Placed at number 9 in our Top Songwriters of the Last 25 Years, there is no denying the success of Pharrell Williams in the music industry. This past year has of course attributed greatly to the level of fame he has attained. From "Blurred Lines" to "Get Lucky" and on to the recently unveiled solo-single, "Happy," he has dominated the charts without a flinch. He's been given the GQ award for "hitmaker of the year." He has every pop star's agent vying for his time and he has furthermore, done this all without the release of an album.
Robin Thicke "Blurred Lines" [Dirty] from Crosby Carter Management on Vimeo.
Not much else needs to be said about Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" or Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." They were released. They became smash hits. They kept growing in popularity and a truck-load of money was made. Pharrell is the common element. While we cannot give him all the credit, a great deal is owed to the way he's manouevred his way through the music industry. He's 40 and he's only had one solo album of his own (in 2006). He, nevertheless, has managed to promote his name behind the scenes so that he can produce, write and collaborate with who he pleases; from Snoop Dogg to the Swedish House Mafia to Jay-Z. Whatever level of anonymity he had (despite N.E.R.D's success) may have been lost this year but if the song "Happy" has any insightful value, we can assume that he's doing alright.
"Happy" is taken from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack and Pharrell knows it's going to be another hit. Marketed as the world's first 24-hour video, a website was launched to promote the single through yes, a full day of "Happy." If you do not have that time to spend, there is of course a four-minute edit, which you can view below. Featuring minions and a catchy melody with what is becoming the ever-idenitifiable Pharrell sound, one can see why this man has so much to offer the current music industry. The question remains however as to what 2014 will hold.
