Never really noticing the lyrics and the true meaning behind it, this song was just seen as a catchy tune on the radio. This song became very popular for the interesting beats, but also for the controversy behind it. Many people could claim that the lyrics are simply just about Thickel's lust for a women saying "just wanna get nasty" or other seductive lines. While only some think that the lyrics are harmless, many others have fought that the meaning portrays rape. The things said in the song really do seem to empower the man and make the women seem like an "animal." He would say things like "he don't smack that ass and pull that hair up for you" and "I know you want it." Both of these lines are very controversial because of the tone of his song and also the use of these lines. Many have claimed that saying "I know you want it" is often used by rapists to their victims. According to many other websites explaining the meaning to his music, the "blurred lines" is known as the grey area between sexual consent and rape. Basically, repeating this lyric throughout this song portrays that the girls are there just to be taken advantage of. Even though "blurred lines" has been interpreted so many different ways, it wouldn't cause so much controversy if there wasn't a dirty meaning behind it. Already degrading women in the lyrics, the video doesn't help his case of just a catchy tune.
Only seeing the newer video, the video itself was really strange to watch. The plot of the song didn't have any connection to the things the girls were doing in the video. There was a lot of random objects such as a sheep, dice, and other things. Although the items might not have a strong connection to the song, the video didn't make sense overall. The newer version also wasn't as provocative as the older video was supposedly. The video got its poor reputation for the nudity and the lyrics that went along with the dancing girls. Thickel must have know that there would be so many mixed messages from his video since he involved many nude girls around him and his friends. The huge dispute could have never been created if he originally used the video without nudity and controversial things.The big discussion leveled off after he reported to the public that the song was simply about him and his wife. While, this may seem really creepy, it was a good enough cover up for people to begin to believe it wasn't about rape or anything along those lines. Thickel may have stirred up a quarrel for attention, but could have nonchalantly written his lyrics to make people believe differently about his intentions.
Marissa, I completely agree with you. I never really thought about the meaning of this song. I just thought it was a catchy song that was easy to sing to. I as well, had never seen the music video. Watching it in class, I realized that it didn't have a lot to do with what the song was saying. It is just a couple girls dancing in nude color clothes. I did not really understand the point that Thicke was trying to make with this song. Overall, nice post and I agree with what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% when you say that as you were watching the video, you realized what they were doing in it didn't have much to do with the song. I found myself thinking, "What is going on?" multiple times, and struggled to find the connection.
ReplyDeleteYour statement of "The things said in the song really do seem to empower the man and make the woman seem like an animal" is spot on! I couldn't have said it better myself. When you mention the song being in the grey area, that makes a lot of sense. Like most things, this song is not simply black and white. No matter what subject matter people are referring to, one never fails to find controversy or something to say about it. However, maybe this is what he wanted, because it got him more attention. "Thicke may have stirred up a quarrel for attention," which is quite possibly what he was looking for.
ReplyDeleteHey Marissa! I was in your boat when you say you never realized the lyrics. It took my over a year to realize this, and even then, I had to be told by a friend about some of the things that were being said. I still don't find these lyrics overly stirring. I understand what you say about that "I know you want it." This is a very provocative lyric, but I don't believe only rapists say it. Creepy guys could also say the same. I am not at all endorsing this phrase, but I just don't see a way that this endorses rape, more of just a cocky sex community.
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