Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines - Single

"Blurred Lines" is a song recorded by American-Canadian recording artist Robin Thicke for his 2013 album of the same name. The song features guest vocals from American rapper T.I. and American singer and producer Pharrell Williams; all three share writing credits on the song, while production was done by Pharrell. The song was released as the lead single from the album on March 26, 2013 through Star Trak Recordings.[1]

The single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as topping the Billboard R&B Songs chart. It became Thicke's most successful song on the Billboard Hot 100, being his first to reach number one on the chart (he previously peaked at number 14 in 2007 with "Lost Without U"). It also marks Pharrell's third Hot 100 number one, after "Drop It Like It's Hot" with Snoop Dogg in 2004 and "Money Maker" with Ludacris in 2006, and T.I.'s fourth Hot 100 number one after "My Love" with Justin Timberlake in 2006, and his own singles "Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life" in 2008.[2] The song has been a worldwide hit, also topping the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom, as well as the top ten in Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, France, Iceland, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. In the United States, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for twelve consecutive weeks, becoming the longest running number one single of 2013 and of the 2010s decade, surpassing Rihanna's "We Found Love" (2011). This feat also gave him the eighth lead male solo artist in Billboard history to rack ten or more weeks at the number one spot for a single.[3] It sold over 5 million copies in just 22 weeks in the US, and 6 million in 29 weeks, faster than any other song in digital history.[4][5] Internationally, the single was the best-selling digital single of 2013 and is currently the second best-selling digital single of all time, behind The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". It was the second best-selling song of 2013 in the US and the best-selling song of 2013 in the UK.[6][7] As of March 2014, the song became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with sales of 14.8 million.[8] In April 2014, "Blurred Lines" was revealed as the most downloaded song in UK chart history.[9]

The music video was released on March 20, 2013, and was made in two versions; the first video features models Emily Ratajkowski, Jessi M'Bengue, and Elle Evans being topless, the second features them covered. On March 30, 2013, the topless version of the video was removed from YouTube for violating the site's terms of service regarding nudity, though it was later restored, but flagged as inappropriate. The song's lyrics and music video has also proved controversial with some groups, with claims that it is misogynist and promotes date rape. This has led to the song being banned at universities and other institutions in the United Kingdom, and prompted a rebuttal from Thicke.

On July 28, 2013, "Blurred Lines" broke the record for radio audience previously held by Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" in 2005. A press release from Interscope said as of the last week in July 2013, the track reached more than 242.65 million listeners.[10] The single was nominated for two Grammys at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.[11]