Back when “Blurred Lines” first came out, one of its writers, Pharrell Williams, didn’t understand why people were so upset.
Now, six years later, Pharrell is finally is speaking out.
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As part of “GQ’s” New Masculinity issue, Pharrell Williams is finally opening up about “Blurred Lines.”
In case you didn’t know, the song, also featuring Robin Thicke and T.I., became a major source of controversy back in 2013.
Many blamed the song’s lyrics, which included lines such as, “I know you want it.”
All of this led people to believe that the song perpetuated rape culture.
The song’s racy music video didn’t help matters, either.
It featured topless models, a highly-criticized move that was deemed as objectifying women.
The backlash became so widespread that the song was even banned in 20 universities in Britain.
“It promotes a very worrying attitude towards sex and consent,” said Kirsty Haigh, vice-president of services at Edinburgh University Students’ Association.
In his interview with “GQ,” Pharrell admitted that he didn’t quite understand all of the backlash.
He told GQ :
“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?'”
He continued: “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?”
His former confusion could have something to do with the fact that he was born in a “different era.”
This means that a lot of the stuff he grew up with back then “wouldn’t fly today.”
Now, in 2019, the singer gets why the lyrics were so troublesome.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
He continued:
“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,” he said.
“Didn’t realize that some of my songs catered to that. So that blew my mind.”
Even so, “Blurred Lines” is still a sore spot for him.
He said:
“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.”
At the end of the day, we’re just happy that he’s committed to seeing the world evolve to a place where toxic masculinity doesn’t exist.
For the rest of Pharrell’s GQ interview, you can check it out here !
