JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum The lyrics to Blurred Lines

Everybody's talking about Miley Cyrus, but has anyone read the lyrics to Blurred Lines, the song that Robin Thicke was performing? Here they are in all their glory just so you lyricists know what you are up against. This has been the number one song for 12 weeks!

"Blurred Lines"
(feat. T.I. & Pharrell Williams)

[Intro: Pharrell]
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

[Verse 1: Robin Thicke]
If you can't hear what I'm trying to say
If you can't read from the same page
Maybe I'm going deaf,
Maybe I'm going blind
Maybe I'm out of my mind
[Pharell:] Everybody get up

[Pre-chorus: Robin Thicke]
OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you
But you're an animal, baby, it's in your nature
Just let me liberate you
Hey, hey, hey
You don't need no papers
Hey, hey, hey
That man is not your maker

[Chorus: Robin Thicke]
And that's why I'm gon' take a good girl
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
You're a good girl
Can't let it get past me
You're far from plastic
Talk about getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me
[Pharell:] Everybody get up

[Verse 2: Robin Thicke]
What do they make dreams for
When you got them jeans on
What do we need steam for
You the hottest bitch in this place
I feel so lucky
Hey, hey, hey
You wanna hug me
Hey, hey, hey
What rhymes with hug me?
Hey, hey, hey

[Pre-chorus: Robin Thicke]
OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you
But you're an animal, baby it's in your nature
Just let me liberate you
Hey, hey, hey
You don't need no papers
Hey, hey, hey
That man is not your maker
Hey, hey, hey

[Chorus: Robin Thicke]
And that's why I'm gon' take a good girl
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
You're a good girl
Can't let it get past me
You're far from plastic
Talk about getting blasted
[Pharell:] Everybody get up
I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it
I hate them lines
I know you want it
I hate them lines
I know you want it
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me

[Verse 3: T.I.]
One thing I ask of you
Let me be the one you back that ass to
Go, from Malibu, to Paris, boo
Yeah, I had a bitch, but she ain't bad as you
So hit me up when you passing through
I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two
Swag on, even when you dress casual
I mean it's almost unbearable
In a hundred years not dare, would I
Pull a Pharside let you pass me by
Nothing like your last guy, he too square for you
He don't smack that ass and pull your hair like that
So I just watch and wait for you to salute
But you didn't pick
Not many women can refuse this pimpin'
I'm a nice guy, but don't get it if you get with me

[Bridge: Robin Thicke]
Shake the vibe, get down, get up
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt
What you don't like work?

[Pre-chorus: Robin Thicke]
Baby can you breathe? I got this from Jamaica
It always works for me, Dakota to Decatur, uh huh
No more pretending
Hey, hey, hey
Cause now you winning
Hey, hey, hey
Here's our beginning

[Chorus: Robin Thicke]
I always wanted a good girl
(Pharell: Everybody get up)
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
You're a good girl
Can't let it get past me
You're far from plastic
Talk about getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines
(Pharell: Everybody get up)
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me

[Outro: Pharrell]
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

There is nothing like a great set of lyrics -- and that is nothing like a great set of lyrics (ha, ha)!

12-weeks, that is sort of amazing. But he does have naked women in his video. Now, the singing and melody are pretty dang catchy. I bet it works great as a "club" song.

if ya wanna get the kiddies movin',this is the way.and what rhymes with "hug me","this song bugs me".

Lyrics are only important in country music. In rock and pop it’s all about the music, the feel, the groove and how the words (whatever they are) interact with the music. Yes there are exceptions. Yes there are good pop/rock songs with excellent lyrics but that’s rare, kind of Like a Diamond!

Well, I don't know. Will this song ever replace FEELING GROOVY? I don't know, I just don't know.

I think Billy Joel, Neil Young, Don Henley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Bono, The Clash, and many more would disagree that lyrics dont mean anything in rock music.

And there's lots of stuff in country that is as bad as the above lyric.

Miley cyrus has her audience. If she broke out with something cerebral, she'd probably lose them.

