As we begin the journey "on the 3's" of no.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, through the decades, we encounter the most controversial song yet. "2013's "Blurred Lines" has gone under the knife of scrutiny in several different arenas. The song has been banned by several UK universities and the racy video was even removed from YouTube. The lyrics are considered misogynistic and raunchy. Countless articles have been written about these topics. Here are a few I read, all coming to the same general conclusion. [1] [2] [3]
Oh yeah, AND there was a lawsuit filed against the song for copyright infringement against Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up." It lost.....Robin Thicke paid big time.
So, in spite of all this negative criticism, is the song any good? Is there any merit to the composition? It was no. 1 for 12 weeks...... now we all know "controversy creates cash," but is the song itself fitting of the no.1 label? That's precisely what I hope to find out. (spoiler.....musically, this song is interesting, catchy and funky.....no.1 material....the lyrics.....they haven't aged well.)
The form of "Blurred Lines" looks more complex than it really is. Verse-prechorus-chorus, or ABC, is repeated twice. That is followed by a third verse and bridge, which combined, feels like a long bridge. It ends with a verse and final chorus. The intro bookends the song as an outro.
Each section has predictable numbers, grouped in 8's. This cut and dry data is actually telling into the minimalistic approach of the chord progression. This simplicity certainly gets overshadowed by the multi-layered vocals and risqué subject matter.
Chord Progressions
"Blurred Lines" is built upon a repeated 8 bar segment that uses only 2 chords! Those chords are G and D and last four measures each:
G / G / G / G / D / D / D / D I / V
On it's own, it's not the most exciting progression and certainly doesn't seem like a feasible pattern to last the entire song, until you bring in the bass!
Bass Ostinato
This highly syncopated bass line drives the song. In fact, this may be its most redeeming quality. The bass sticks to G roots for the first 4 measures with 2 notable departures. In measure 2, it plays a short C, hinting at the IV chord, brief as it may be. In measure 3, the bass approaches the G from a 5 to min7 walk up, hinting at a G7 sound. It then sticks to D roots for 3 measures before the classic octave descending line D-C-B-A, leading perfectly back to G. This is an excellent bass line and makes the most of minimal harmonic information.
The bass is not alone though. The drums provide a rhythmic bed for all that syncopation to lay on. Bass, snare and high hat lay the funky foundation and are accompanied by a cowbell part for the ages.
Percussion Ostinato
The (4)+ accents shine through with snare and open high hat or bass drum kicks. They compliment the bass syncopation and keep this funky groove moving forward the entire time.
The keyboard part is relatively far back in the mix and keeps things really simple, falling in line with the upbeat syncopation theme.
Keyboard Ostinato
There are a few moments where the rhythm cuts out completely for a few beats. When this happen, it just strengthens the groove when it returns.
This entire track is a good example of how minimalism can work in pop music. Granted, there are layers upon layers of melodic and percussive vocal lines to add to the mix, but the pure instrumental tracks are few.
Melody
With such sparse harmonic information, the melody must be complex? I would say yes. This marks the first analysis I have done to feature significant use of chromatic motion. Robin Thicke starts off with a very high register G major melody, moving between root, 2nd and 3rd in the key. Then, we get the chromatic theme.
Verse 1
Here, he hinges on D, approaching it from a half step below. This "half step below to a chord tone approach" will dominate the melody. He ends the phrase with a G minor lick, touching on Bb and F natural, giving the sparse harmony a little color for a bar.
Speaking of colors, verse 2 gets shaded a little more. It starts with a new rhythmic and melodic pattern, compared to verse 1, a decidedly G pentatonic thing, reaching that insanely high D. Measure 4 has a crazy harmony that outlines a G7, reinforcing the bass line approach in measure 3.
Verse 2 - meas. 1-4
The rest of verse 2 is similar to the back half of verse 1. Both verses are immediately followed by the pre-chorus.
Pre-Chorus 1
Here, we see more chromatic approaches to chord tones. Eventually, he goes up the G pentatonic scale to usher in the chorus. The second pre-chorus features additional harmony:
Pre-Chorus 2
The "uh huh" backgrounds in measures 5-8 are doo-wopy and add an interesting color to the mix, reinforcing the Dmajor chord tones.
It's worth mentioning that the intro, verse and chorus are filled with repeated vocal lines that thicken the texture all the way through. Usually happening over the D chord in the second half of the 8 measure progression, those parts consistently feature:
Vocal Extras
These spoken parts, mixed with more chromatic approaches to chord tones definitely fills in any gaps left by simple harmony.
The chorus is a 16 measure festival of repeated melodies and thick(e) harmony.
Chorus
The first "good girl" includes a nice descending melisma in G minor, a cool color against the major chord in the keys. We then get a definite G major lick in the "I know you want it" repeats in alternating octaves. The next "good girl" gets there with, you guessed it, chromatic approaches! When then hear 3 similar phrases moving between A-B-C, giving a D7 feel for the first time.
Those 8 measures are more or less repeated with different words and a different ornament on "blurred lines." Keep in mind, all of this is accompanied by "woos," "hey's," "everybody get ups" and a bunch of other vocal filler. The end result is a damn catchy chorus.
Verse 3 takes a totally different approach than the other verses and features a rap by T.I. Like many raps, it features repeated rhythmic themes that come and go over the course of 16 measures.
Verse 3 - meas. 1-8
A repeated rhythmic figure is the 8th-16th-16th group that ends many phrases. It has a certain cadence to it that makes this rap feel like one cohesive verse instead a bunch of lines spoken quickly. There are a few moments of melody that seem to naturally emerge. Both of these themes continue in the next 8 measures.
Verse 3 - meas. 9-16
There is a slight break in measure 13 which uses some heavy delay. It gives just enough space before the final assault of 16th notes finishes off the section. In that section, it's worth noting he rhymes "pimpin" with "pimpin" three times....more on that in the lyrics section.
There is also an 8 measure bridge, which breaks things down a bunch, coming right out of this rap.
Bridge
We get shades of the high verses, now outlining G7, leaving a lot of space in between. It ends with familiar material before sliding into another epic melisma. This one, again outlining G minor, is a little more involved than the others and lasts more than a measure.
Lyrics
This is the least redeeming quality of this song. I'm not going to comment too much because I disagree with the general sentiment. Thicke has defended the lyrics as "tongue in cheek" and Pharrell has condemned them. They are, in a way, a glimpse into the dark side of human desire and hint at the egotistical intentions of someone who won't relent until they've got what they've come for.
The lyrical flow is filled with near rhymes ("say" and "page"; "close" and "animal") and rhymes words with themselves a few times ("hug me"). At least the vocal performance is well done.
I would remised if I didn't draw the parallel between "Blurred Lines" and another controversial song to make no.1 in 2020, "WAP." Both songs are sexually charged and cross the line of decency repeatedly. Both songs also claim their message is one of "empowerment." I'm sure there can be arguments made, but those arguments leave me scratching my head. I think back to some of my personally beloved music with inappropriate lyrics, namely, Cannibal Corpse and other death metally "shock rock." While those lyrics can be disturbing, I think most are so fantastic they leave the sphere of real world application. "Blurred Lines" and "WAP" hit close to popular culture and are very much a real concern.....
Common Threads
As I begin this set of analyses, "on the 3's," I will keep this list simple and specific to "Blurred Lines," for now. As I get to other songs through the decades, it will be amended. I am trying my best to start these common threads fresh each time and not fall into conclusions I've already drawn. I'm not sure it's possible to be unbiased, but I will try my best to allow for a free flowing thought process to, hopefully, lead to new insights.
Repetitive Melody - There are several repeated melodic patterns throughout the song both in rhythms and intervals. The chromatic approach to chord tones and the general cadence of the eighth note patterns spring to mind.
Single Repeated Chord Sequence - 8 measures, 2 chords
Multi-layered Percussive Accompaniment - the traditional drum set, the cowbell and the vocal effects create a bed of percussive layers
Features Rap/Spoken Vocal - this may prove irrelevant when we get closer to the 80's, but it's worth noting.
Melodic Bass Line - while it does follow the roots, this bass line has a few melodic moments.
Vocal Harmony - lots of cool harmonies created in this one!
Chord Count - 2 - G and D....
I have the feeling this list will change, but some of these are new and I'm curious to see where this line of thinking will lead.
Final Takeaways
From a compositional standpoint, I think "Blurred Lines" is a slamming track. It's super funky and cashes in on "less is more." I used to play the tune in a cover band back in 2013 and I always enjoyed playing this bass line. Throw that on top of the percussion matrix and it's a one way trip to Funky Town. Aside from these musical aspects, the song has not aged well.
The lyrics, though open to some interpretation, and defended as "tongue in cheek" by Thicke himself, are uncomfortable to hear. I wouldn't feel comfortable having my daughters listen to it, which is a short measuring stick, but a litmus test none the less. The music video fails this litmus test with flying colors. Director Diane Martel has defended it as an expression of female empowerment, but seven years later, it doesn't quite translate the same.
Regarding the copyright lawsuit, there are certainly similarities in the feel. The cowbell part is there, though not as busy. The falsetto voice is present, but sings different words and a different melody. The chord progression is also different. I'm surprised Marvin Gaye's victory hasn't opened Pandora's box on borrowing feels and chord progressions in songs. It's virtually impossible not to rip off some aspect of some song in the 1200 year history of notated music, never mind the 160 year history of recorded music.
Next time, continuing with the journey "on the 3's," we head to 2003. July 12th - August 30th, 2003, 8 weeks at no.1, "Crazy In Love" by Beyoncé, featuring Jay-Z. Ah yes, another song I have played in a cover band and quite enjoyed. This will also be Beyoncé's 3rd appearance in this project! Check out 2001's "Bootylicious" and 2020's "Savage." Let the good times roll.
