Blurred Lines has
already been out for a while in the States and, on its release next week in
the UK, is poised to be one of the party anthems of the summer. The production is typical of Pharrell, who’s enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment between this
and Get Lucky. Sparse yet funky, with Prince-esque
vocals from Thicke and Michael Jackson “WOOs”, the beat is fun and sexy and
reflects a foray into mainstream pop territory for Thicke.
But that’s…it. Beat
aside, there is very little to this song – musically or lyrically. It’s at least two verses too long, whilst T.I.’s
rap adds nothing. The lyrics are the
usual vacuous R&B affair concerning girls and sex – “you’re an animal…just
let me liberate you”, “what rhymes with hug me?”. Is the genre that stale there’s nothing else
to sing about?
The controversial video only
heightens this sentiment, which sees the three men cavorting with half
naked models (in the ‘unrated’ version at least) whilst #THICKE and
#BLURREDLINES flash up on the screen in irritating fashion. Thicke is the very definition of sleaze,
eyeing up the girls and the camera whilst “Robin Thicke has a big dick" is
displayed on the wall behind him. But
apparently he asked for his wife’s permission first, so that makes it ok. Right?
2/5
Listen: Blurred Lines is released on 26th May.