Nudity, Lawsuits, and a Groove You Can’t Ignore: The Blurred Lines Story
Starting out producing for other artists, Robin Thicke released his debut album in 2002, slowly building his name across five albums.
Things were going well until he dropped his sixth album in 2013, propelling him to worldwide fame—and immense scrutiny.
The Blurred Lines singer came under fire when Marvin Gaye’s estate realised he’d ripped off their dad’s tune Got to Give It Up, without giving them credit or a cut. Robin and Pharrell (co-writer and producer) ended up having to pay $7.3 million in damages.
With almost 15 million sales—making it one of the best-selling singles of all time—he could probably handle it. Sadly, we haven’t heard much from Mr Thicke since. Maybe he gave it up(!).
Aside from the seriously groovy backing track, the memorable vocal hooks, and that vague feeling you’ve heard it before, another strong selling point was the music video. In it, Thicke and Pharrell appear alongside a few supermodels with their tits out.
Similar to Forget You, there was an explicit version of the video that got banned, alongside a more broadcast-friendly cut where the nipples were blurred. Since the difference was visual, not lyrical, it didn’t affect the radio version—but the videos caused a stir and got people talking.
Saying that, I remember hearing the song on the radio at the time—its emptiness paired with a great groove really caught everyone’s attention. It’s easy to overthink success, maybe it was just a good tune!
Using a reference track, like Robin and Pharrell clearly did, is common practice among professional songwriters.
Sometimes it’s unconscious, but often it’s a deliberate process: analysing what they like about a tune, finding the essence, and building something new.
Music history is full of examples. In the modern world, Ed Sheeran is a prime case—though even Bob Dylan has been guilty.
Ed clearly had Let’s Get It On in mind when he wrote Thinking Out Loud. Bob took the old Scottish folk tune Come All Ye Bold Highwaymen and came up with The Times They Are A-Changin’. Paul Simon used other tunes as inspiration for Bridge Over Troubled Water. Once you notice it, you can’t unsee it…
There was also a final part of Blurred Lines that caused a stir—its lyrics.
What are blurred lines? The sexual undertones were accused of promoting rape culture. And as society became increasingly politically correct and socially conscious, even people who hated it helped promote it.
Robin Thicke Tunes | Related Pages
Blurred Lines | Chords + Lyrics
Learn how to play Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke (and Pharell Williams) using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G | G |
If you can’t hear, what I’m trying to say (hey girl, come here)…
Robin Thicke on the web
