"Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring fellow American rapper T.I. and American musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album, Blurred Lines (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the album's lead single in 2013, through Star Trak Recordings and Interscope Records. For the lyrics, Thicke said the song is about his then-wife Paula Patton. Musically, "Blurred Lines" is an R&B and pop track with instrumentation consisting of bass guitar, drums, and percussion.
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. "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 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. Many critics panned 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 highly controversial 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 the song infringed on copyrights to 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.
American singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams co-wrote "Blurred Lines" during a three-day writing session in July 2012.[4][5] Williams first started to play a funk rhythm with syncopated cowbell accents on the drums, along with a simple two-chord progression. It became the spine of the track. Thicke improvised a melody and wrote lyrics about seducing another man's girlfriend. Within an hour and a half, both singers had the song recorded and completed. Thicke and Williams wanted to get a rapper from the Southern part of the United States to be part of the song. They ended up choosing American rapper T.I.[6] T.I. would add a rap verse to the song several months later.[5]