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" Blurred Lines" is a song by singer Robin Thicke featuring rapper T.I. and musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the album's lead single in 2013, through Star Trak Recordings and Interscope Records. Thicke has said that the song's lyrics are about his then-wife Paula Patton. Musically, "Blurred Lines" is a disco, Pop music and R&B track with instrumentation consisting of vocals, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, and percussion.
"Blurred Lines" spent 12 consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest-running single of 2013 in the United States. In June 2018, the song was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with sales of 14.8 million, simultaneously breaking the record for the largest radio audience in history. The song was nominated for awards, including Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. The song received generally negative reviews from music critics, with some saying it glorified rape culture. Commercially, the song topped the charts of 25 countries and reached the top five of six others.
The music video for "Blurred Lines" was directed by Diane Martel. Two versions of the video exist: edited and unrated. In both of them, Thicke, T.I., and Williams are featured with models Emily Ratajkowski, Elle Evans, and Jessi M'Bengue performing several activities, including the models snuggling in bed with Thicke and sitting on a stuffed dog. After being on the site for just under one week, the unrated version, featuring topless models, was removed from YouTube for violating the site's terms of service. The unrated video has since been restored to YouTube. Many critics criticized both videos, calling them misogynist and sexist.
To promote the song, Thicke performed on televised live events including the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and a poorly received performance with American singer Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. The song became the subject of a legal dispute with the family of American singer Marvin Gaye and Bridgeport Music, who argued that it infringed the copyright on Gaye's 1977 single "Got to Give It Up". Williams and Thicke were found liable for copyright infringement by a federal jury in March 2015, and Gaye was awarded posthumous songwriting credit based on the royalties pledged to his estate.
In an interview with GQ Stelios Phili, Thicke explained that he and Williams were in the studio together when he told Williams that one of his favorite songs of all time was Marvin Gaye's 1977 single "Got to Give It Up". Thicke wanted to make a song similar to "Got to Give It Up". Thicke stated that he and Williams would go back and forth and sing lines like, "Hey, hey, hey!". Thicke told the Daily Star the song was "mostly throwaway fun", but said it was inspired by him and Williams being in love with their wives, having kids, and loving their mothers. He commented that both of them have a lot of respect for women. An ad was created for Radio Shack to market the Beats Pill, a small stereo, that showed Thicke, Pharrell, and the models repeating the look of the (clothed) music video, but with the models holding up the Beats Pill.
Other interpretations of the song's lyrical content were unfavorable. Elizabeth Plank of Mic considered the lyrics offensive, particularly Thicke repeatedly singing 'I know you want it' while T.I. raps: 'I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two." Sezin Koehler of Pacific Standard suggested that the lyrics imply women are expected to associate sex with pain and identified additional elements she believed had similarities to rape. Thicke told Howard Stern during an interview on The Howard Stern Show that "Blurred Lines" was inspired by his then-wife Paula Patton. He confessed to Stern: "My wife is Mrs. Good Girl, but gradually over our marriage, I've turned her into a bad girl."
Andy Hermann for The Village Voice stated that Thicke and Williams ruined the summer of 2013 with the "smug turd of a pop tune" and deemed the song "terrible, tacky, and derivative." In his review for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield gave the song a negative review, calling it "the worst song of this or any other year". Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian labeled it as "the most controversial song of the decade". Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club criticized the track for conveying a tone she considered to be demeaning, describing its themes as suggestive and exclusionary. Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune described the song's lyrics as "dunderheaded", while saying Thicke "scrapes bottom with his single-entendre come-on's." Trevor Anderson of Billboard opined that the song continues to draw mixed reactions from critics and listeners.
Some reviews, however, were more positive. Jim Farber, writing for New York Daily News, called the song "irresistible" and mentioned it had an "utter lack of pretense". In her review for The Christian Science Monitor, Nekesa Mumbi Moody labeled the song as "undeniable", and wrote that it had become a "cultural flashpoint". The staff of The New Zealand Herald lauded the track as "cool" and "inventive". The Ledger James C. McKinley Jr praised "Blurred Lines" as a "catchy come-on". Brendon Veevers, writing for Renowned for Sound, emphasized Thicke's vocal range and the track's blend of rhythms with help from T.I. and Williams. The staff of Rolling Stone ranked the track at number 50 on their list of the "100 Best Songs of 2013", noting its popularity during the summer and crediting its success because of Williams' hook.
"Blurred Lines" debuted at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100. After the song's unrated version of the video was released, the song rose from number 54 to number 11. The song reached number one in June 2013, giving T.I. his fourth, Pharrell his third, and Thicke's first number one hit in the US. "Blurred Lines" topped the Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, making it the longest running single of 2013. Billboard named "Blurred Lines" the song of the summer in September 2013. On the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the song reigned at number one for 16 weeks, making it one longest tracks to stay at number one on the chart. In June 2018, The single was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting track-equivalent sales of 10,000,000 units in the US based on sales and streams.
The song also peaked at number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40, Mainstream Top 40, and Rhythmic charts. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, selling 190,000 copies in its first week. The remained at number one the following week, selling 200,000 copies. It spent five non-consecutive weeks at number one. "Blurred Lines" was confirmed to have sold 1 million copies on its 50th day of release, becoming Williams' second song in only a month to achieve that feat in Britain after being featured on Daft Punk single "Get Lucky". According to the Official Charts Company, the single became Britain's best-selling single of 2013 with sales of 1,472,681 copies. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with sales of 14.8 million, simultaneously breaking the record for the largest radio audience in history.
