Pharrell Williams regrets ‘Blurred Lines’

Are Pharrell’s interview comments an example of ‘performative wokeness’?

However, some attempts to contribute to ‘woke’ culture as it becomes a cultural norm  can feel a little disingenuous, as if public figures are merely adapting to circumstance. J.K. Rowling, for example, added intricacies to the Harry Potter lore – such as Jewish and LGBTQ+ students – years after finishing the books and films. Obviously confirming an all-inclusive school in a fictional universe for children is a good thing, but I don’t think it’s fair to give J.K. Rowling credit for being ‘woke’ when the diversity of Hogwarts was never mentioned in the source material. You can’t have your cake and eat it.

Similarly, while Pharrell’s revelations about the industry are great, it also seems like he’s waited a long time to speak up. It’s been six years since ‘Blurred Lines’ released. In some ways, this new GQ interview feels like Pharrell’s waited for the right moment in his career to say something, at a time when it most suits him.

If he really did realise all of these things about chauvinistic attitudes after the song’s release, why didn’t he speak up sooner? Robin Thicke is no longer topping the charts, ‘Blurred Lines’ has faded from zeitgeist, and speaking now presents a minimal amount of backlash.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that Pharrell is older than he looks. At 46, he’s been in the industry a long time, and knows the ins and outs of the music biz like no other. To say that he had no idea his previous material would be problematic is a stretch, in my opinion. Growth is encouraged and I applaud it, but there is an air of tactical thinking about how and when Pharrell chose to raise his voice.

I’m not the only one who’s felt this, too – check out this video on the subject by YouTube reviewer Anthony Fantano.

Welcoming progressive growth in music

With that being said, it’s great to see Pharrell at least acknowledge and address the problems that are associated with ‘Blurred Lines’. Whether it’s genuinely sincere or performative, the fact that such a big name in the industry is taking an active role in the conversation surrounding gender, identity, and class helps to normalise an issue that’s still prevalent in the music industry.

I also doubt that ‘Blurred Lines’ would find as much success if it was released today. We’ve made big leaps toward publicising the sexist hierarchy of the entertainment industry in the years since. Of course, there’s still much to do, and plenty of hurdles to overcome, but Pharrell’s change of heart is a reflection of the shifting times.

We should support artists that are retrospective about their work, but we also shouldn’t forget that they did contribute to the problem on a widespread scale for a long time. ‘Post-woke’ is a phenomena we’re seeing increasingly as older creators catch up with Gen Z attitudes, and we should be wary of giving them too much credit. Growth is great and pushing these issues to the forefront of entertainment is important – but Pharrell did also willingly perform and record a song that’s literally about ‘domesticating women’ at the age of 40. That’s something worth remembering.