Girl (Pharrell Williams album)

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"GIRL" redirects here. For other uses, see Girl (disambiguation).
Girl
File:Pharrell Williams – Girl (album cover).png
Studio album by Pharrell Williams
Released March 3, 2014
Recorded 2013[citation needed]
Studio
Genre
Length 46:54
Label
Producer Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams chronology
In My Mind
(2006)In My Mind2006		 Girl
(2014)
Singles from Girl
  1. "Happy"
    Released: November 21, 2013
  2. "Marilyn Monroe"
    Released: March 10, 2014
  3. "Come Get It Bae"
    Released: May 8, 2014
  4. "Gust of Wind"
    Released: October 7, 2014
  5. "It Girl"
    Released: November 10, 2014

Girl (stylized as G I R L) is the second studio album by American recording artist and record producer Pharrell Williams. The album was released on March 3, 2014, through Williams' label i Am Other and Columbia Records. Girl was Williams' first studio album since his 2006 debut, In My Mind.[1] It contains appearances by Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Daft Punk and Alicia Keys.[2]

Upon its release, Girl received generally positive reviews from music critics.[3] 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.[4] The album's lead single was the Academy Award-nominated "Happy" (from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack), which was a huge worldwide success, selling more than 13.9 million units (sales plus equivalent streams) worldwide and becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.[5] Follow-up singles "Marilyn Monroe", "Come Get It Bae" and "Gust of Wind" have achieved moderate success. At the 57th Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Urban Contemporary Album. "Happy" also won Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.

Background

Williams provided vocals for French electronic duo Daft Punk's 2013 album Random Access Memories. 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.[6]

On December 17, 2013, it was announced that Williams had signed to Columbia Records and would release his second studio album in 2014.[7] On February 18, 2014, Williams unveiled a trailer for the album.[8]

Concept

The work was described as a feminist "almost-concept" album in early reviews.[9][6] Interviewed by Zane Lowe backstage at the 2014 BRIT Awards, 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.[10]

Music and lyrics

The opening track on the album, "Marilyn Monroe", begins with an orchestral string introduction.[11] The song's production is characterized by Williams' distinctive bass line.[12] The album's first single, "Happy", is a neo soul and funk song that Williams sings in a falsetto tone.[13]

"Come Get It Bae", which features uncredited guest vocals from Miley Cyrus, is a funk song with playful beat.[14][15] Lyrically, the song is based around sex and the metaphor "You want to ride my motorcycle?" serving as a double entendre for sex.[16]

Singles

"Happy" was released as the lead single from the album on November 21, 2013; the song was originally written for and included on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack.[17] On November 24, Williams released the first 24-hour music video for "Happy". Guest appearances included Magic Johnson, Steve Carell, Jimmy Kimmel, Jamie Foxx, Odd Future, Miranda Cosgrove, Janelle Monáe and many others.[18] 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 at the 86th Academy Awards, and Williams performed the song live at the ceremony on March 2, 2014.[19]

In an interview with New York radio station Power 105.1, Williams revealed that the album's second single would be "Marilyn Monroe".[20] On March 10, 2014, the single was added to the playlist of British urban contemporary radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra.[21]

"Come Get It Bae" serves as the third single release from 'Girl" and the second in the United States. It impacted mainstream urban radio on May 8, 2014[22] and rhythmic, urban contemporary and contemporary hit radio on May 20, 2014.[23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 67/100[3]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[24]
The A.V. Club B[25]
Consequence of Sound B–[26]
Entertainment Weekly B[27]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[28]
The Independent 3/5 stars[29]
Pitchfork Media 6.2/10[30]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars[31]
Spin 8/10[32]
Slant Magazine 3/5 stars[33]

Upon its release, Girl received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 35 reviews.[3] Billboard magazine's Reggie Ugwu rated the album 85/100, and wrote that the album is "a relentlessly positive and unselfconsciously joyful tour de force."[1] Michael Cragg of The Guardian called Girl "an audacious, almost-concept album celebrating women and aiming to highlight society's gender imbalance."[9] Andy Kellman of AllMusic felt that the "carefree soul 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.[24]

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."[32] 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."[34]

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."[33] 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."[35]

Commercial performance

Girl debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on March 9, 2014.[36] 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.[36] As of February 2015, Girl has sold 320,000 copies in the UK and been certified Platinum.[37]

In the United States, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 113,000 copies.[38] In its second week the album dropped to number five on that chart, selling 45,000 more copies.[39] In its third week the album dropped to number six on that chart, selling 34,000 more copies.[40] In its fourth week the album rose to number five on that chart, selling 25,000 more copies.[41] As of February 2015, the album has sold 591,000 copies in the United States.[4]

Track listing

Girl
No. Title Co-writer(s) Length
1. "Marilyn Monroe"   Ann Marie Calhoun 5:51
2. "Brand New" (duet with Justin Timberlake)   4:31
3. "Hunter"     4:00
4. "Gush"     3:54
5. "Happy"     3:52
6. "Come Get It Bae"     3:21
7. "Gust of Wind"  
4:45
8. "Lost Queen"     7:56
9. "Know Who You Are" (duet with Alicia Keys)   3:56
10. "It Girl"     4:49
Total length:
 46:54
Notes

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[79] Platinum 70,000
Canada (Music Canada)[80] Platinum 80,000
France (SNEP)[81] 2× Platinum 203,600[82]
Germany (BVMI)[83] Gold 100,000
Japan (RIAJ)[84] Gold 100,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[85] Gold 25,000
Poland (ZPAV)[86] Platinum 20,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[87] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[88] Platinum 320,000[37]
United States (RIAA)[89] Gold 591,000[4]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Worldwide March 3, 2014[90]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pharrell Williams, Girl liner notes (2014).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  49. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201411 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
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  52. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Pharrell Williams – G I R L" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
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  57. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 10, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  58. ↑ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2014-05-19" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
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  62. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
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  88. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Girl in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  89. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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