Pharrell – G I R L (even the explanation of this title S U C K S)

Pharrell - Girl

When first starting, I never expected to really write about releases I didn´t like, or at least be gentle on those which I didn´t like, but then Girl happened.

Don´t get me wrong, I´m a great admirer of Pharrell. Even before knowing what a producer in music was, I adored every song he was on and still really dig his approach on culture and art (even though it can be seen as a very consumerist and not well thought out approach on being different). I even own a fake pair of Ice Creams, a Bape and BBC hoodie, great stuff if you didn´t pay 300 Bucks on any of them. His first solo music endeavor was very much to my liking too: Numbers might say what they want, but In My Mind was a solid rap / r´n´b record, with great beats, lyrics, moods and especially a record showing why Pharrell was at the forefront of creating the sounds of his genre, for him and especially for others. 

When I first heard “Happy” on Despicable Me 2, it was fresh in a way: A really positive and uplifting message (which I´d normally shy away from), a great driving beat, claps and background singers included and a really soulful delivery by the master himself. Not only did it fit the movie and scene, but it was just destined to break through the roof over the course of time and might remain a staple in radio until the death of me (and further than that). The announcement of Girl had my hopes even higher. Pre-Ordering was out of question and hearing that this record would be singing only, I was in anticipation of tracks like “Angel”, “Young Girl” and every track out of the latter half of In My Mind. While singing might not be the greatest strength of Pharrell, his rapping doesn´t even come close and regarding my personal taste, I never thought that his capabilities lacked behind many others dwelling in the genre. 

But god damn it, on my first spin of Girl I really regretted spending my 14 euros (and still do if it wasn´t for “Lost Queen”).

No song on Girl is “bad”, doesn´t really work as a song or just sounds awful or unfinished. But for me, only one song out of the 9 new ones sounds really distinguishable and fresh from what we got on “Happy” and the previous work involving Pharrell. With this, the referencability of Girl is what breaks the album even more. I feel like I am listening to the third part of the 20/20 Experience, just without Timberlake taking the leading role or an album long meditation on “Blurred Lines”. It must be said Pharrell only through this song and the Daft Punk collaboration “Get Lucky” (which was the only song I could stand a little on their snoozy Random Access Memories) was pursued to create Girl, and in this I see the great failure of this project. Because if one thing, Girl is likely to sell, even if it just functions as a platform album for “Happy”. But those songs can only be seen to be created for being accessible and working for those who enjoy fluffy pop in the spirit of “Blurred Lines” and Timerlakes latest work. Pharrell took the chance to cash in on his growing success and his perception as someone who isn´t only the guy in the background doing funny sounds or throwing in snippets of singing. I can´t really criticize that in aspects of label deals and the lust for fame in general, but for a man like Pharrell this whole business concept seems off. Here we have a creative genius, not only musically but in almost every aspect of his work, and then we have Girl, catering to everything expected by the pop devouring audience and not giving a shit about bringing something innovative to the mix. 

‘Different’ being the first word heard on here, this statement just sounds ironic. “Marilyn Monroe” is a nice little twist on “Get Lucky” or “*insert Timberlake song*” and aside from the great string intro, that´s about it. “Brand New” borrows the same mixture and even starts with beat boxing heard in various Timberlake songs, who, surprise surprise is featured on here. “Hunter” almost has the same twang to it as “Blurred Lines” and, well someone you might know gave his statement on the lyrics which I can only co-sign. All in all, every song reminds me of the scene in a Simpson's episode in which Homer exclaim “Jazz, who needs it? We can make up our own music” only to start his rendition of Mary Had A Little Lamb in two variations, flipping the Doo Doos and with the Dee Dees on his second try. Everything just flushes by you, some nice thumpy bass, some string sections, snaps, claps and lyrics addressing woman in such blunt and boring ways, I get why people think that this and “Blurred Lines” propagate sexism. The only high points are “Happy” and especially “Lost Queen”: This one sounds as something I would have expected from a new Pharrell project, a great use of vocals harmonies, a slick beat and decent lyrics. The switch in the middle adds to this stripping things down and going into a spacious vibe with Pharrell having a esoteric, and above all not just love-oriented, moment singing ‘You gotta go inward / To experience the outer space, that was build for you’. This cut stands way above the rest and with every listen, the gap between the tracks only seems to widen. But this is also a ray of light and reassurance in Pharrells work, showing that he can craft some great r´n´b without the help of his previous hits while not even sounding the least bit dated. The only questions this begs is, did he know that he was making a album full of repetition “hunting” down a popular sound for sales and success?

I know that even In My Mind wasn´t the innovative work it could have been, but it was a record showing Pharrells creative prowess, from beats and as a songwriter. Girl lacks every aspect of this for the attentive listener and while it might be a great work for someone like Timberlake or Thicke, Pharrell should and could have stood above the sound he popularized and proven that his creativity doesn´t “hunt” only dollar signs. Because as his brand proclaims “Wealth is of the Heart and Mind, Not The Pocket” So with fattened pockets, where else can the heart go but into cardiac arrest.

2/10