Whatever works for your audience, I guess

I think "Achey Breaky Heart" would fit as a bad lyric. I guess the fruit doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Billy Ray never was on my list as an inspiration. Just another talentless pretty boy created by the media.

Thank God for Nekkid Babes to make drivel like this Marketable!

The FIRST time I heard the song, I knew it would be a huge hit. Kinda old school vibe (oh, I dunno, like a particular Marvin Gaye song)...I couldn't care less about the lyrics in a song like this.

They are either lyric/story driven or music driven......or both. This definitely has the music going for it. It could have been about a 100 year old man at the DMV, it still would have been a hit.

Congratulations to Robin Thicke for having a #1 song on the charts for 12 weeks. I for one, haven't done that yet.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN hasn't had a number 1 hit! It's obviously more to do with happenstance, than being good.

You should aim higher than having a number 1 hit, cause nobody knows how or why a song will become a hit. Though having one would be a nice treat.

Bon Jovi, REM and AC/DC all belong to that club as well.

Some darn good long living acts.

Add to that, Radiohead, Genesis(which is really surprising, with all their pop material in the 80's and 90's) and Bob Dylan.

Guys, and gals who really write songs tend not to write hit songs. they write albums and albums and albums.

But whatever road seems best for you.

Nobody knows how or why a song will become a hit? In what universe? Hmmn...I'm gonna have to think on that one for a while until my head hurts too much from thinking.

Did I stutter?

I think if you knew how and why a song was a hit, you would have one right?

I write what I love to write. Some people like it, some people don't. At the end of the day, I like listening to it. :-)

And, nobody knows if those songs will be hits.

No need to be condescending, Bugsey. I simply don't agree with your statement that "nobody knows". Labels don't just blindly throw songs out onto the airwaves, hoping they'll stick on the charts and rise to #1. There's a lot more to it than that. There's a lot of test marketing that goes on before it gets to a point of release. Test marketing is done to narrow down the targeted demographic and then a lot of marketing and promotion is put behind the push toward the top. "Blurred Lines" was likely test marketed to the point where the results were favorable towards their intended market. Songs are chosen as singles for their marketability because they have a high potential for charting well. "Blurred Lines", whether people think it's "good" or not, did what they intended it to do. If they didn't think it had potential to chart high, it wouldn't have been chosen as a single in the first place. That's why I questioned your comment.

Not condescending at all, you were the one perplexed by my assessment, that your head hurt etc...

But how does a writer know ANY of this while he is writing the song? The song has to be written first right?

The WRITER doesn't know if his/her song will or will not be a hit. The writer's goal is to write the song. If the writer is looking to get their song cut by a specific artist signed to a label, then the writer usually is writing to "brief". The "brief" tells the writer what it is the artist is looking for. What kind of sound they're after. What type of song they want. The writer will write as close to that "brief" as possible in order to raise their chances for getting a cut with that artist. IF the song has high market potential, then there is a good chance the song can be chosen as a single. When songs are put in that pile of potential singles, then what usually happens, is that the artist will record their version of the chosen song. Then their team and label will test market those songs. The songs with the best results are put in the running until the song with the highest potential to chart well, stands out. That song is then chosen as a first, second, or third single and then the song gets packaged, marketed/promoted, and released. At that point, the journey to the top of the charts begins. Maybe your assessment that "nobody knows", is slightly right, in that, even statistics and proven methods can fail. But most the time, they're right on the money.

There's a lot of stuff that happens in the business of music. Now, if you're writing songs simply for the pure enjoyment of doing so, then who cares if it has hit potential or not, right?

I know, you know this stuff.

But you said congrats to "robin thicke on his number 1. something I havent done yet."

But congrats for what? For his writing or for his team of market researchers?

Something none of us have. That is why I say reach for something more than a number 1 hit, you dont know if you will ever sniff a chance at one.

That's all. But the weekend is upon us.

Have Fun All!

Actually I must correct myself.

Springsteen Wrote "Blinded BY The Light" which Manfred Mann had a number 1 hit with.

He himself has never had one.

Manfred Mann turned this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfZ6hagQM1M

into this for a number 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlBifX0H3yg

The only thing those "market researchers" did was test the song and gather results of what the tested demographic responded. Those results favored the song and showed high potential for charting well. The production, melody, (and for some, the lyrics), was enough to get the song chosen as a single and marketed for that purpose. Fortunately for Robin Thicke, the song is still charting at #1, 12 weeks later. Miley Cyrus' and Robin Thicke's stunt at the VMA's didn't do much harm for them. In fact, from a business standpoint, their stunt was a genius business tactic. Tasteless? Absolutely! And it worked to their advantage. Yeah, people (like this thread obviously), are going to nitpick and gossip about their tasteless performance and about their "tasteless" songs, but everyone is doing what they wanted everyone to do....TALK. What is the best marketing tool? Word of mouth. We just walked right into their trap, hook, line, and sinker. So, congratulations to Robin Thicke are definitely in order. I may not agree or even like what they did, but my opinion doesn't matter when they're the ones cashing in the big checks. I'm not going to pull that kind of stunt, and I don't even condone it, but that's just tit for tat. Talent aside, the business won.

K

hey i don't think Creedence Clearwater Revival ever made it to #1 either

“Blurred Lines”

I do not call these lyrics
For lyrics they are not
The words are but pornography
That cause the soul to rot
The video despicable
Pornography again
Young eyes and ears will watch and hear
What message do they send
I would not ever sell my soul
To garner royalties
The world our listening audience
Why would one offer sleaze
Will Robin Thicke enjoy his check
When little Johnny says
Hey Dad what was that song you sang
Would you read me the words before bed
We see the world and scratch our heads
Ask how we got this far
We’ve “blurred the lines” we’ve done it well
And now we’ll bear the scars!!

S'pose it's a little late for suggs now?
Vic

Art can either reflect or inspire culture. The more "pop" art is, the more it tends to reflect with the very rare instance of inspiring. When reflecting, it also has a role in perpetuating.

This song's lyrics reflects our culture. Anything goes. Survival of the fittest. Personal gratification is paramount. Respect is demanded by force, charm or material status, not earned by moral integrity. The song's popularity, especially with youth, will help perpetuate such current cultural traits.

But the music's cool.

I don’t remember saying they don’t mean anything, I simply said that in pop/rock music they weren’t as important as the music. John Lennon, who wrote some pretty powerful lyrics, tested the system himself when he wrote I Am The Walrus. “Lennon, amused that a teacher was putting so much effort into understanding the Beatles' lyrics, wrote the most confusing lyrics he could.” ..Wikipedia. But yes, there are always exceptions.

Not really sure why we’re dissecting a # 1 hits lyrics. I’m more focused on how it became #1. I wonder if his Dad, Alan had anything to do with it? Hmmnn? Is a #1 hit a hit because it’s good or because of industry contacts?

I know what you meant, not saying you are wrong either. it is a popular notion that in country lyrics matter, and in rock is doesnt.

There are more than a few exceptions though, where rock lyrics are important.

I think the main difference is that in country, the lyric is supposed to be spelled out, not alot of mystery as to the meaning of a song, "this is what this song is about" with no confusion.

Whereas in rock music the meaning can sometimes be more aloof.

So if its not immediately understand people may not bother with the words as long as it sounds good.

But it also depends on the style. if its an up beat dance number, say the stones "start me up" the lyric is not that important, although the lyric does match the music quite nicely.

But a song like "Sympathy for the Devil, the lyrics are more prevalent.

People will listen to a story if they are entertained, regardless of the genre.

I actually am MORE interested in WHY it's a hit, because that we can learn from, we cant learn from HOW it became a hit, we may be able to as Greg pointed out, but that part of it may be out of our hands.

id love a section here where we break down songs, and not just "I like this song" but what it is about it.

Here's a rock song where the lyrics blew me away. People will listen to a story if they are entertained, regardless of the genre. KILLER song for everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFxnWqgaKRs