Grooving to Blurred Lines

It looks like we will be spending these next months grooving to Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell. Judging from the way it has been staying on top of the hit charts everywhere, maybe it will still be the hot tune by the time we get into the party mood of the coming Christmas season. But whether it stays on top or not, it is already a fact that the sexy, engaging and controversial Blurred Lines is now one of the songs by which we will all remember the, now fast galloping to the end, year of 2013. 

Blurred Lines is the lead cut from the album of the same title, the latest by blue-eyed soul exponent Thicke. He was the same guy who popularized Lost Without U, Dreamworld, Magic, The Sweetest Love, Sex Therapy, An Angel On Each Arm, I’m An Animal, Never Give Up, Cloud 9, Pretty Lil Heart and Tears On My Tuxedo. He has also been writing songs and producing for big named artists like Michael Jackson, Usher, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Mary J. Blige, since he was only 16 years old.  As if those creds were not enough, he is also the son of actor Alan Thicke and the star of a reality series called The Real Life Husbands of Beverly Hills. He is also very attractive.

Blurred Lines came under flack from various sectors the moment it was released last March. While nobody expected Thicke to become suddenly wholesome, Hello, this guy also did Sex Therapy, many were of the opinion that he overstepped things with his latest. Now lyrics like “I know you want it/ But you’re a good girl/ the way you grab me/ must wanna get nasty/ go ahead, get at me,” may now seem commonplace in hip-hop tunes, but there is more in the song that I dare not print here. 

Those words coupled with the boob-laden video caused Blurred Lines to be described as demeaning towards women and an invitation to rape. Thicke replied that on the contrary, his song extols feminism. Maybe it is really about women discovering their sexuality. But whatever people say it is, has now become immaterial. Besides, you cannot really put a good beat down even if it is about the hottest b*tch. The song instantly went on a strong viral rotation upon its release, soon invaded radio and TV and is now on the running to become the Song of the Year.

Despite shades of funk, hip-hop, dance and soul Blurred Lines is actually a pop album. Also winners are Ain’t No Hat 4, That Get In My Way and Feel Good which are guaranteed to send anybody to the dance floor; and the enchanting ballad For The Rest Of My Life, which should be more than enough atonement for Thicke’s sins, lapses, derringdos or whatever you think he did in Blurred Lines.

Also included in Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke are Take It Easy On Me; Ooo La La; Give It 2 U featuring Kendrick Lamar; Go Stupid 4 U; Top Of The World; The Good Life; Pressure; Put Your Lovin’ On Me; and Give It 2 U.

Blurred Lines remains the number one selling single in the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 tabulation after a long five weeks.  Thicke is really selling a lot of copies of his song.  Here are the top 20 titles in the list:

Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke; Best Song Ever by One Direction; We Can’t Stop by Miley Cyrus; Radioactive by Imagine Dragons; Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams; Treasure by Bruno Mars; Holy Grail by Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake; Cups (Pitch Perfect’s When I’m Gone) by Anna Kendrick; Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton; Cruise by the Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly.

Mirrors by Justin Timberlake; Same Love also by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert; Clarity by Zedd featuring Foxes; Love Somebody by Maroon 5; Safe & Sound by Capital Cities; Come & Get It by Selena Gomez; The Way by Ariana Grande featuring Mac Miller; The Other Side by Jason Derulo; I Need Your Love by Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding; and Just Give Me A Reason by Pink featuring Nate Ruess.

And the Top 20 albums in the Top 200 Albums listing are  Star Dance by Selena Gomez; Magna Carta... Holy Grail by Jay-Z; Teen Beach Movie, the original motion picture soundtrack by Various Artists; Kidz Bop 24 by the Kidz Bop Kids; 3.0 by Marc Anthony; Here’s To The Good Times by the Florida Georgia Line; Night Visions by Imagine Dragons; Tracing Back Roots by We Came As Romans; Rich Gang by Various Artists; 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake.

The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles; Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars; Born Sinner by J. Cole; the self-titled Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes; The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis; Based On A True Story by Blake Shelton; Random Access Memories by Daft Punk; Pitch Perfect, the movie soundtrack by Various Artists; Hyde Park Live by the Rolling Stones; and The Gifted by Wale.