It Girl

Album: G I R L (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Pharrell closes G I R L with this ode to the love of his life. He had been in a relationship with model/designer Helen Lasichanh for several years and they married in Miami on October 12, 2013.
  • G I R L is a tribute to ladies - physically and emotionally. The Neptunes producer's only previous solo album, 2006's In My Mind, received generally mixed reviews and had a disappointing commercial performance. Williams told GQ magazine how he got a call from Daft Punk's label, Columbia in Spring 2013. "And they're like, Look, we know that you're not interested in doing another solo album," he recalled. "But we know that you're going to change your mind. Even if you're not ready now, we know you're going to change your mind. And since we know that, we'd like to get ahead of it and change your mind and tell you, 'Look, here's a deal. Go make whatever album you want to make.'"

    Pharrell took some convincing, but once he'd signed, he already knew what the album would be. "I instantly knew that the name of the album was called G I R L," he said, "and the reason why is because women and girls, for the most part, have just been so loyal to me and supported me."
  • The song finishes on a long instrumental fade with distorted guitar riffs, warping strings and chiming percussion behind which Pharrell repeats the word 'girl.' He explained at the listening party that it's a song written with live shows in mind, hence the funky breakdown.
  • The colorful animated video channels both Japanese anime and 64-bit video game styles as we see a cartoon version of Pharrell wearing his recognisable Vivienne Westwood hat.

    Williams created the clip with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. The pair previously worked together in 2009, when they collaborated on a sculpture that allegedly sold for $2 million. The Neptunes producer also remixed the theme song to Murakami's film Jellyfish Eyes five years later.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.