person charm of "Happy". Girl may have benefited from a few more introspective trips back to the drawing board." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy categorized the album's overall sound as "uplifting R&B-funk" and gave the album four out of five stars, saying "The Motown-funk sound that dominates most of Girl was always going to be a given after the success of "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines", but what is surprising is its lyrical content, which is celebratory of women's power and sexuality, unlike his Robin Thicke collaboration." ==Commercial performance==

Girl debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on March 9, 2014. As of February 2015, Girl has sold 320,000 copies in the UK and been certified platinum. In its second week, the album dropped to number five on that chart, selling 45,000 more copies. In its third week, the album dropped to number six on that chart, selling 34,000 more copies. In its fourth week, the album rose to number five on that chart, selling 25,000 more copies. As of February 2015, the album has sold 591,000 copies in the United States. ==Track listing==

All tracks written and produced by Pharrell Williams; co-writers are indicated. (Credits adapted from Tidal) Notes • "Marilyn Monroe" features additional spoken vocals by Kelly Osbourne • "Brand New" features additional vocals by Rhea Dummett • "Happy" features additional vocals by Rhea Dummett, Treveon Henderson, Terrance Rolle, Jasmine Murray, Ashley L. Lee and Shamika Hightower • "Come Get It Bae" features additional vocals by Rhea Dummett, Miley Cyrus and Andrew Coleman • "Gust of Wind" features additional vocals by Daft Punk • "Lost Queen" is followed by the hidden track "Freq", which features uncredited vocals from JoJo ==Personnel==

• Pharrell Williams – lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, programming, drums, percussion, production, guitar • Hans Zimmer – strings arrangement • Justin Timberlake – vocals • Timbaland – beatboxing • Brent Paschke – guitar • Andrew Coleman – arranger, digital editing, engineer, electric guitar • Mike Larson – arranger, coordination, digital editing, engineer • Adrian Breakspear – engineer • Nick Valentin – assistant engineer • Jimmy Douglass – mixing • Leslie Brathwaite – mixing • Bob Ludwig – mastering • Beau Vallis – assistant engineer ==Charts==

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