''Girl'' (stylized as ''G I R L'') is the second studio album by American singer and record producer
Pharrell Williams. The album was released on March 3, 2014, by Williams' label
I Am Other
I Am Other (stylized as i am OTHER) is a multi-media creative collective created by Pharrell Williams that serves as an umbrella for all of his endeavors, including Billionaire Boys Club and ICECREAM apparel, textile company Bionic Yarn and a de ...
and
Columbia Records. ''Girl'' was Williams' first studio album since his 2006 debut, ''
In My Mind''. It contains appearances by
Justin Timberlake,
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
,
Daft Punk,
JoJo, and
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
.
''Girl'' received generally positive reviews from critics. It peaked at number one in 12 countries worldwide, also peaking in the top 10 of the charts of 17 other countries. The album has sold 591,000 copies in the United States as of February 2015. Its lead single was the
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
-nominated "
Happy" (from the
''Despicable Me 2'' soundtrack), which was a huge worldwide success, becoming one of the
best-selling singles of all time. Follow-up singles "
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
", "
Come Get It Bae
"Come Get It Bae" is a song written, produced, and performed by American musician Pharrell Williams, with guest vocals from Miley Cyrus, from the former's second studio album ''Girl (Pharrell Williams album), Girl'' (2014). "Come Get It Bae" was ...
", and "
Gust of Wind
"Gust of Wind" is a song written, produced, and performed by American musician Pharrell Williams. Written alongside Daft Punk (who also provided vocals), it was released on October 24, 2014 by Columbia Records as the fourth single from Williams' ...
" have achieved moderate success. At the
57th Grammy Awards
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time. ...
, the album was nominated for
Album of the Year and won
Best Urban Contemporary Album. "Happy" also won
Best Pop Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guides, the Best Pop S ...
and
Best Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Hon ...
.
Background
Williams provided vocals for French
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
duo
Daft Punk's 2013 album ''
Random Access Memories
''Random Access Memories'' is the fourth studio album by the French electronic duo Daft Punk, released on 17 May 2013 through Columbia Records. The album pays tribute to late 1970s and early 1980s American music, particularly from Los Angeles. ...
''. After returning from the Paris recording sessions, he attended a meeting with record label managers, who said that the results were "spectacular" and that "
Get Lucky" would be Daft Punk's next single. They also made Williams an offer to record his own album, to which he quickly agreed.
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that Williams had signed to
Columbia Records and would release his second studio album in 2014.
On February 18, 2014, Williams unveiled a trailer for the album.
Concept
The work was described as a feminist "almost-
concept
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by ...
" album in early reviews.
Interviewed by
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
backstage at the
2014 Brit Awards
Brit Awards 2014 was held on 19 February 2014. It was the 34th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop Brit Awards. The awards ceremony was held at The O2 Arena in London and was presented by James Corden for the fourth consec ...
, Williams specified that the capitalization and double-spacing of the album title is deliberately designed, "Because when you look at it, it looks a little weird... Because society is a little unbalanced." He added that he wished to honor the female figures in his life by making the record.
Music and lyrics
The opening track on the album, "Marilyn Monroe", begins with an orchestral string introduction.
The song's production is characterized by Williams' distinctive bass line.
The album's first single, "Happy", is a
neo soul
Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...
and
funk song that Williams sings in a falsetto tone.
"
Come Get It Bae
"Come Get It Bae" is a song written, produced, and performed by American musician Pharrell Williams, with guest vocals from Miley Cyrus, from the former's second studio album ''Girl (Pharrell Williams album), Girl'' (2014). "Come Get It Bae" was ...
", which features uncredited guest vocals from
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
, is a funk song with playful beat.
Lyrically, the song is based around sex and the metaphor "You want to ride my motorcycle?" serving as a
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
for sex.
Singles
"
Happy" was first released on November 21, 2013, the song was originally written for and included on the
''Despicable Me 2'' soundtrack. The song was reissued on December 16, 2013, as the album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
. On November 24, Williams released the first 24-hour music video for "Happy". Guest appearances included
Magic Johnson,
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...
,
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...
,
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...
,
Odd Future
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American hip-hop music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Tyler, the Creator, Casey Veggies, ...
,
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She was the highest-paid child actor in 2012 and was included on ''Forbes'' magazine's " 30 Under 30" list in 2022. She is known for her career on television, parti ...
,
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon ...
and many others. The song has been commercially successful, peaking at number one on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, topping charts in 19 other countries, and reaching top 10 positions in several more. It received a nomination for
Best Original Song
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
86th Academy Awards, and Williams performed the song live at the ceremony on March 2, 2014.
In an interview with New York radio station
Power 105.1
WWPR-FM (105.1 FM) is an urban contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. WWPR-FM is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is l ...
, Williams revealed that the album's second single would be "
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
". On March 10, 2014, the single was added to the playlist of British
urban contemporary
Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban conte ...
radio station
BBC Radio 1Xtra.
"
Come Get It Bae
"Come Get It Bae" is a song written, produced, and performed by American musician Pharrell Williams, with guest vocals from Miley Cyrus, from the former's second studio album ''Girl (Pharrell Williams album), Girl'' (2014). "Come Get It Bae" was ...
" serves as the third single release from ''Girl'' and the second in the United States. It impacted
rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to:
* Related to rhythm
* Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics
* Rhythmic (chart)
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...
, urban contemporary and
contemporary hit radio on May 20, 2014.
"
Gust of Wind
"Gust of Wind" is a song written, produced, and performed by American musician Pharrell Williams. Written alongside Daft Punk (who also provided vocals), it was released on October 24, 2014 by Columbia Records as the fourth single from Williams' ...
" was released to Italian contemporary hit radio on October 24, 2014, as the album's fourth single. "
It Girl
An "it girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging.
