Blurred Lines No More: Pharrell Admits Shame Over Sexist Lyrics
Pharrell Williams considers his song "Blurred Lines" a wakeup call for him.
The single has been surrounded by controversy since its release, and Pharell admits he started to realize some of his lyrics in the song seem to promote the sexist culture.
At first, he said he did not understand why some people criticize the lyrics. However, he later realized that some men are using the same language when they take advantage of women.
BBC News reports that Blurred Lines was criticized by people claiming that the lyrics refer to non-consensual sex. The same online source indicates that in 2013, the Pharrell song was banned in some universities. An advertisement using the song as the jingle was prohibited from daytime TV programs.
From Different Era
In his GQ Magazine interview, Pharrel explained he was born in an era that's quite different from today.
He added that the things allowed during his time would not be permitted today. With that said, he said that he would never thought of writing some of his old songs in this day and age.
Now, the singer confessed he now gets embarrassed by his song that was originally intended to entertain and inspire the music lovers. He never saw it becoming the center of controversy because of the message it conveys.
"Blurred Lines," a song Pharrell wrote in collaboration with Robin Thicke, has a line like "I hate these blurred lines, I know you want it" -- which is not only unwholesome, but also sexist.
Women Liking the Song
Another thing that probably confused Pharrell about the controversty surrounding Blurred Lines was the fact that he sees some women liking the song and even singing it often times.
However, despite the fact that the singer-songwriter sees a lot of women liking his composition, Pharell admits he didn't realize he lives in a country with a chauvinist culture when he wrote the song. More so, he never realized that a number of his songs are catered to sexism.
Five consecutive weeks on top of the UK charts, and who would have thought that "Blurred Lines" would be so controversial?
Despite his realization about the song though, Pharrell insisted that it was never his intention to convey a message of sexism.
In an interview with Pitchfork, he defended the lyrics and said if one is to analyze the whole song, they will realize he is referring to a good girl who still "wants to do things" -- which was represented by blurred lines.
"When you pull back and look at the entire song, the point is: She's a good girl, and even good girls want to do things, and that's where you have the blurred lines. She expresses it in dancing because she's a good girl. People who are agitated just want to be mad, and I accept their opinion."
Incidentally, Pharrell and Robin have also been engaged in other similar issues. They were fined US$5 million in damages following the claim of Marvin Gaye's family that they copied Marvin's 70s hit song, Got to Give Up.
