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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 an R&B and Pop music track with instrumentation consisting of 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.
"The song is a come on", wrote Ken Tucker in a review of the song and its parent album for NPR. Tucker noted that what prevents the song from descending into creepiness is that Thicke remains "gentlemanly and debonair" when the object of his desire rejects him.
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 said the lyrics suggest that "women are supposed to enjoy pain during sex or that pain is part of sex" and went on to find in the lyrics other parallels to the act of 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 tried to ruin the summer of 2013 with their "smug turd of a pop tune" and deemed the song "terrible, tacky, and derivative." Writing for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield described "Blurred Lines" as "the worst song of this or any other year". He said he couldn't "remember the last time there was a hit song this ghastly – the sound of Adam Sandler taking a falsetto hate-whizz on Marvin Gaye's grave". Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club said that the song's "old-man lecherousness and boys'-club friskiness . . . comes off as uncomfortable and demeaning." 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 it is "less a recall of a celebrated classic hit, but more a cautionary tale that still divides critics, creatives and consumers alike".
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 for Renowned for Sound remarked the track "really shows off Thicke's vocal dexterity as he bends and blends playfully within 4 minutes of seductive, sexually charged beats and hooks alongside fellow heavyweights T.I and hit-maker Pharrell". The staff of Rolling Stone place it at number 50 on their 100 Best Songs of 2013, saying "thanks to its lascivious, Pharrell-spun hook, it held the whole world in its slightly skeevy grasp all summer long".
"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.
Thicke told GQ they wanted to do "some old men dances" whilst jesting with taboo subjects such as bestiality, drug injections, and things that are "derogatory towards women". When it came to the silver Mylar balloons arrangement, Thicke said it was Martel's idea. They wanted to "go over the top" and be as witless as possible.
In an interview with Grantland, Martel stated that Thicke wanted her to make a white cyc video for "Blurred Lines". She heard the song and instantly fell in love with it. She sat and thought about the ideas for what the models could wear in the video. She realized they could wear shoes, and that it would get attention for the song and the artist. Martel said the hashtags were pretty obvious idea because she thought Robin's last name is strong and supposed it had subconscious connotations. Martel asked an art director named Georgia Walker to find "gross" and "oversized" props like a hose and stuffed dog. Martel said she wanted to deal with the "misogynist, funny lyrics in a way where the girls were going to overpower the men". She came up with the idea of a nude video but turned down the job after Thicke and his team refused. They came back later agreeing to do the nude video if Martel would do a clothed version. The video features Thicke, T.I., and Williams. It also includes three models: Emily Ratajkowski, Elle Evans, and Jessi M'Bengue. The video features a "Robin Thicke Has a Big Dick" sign spelled out in silver Mylar balloons. The visual sees the topless models snuggling in bed with Thicke, meowing seductively at the camera, with one the models riding the stuffed dog while sticking her tongue out.
Thicke responded to the negative criticism of the video. He said that the video of him dancing around with the naked models should only be controversial to "extra-religious people", and stated it was Martel's idea and actually preferred the clothed version and didn't even want to use the naked version until his wife and her friends said he should put out that video. 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 and their bodies. 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. In Marshfield, Wisconsin, Lisa Joling, head coach of the Marshfield High School dance team, was fired in August 2013, three days after a halftime performance by her dance class to the song.
Williams initially defended "Blurred Lines". The singer told NPR there was nothing misogynistic about it, and that he was grateful to everybody that 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 October 2019, Williams told GQ he "didn't get it" because he thought women enjoyed the song and connected to its "energetic spirit." The singer later stated, "we live in a chauvinist culture in our country. Hadn't realized that. Didn't realize that some of my songs catered to that."
On October 30, 2014, United States District Court for the Central District of California Judge John A. Kronstadt ruled the Gaye family's lawsuit against Thicke and Williams could proceed, stating the plaintiffs "have made a sufficient showing that elements of 'Blurred Lines' may be substantially similar to protected, original elements of '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 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 August 2016, Thicke, Williams, and T.I. appealed the judgment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A few days later, more than 200 musicians – including Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, John Oates of Hall & Oates, R. Kelly, Hans Zimmer, Jennifer Hudson as well as members of Train, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Black Crowes, Fall Out Boy, the Go-Go's and Tears for Fears – filed an amicus curiae brief, authored by attorney Ed McPherson, in support of the appeal, stating that "the verdict in this case threatens to punish songwriters for creating new music that is inspired by prior works." 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 and Williams and his publishing company had to pay 357,631 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 cited a GQ interview from November of that same year in which Williams said he "reverse engineered" "Got to Give It Up", saying that it countered his statement during a deposition that he "did not go in the studio with the intention of making anything feel like, or to sound like, Marvin Gaye." In February 2021, Kronstadt ruled that Williams did not commit perjury, saying: "The statements by Williams during the November 2019 Interview were cryptic and amenable to multiple interpretations."
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". The performance was described by XXL critic B. J. Steiner as a "trainwreck in the classic sense of the word as the audience reaction seemed to be a mix of confusion, dismay and horror in a cocktail of embarrassment". 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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