In an interview with Grantland, Martel recalled that Thicke initially asked her to create a white cyc video for "Blurred Lines". After hearing the song, she developed concepts for the models' looks and props that would generate attention, including oversized items selected with the help of art director Georgia Walker. Martel explained that her intention was to present the video in a way that emphasized the women's dominance over the men. She proposed producing both clothed and nude versions of the video, but declined the project when Thicke's team rejected the nude concept. They later agreed to go with both versions if she directed them. The video features Thicke, T.I., and Williams. It also includes three models: Emily Ratajkowski, Elle Evans, and Jessi M'Bengue. The video includes a scene with silver Mylar balloons arranged to spell out "Robin Thicke Has a Big Dick". The video depicts topless models lying in bed with Thicke, posing playfully, while one model is shown on a large stuffed dog sticking her tongue out.
In response to criticism of the video, Thicke stated that its provocative content should not have been considered controversial. He attributed the concept to Martel, noting that he preferred the version featuring clothed models and claimed he only released the unrated version after encouragement from his wife and her friends. Thicke told Digital Spy the critics needed "to come up with something more original" when calling it sexist. In February 2021, Thicke said to the New York Post that he was never going to make a video like "Blurred Lines" ever again.
Ratajkowski at first defended the video, saying she didn't think it was sexist and was made with a "sarcastic attitude". She said that they were "being playful" and having a good time with their body. The model thought it was important for young women to have that confidence, and that it is actually celebrating women. In an interview with InStyle in September 2015, Ratajkowski stated the video is "the bane of my existence". The visual was nominated for Video of the Year and Best Male Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. It was also nominated for Best Video at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards.
In the United Kingdom, some universities banned the song from use at student events. At the University of Edinburgh, students' association officials stated that the song violated its policy against "rape culture and Lad culture" and promoted an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent. It was also banned at the universities of Bolton, Derby, Kingston, Leeds University and West of Scotland. Students at the University of Exeter voted against a ban but for a condemnation of the lyrics to be issued by the Students' Guild.
Williams initially defended "Blurred Lines". The singer told NPR there was nothing misogynistic about it and that he was grateful to everybody who supported the song. Further defending the song, Williams mentioned to Pitchfork that there was nothing controversial about the song and appreciated how "Blurred Lines" helped Thicke "to a place where he deserves to be vocally." In an interview with GQ in October 2019, Williams explained that he had misunderstood the backlash, assuming the song appealed to women. He stated that the song reflected elements of a "chauvinistic culture" and admitted that some of his music had reinforced those attitudes.
On October 30, 2014, United States District Court for the Central District of California Judge John A. Kronstadt allowed Gaye family's lawsuit against Thicke and Williams to continue, concluding that the plaintiffs had presented enough evidence to suggest that "Blurred Lines" shared similarities with "Got to Give It Up". The trial was set to begin on February 10, 2015. Williams and Thicke filed a successful motion in limine to prevent a recording of "Got to Give it Up" from being played during the trial. The motion was granted because the family's copyright covered the sheet music and not necessarily other musical elements from Gaye's recording of the song. On March 10, 2015, a jury found Thicke and Williams, but not T.I., liable for copyright infringement. The unanimous jury awarded Gaye's family 7.4 million ( in ) in damages for copyright infringement and credited Marvin Gaye as a songwriter for "Blurred Lines". In July 2015, the judge rejected a new trial and the verdict was lowered from 7.4 million to 5.3 million ( in ).
In August 2016, Thicke, Williams, and T.I. appealed the judgment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A few days later, more than 200 artists—including Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, John Oates of Hall & Oates, R. Kelly, Hans Zimmer, Jennifer Hudson, and members of Train, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Black Crowes, Fall Out Boy, The Go-Go's, and Tears for Fears—joined an amicus curiae brief authored by attorney Ed McPherson. The document argued that the jury's verdict risked penalizing songwriters for creating tracks influenced by earlier music. In December 2018, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's finding of infringement against Williams and Thicke. Both singers still had to pay Gaye's family 5.3 million. Thicke was also ordered to pay more than 1.7 million ( in ) and Williams and his publishing company had to pay 357,631 ( in ) in separate awards to Gaye's estate. In December 2019, Gaye's family opened the lawsuit back up again, accusing Williams of lying under oath during the trial. The plaintiffs pointed to a November 2019 GQ interview in which Williams noted that he had "reverse engineered" Gaye's "Got to Give It Up". They contended that this conflicted with his earlier deposition testimony, where he claimed he had not entered the studio intending to create something that was similar to Gaye's music. In February 2021, Judge Kronstadt determined that Williams had not committed perjury, stating that his comments in the interview were ambiguous and could be interpreted in multiple ways.
Thicke also performed the song complete with dancers in studio on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM Radio on July 29, 2013. He also performed the song on The Colbert Report on August 6, 2013, after French duo Daft Punk canceled. On September 20, he performed "Blurred Lines" at the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival. On November 10, Thicke performed the song with Iggy Azalea at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. In December, he performed the song at Jingle Ball 2013 concerts. In May 2014, Williams performed the song as part of a medley at the iHeartRadio Awards where he received the iHeartRadio Innovator Award. In May 2017, Thicke performed the song at the 4th Indonesian Choice Awards.
Critics universally panned the performance. Shirley Halperin for The Hollywood Reporter described the performance as "crass" and "reminiscent of a bad acid trip". Writing for the American news program Today, Anna Chan called the performance "embarrassingly raunchy", while Katy Kroll of Rolling Stone labeled it a "hot mess". B. J. Steiner of XXL magazine gave the performance a negative review, labeling it as disastrous and noting that the audience appeared to respond with a mix of confusion and discomfort. Louisa Peacock and Isabelle Kerr of Telegraph described Cyrus' actions as her going into "overdrive ... trying to kill off her Disney millstone, Hannah Montana. In July 2017, Cyrus said she felt sexualized while twerking during the performance.
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