The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. ...
" was released to British contemporary hit radio on November 10, 2014, as the album's fifth single.
Critical reception
''Girl'' was met with generally positive reviews. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
score of 67, based on 35 reviews.
Aggregator
AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
''
Billboard'' magazine's Reggie Ugwu give the album four and a half stars out of five, and wrote that the album is "a relentlessly positive and unselfconsciously joyful tour de force."
Andy Kellman of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
felt that the "carefree
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
throwback appears here, almost smack in the middle. It doesn't sound out of place in a set of upbeat, candy-coated pop-
R&B that is relatively modern-sounding, laced with some elements of R&B from the mid- to late '60s and that sweet late-'70s to early-'80s spot." He gave the album four out of five stars.
Barry Walters of ''
Spin'' gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "As suggested by its title, Pharrell's second solo album follows last year's monster smashes for Daft Punk and Robin Thicke with a full-length both unabashedly feminine and neatly spaced-out."
Reed Jackson of ''
XXL'' gave the album an XL rating, saying "''Girl'' not only represents a proper representation of his creativity, but, with high-profile guest spots (Timberlake, Cyrus, Daft Punk) and a number of radio-ready singles, it should also be a success on the charts and further his reputation as a pop icon. Let the man's hot streak continue."
Eric Henderson of ''
Slant Magazine'' gave the album three out of five stars, saying "As Williams tells it, the ''Despicable Me 2'' team made him go through eight drafts before he arrived at the disarming, first-person charm of "Happy". ''Girl'' may have benefited from a few more introspective trips back to the drawing board."
Robert Copsey of ''
Digital Spy'' categorized the album's overall sound as "uplifting R&B-funk" and gave the album four out of five stars, saying "The
Motown-funk sound that dominates most of ''Girl'' was always going to be a given after the success of "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines", but what is surprising is its lyrical content, which is celebratory of women's power and sexuality, unlike his Robin Thicke collaboration."
Commercial performance
''Girl'' debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
on March 9, 2014.
With first-week sales of over 70,000 copies, it was the fastest-selling album of 2014 in the UK at the time of its release, overtaking
Bruce Springsteen's ''
High Hopes'' by 45% and being certified silver.
As of February 2015, ''Girl'' has sold 320,000 copies in the UK and been certified platinum.
In the United States, the album debuted at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 113,000 copies. In its second week, the album dropped to number five on that chart, selling 45,000 more copies. In its third week, the album dropped to number six on that chart, selling 34,000 more copies. In its fourth week, the album rose to number five on that chart, selling 25,000 more copies. As of February 2015, the album has sold 591,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing
All tracks written and produced by
Pharrell Williams; co-writers are indicated. (Credits adapted from
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
)
Notes
* "Marilyn Monroe" features additional spoken vocals by
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born 27 October 1984) is an English television personality, singer, actress, model, and fashion designer. The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she appeared on the reality show '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005) w ...
* "Brand New" features additional vocals by Rhea Dummett
* "Happy" features additional vocals by Rhea Dummett, Treveon Henderson, Terrance Rolle, Jasmine Murray, Ashley L. Lee and Shamika Hightower
* "Come Get It Bae" features additional vocals by Rhea Dummett,
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
and Andrew Coleman
* "Gust of Wind" features additional vocals by
Daft Punk
* "Lost Queen" is followed by the hidden track "Freq", which features uncredited vocals from
JoJo
Personnel
*
Pharrell Williams – lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, programming, drums, percussion, production, guitar
*
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...
– strings arrangement
*
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born 27 October 1984) is an English television personality, singer, actress, model, and fashion designer. The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she appeared on the reality show '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005) w ...
– background vocals
*
Justin Timberlake – vocals
*
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
–
beatboxing
Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.
*
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
– vocals
*
Daft Punk – vocoder
*
Francesco Yates
Francesco Yates (born September 11, 1995) is a Canadian singer and songwriter.
Biography
Yates was born in Toronto and started writing music at the age of 11. He signed to Atlantic Records when he was 16. His self-titled debut EP, released on ...
– electric guitar (credited as Francesco)
*
JoJo – vocals
*
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
– vocals
*
Thomas Bangalter
Thomas Bangalter (; born 3 January 1975) is a French musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ and composer. Son of French music composer and artist Daniel Vangarde. He is best known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft ...
(
Daft Punk) – vocals
*
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo (; born 8 February 1974) is a French musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ and composer. He is known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Ba ...
(Daft Punk) – vocals
*
Tori Kelly
Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...
– vocals
*
Leah LaBelle
Leah LaBelle Vladowski (September 8, 1986 – January 31, 2018) was an American singer. She rose to prominence in 2004 as a contestant on the American Idol (season 3), third season of ''American Idol'', placing twelfth in the season f ...
– vocals
* Reah Dummett – additional vocals
*
Brent Paschke – guitar
* Andrew Coleman – arranger, digital editing, engineer, electric guitar
* Mike Larson – arranger, coordination, digital editing, engineer
*
Adrian Breakspear
Adrian Breakspear is an English record producer and audio engineer based in Sydney, Australia. He is known for his work with Gang of Youths, Boy & Bear, Ricky Martin and Pharrell Williams.
At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, he was nominate ...
– engineer
* Nick Valentin – assistant engineer
*
Jimmy Douglass
Jimmy Douglass, also known as "The Senator", is an American recording engineer and record producer. His career has spanned more than four decades.
Career
In the early 1970s at Atlantic Records studios in New York City, he started his studio ...
– mixing
* Leslie Brathwaite – mixing
*
Bob Ludwig – mastering
* Beau Vallis – assistant engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2014 albums
Albums produced by Pharrell Williams
Columbia Records albums
Concept albums
Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album
Pharrell Williams albums