Will Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” Be 2013’s Song Of The Summer?

Robbie Daw | June 17, 2013 6:16 am

If someone had told me in January that Robin Thicke would be a top contender for Song Of The Summer this year, I’d have to have been pretty hammered to go along with that idea. Don’t get me wrong — Robin Thicke; smooth voice, pretty blue eyes and a completely likeable personality. But let’s face it — the guy’s lone Top 40 single until now charted way back in 2007 (“Lost Without U,” off breakthrough album The Evolution Of Robin Thicke). It just seemed like, for the past five years, the poor guy was more “miss” than “hit.”

But here were are in June 2013, and Robin is sitting pretty at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with his good time party jam “Blurred Lines.” In fact, we here at Idolator have already dubbed this The Year Of The Comeback, and Mr. Thicke is without a doubt becoming one of our leading examples. Let’s take a closer look below!

To start with, “Blurred Lines” gets some vocal assistance from Pharrell Williams (who has his hand in more than one Song Of The Summer contender — but more on that later this week) and ATL rapper T.I. Of course, this isn’t the first time Thicke and Williams have paired up. They co-wrote “Wanna Love You Girl,” a 2005 single, also off The Evolution Of Robin Thicke. The crooner has collaborated with other artists in his career — most notably Lil Wayne on “Shooter” and “Pretty Lil’ Heart,” Estelle on “Rollacoasta” and Nicki Minaj on “Shakin’ It 4 Daddy” — but timing is everything, and Thicke, Williams and T.I. appear to be the perfect combination to catch lighting in a bottle.

Another thing aiding “Blurred Lines” is the fact that YouTube views now count toward the data that goes into figuring chart positions. And what are the best ingredients for a popular music video? Sex (“Blurred Lines,” directed by Diane Martel, is full of scantily-clad and, at some points, naked women, in case you didn’t know), playfulness (Thicke, Williams and T.I. truly have never hammed it up so much on camera, have they?) and controversy (see: said objectified females being led around by their hair and having smoke blown in their faces). The official “Blurred Lines” clip currently stands at 50 million YouTube views and counting.

And then there’s the song itself. Pharrell’s production offers up a simple, funky bass, a sparse beat and a recurring, Michael Jackson-esque “Woooo!” throughout. Lyrically, the guys toss out derogatory quips toward the objects of their affection like “you the hottest bitch in this place” and “had a bitch, but she ain’t bad as you” — oh, and how can we forget “tried to domesticate you, but you’re an animal, baby, it’s in your nature”? (Catch all of the naughty lyrics here.) And apparently you all love it, as “Blurred Lines” has been the top download on iTunes for the past three weeks.

Mix all of this together with some sun, the smell of celebratory barbecuing and a swimming pool, et voila — the first chart-topping single of the summer, and one of the strongest contenders for this year’s Song Of The Summer.

Does “Blurred Lines” have you working up a sweat? Do you think it’s the definitive Song Of The Summer this year? Let us now below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter.