So definitely you have heard that song that is so good, well produced and with an excellent collaboration, with this white guy singing smooth R&B over an infectious beat. And of course, a controversial video, with nude supermodels dancing arond and the fully clothed singer strutting around like he just doesn't care, with innuendos and lyrics deemed "rapey" by some hardcore feminists.
Now, make a guess: which artist I'm talking about?
It is so common on pop music, and for that matter in any musical style, that comparisons between two seemingly similar artists arise, especially if those artists are almost indistinguishable one from the other. And no, I'm not saying this is the exact case between
Justin Timberlake and
Robin Thicke, but oh boy it has been a fun summer trying to spot the differences (if there's any).
Of course, credit goes where credit is due. Robin was the first one back in 1999 to start experimenting with this suave R&B formula that ultimately became his signature style. First as a producer of several songs for mainly pop acts (including one of my faves from Christina Aguilera's debut album, "
When You Put Your Hands on Me"), and then started a solo career that took off with the release of "
When I Get You Alone", a fine and excellent mash up of R&B and classical music courtesy of Beethoven. If you haven't listened it, please be my guest. It's just amazing.
Meanwhile, Justin was on the top of the world with
'NSync and the whole boy band hysteria of the 2000's. But somehow, it was very clear that his fate was not meant to be attached to those guys for long (pun totally intended). So in 2002 he embarked in a solo adventure, with a huge pay-off. "
Like I Love You", his frist single and a clear homage to
Michael Jackson, both musically and stylishly, met his ready-for-stadiums appeal and his R&B influences, and get a positive response. However, "Cry Me a River" was THE song, after a much publicized breakup with then beau Britney Spears, that launched him on superstar-level.
It is clear that the most successful of those two has been Justin, but clearly this is no Robin's fault. Each album he has done have been consistently good and improving on every aspect. But no doubt about Justin power on music, and he has developed a certain charisma that only superstars can achieve.
(I deliberately put songs similar in style so you can spot very well how these artists have been doing for the past years, and how a person with no knowledge of music and celebrities can easily confound them).
Frankly, I always thought Robin deserved much more attention and recognition. Fortunately, that pretty much changed this year when "
Blurred Lines" hit the airwaves, and of course, that infamous video came out. How exactly the video has been helpful to the success of this song? I would dare to say that on a great scale. The song itself is excellent. With the help of
Pharrell (who seems ubiquitous this season, don't you think?) and T.I. and a kick ass rhythm, this is the quintaessential summer tune. But the video, with three topless supermodels, certainly made his own indelible mark on pop culture and certainly put Thicke on the A-List of pop music, a place that I'm sure he won't let go for a while. I'm not going to discuss if the video is anti-feminist or derogatory to women; if you take a look on his work pre-Blurred Lines, you will know he's the crooner by excellence, always singing love songs with a smoothness that shows us how devoted he is to the feminine figure, so in my mind, this is just an attempt to reach a wider audience through controversy and of course, talent. Which he certainly achieved.
And then, Justin, which was on a hiatus on music trying to achieve a decent film career, came with the glorious and mature album "
The 20/20 Experience", a concept album with sound going from pop, R&B, soul, and many influences, and instantly became a hit. Many people realised that this more stylish approach was very Thicke-influenced, but then the third single "
Tunnel Vision" came out and well, we are talking some major blurred lines over here. A state-of-the-art video featuring (just wait) naked woman, over an infectious beat, summer-ready and definitely, the comparisons over the years became so much clear. To be honest, the Tunnel Vision concept is more stylized, and really a great video, but it's clear that whatever muse has inspired these two, is clearly giving them pretty much the same advice.
Let's just list the similarities:
1. Both songs refers to a very serious eye-related conditions.
2. Both songs are very R&B influenced.
3. Both songs are produced by very-recognised hip hop and R&B producers, who also happen to made a cameo in the corresponding video and sang certain lines in it.
4. Each video has been censored by You Tube for "sexual content", and later reinstated "because of the art" (?).
5. On both videos, all women appear nude, meanwhile men are fully clothed and stylish.
6. Both songs mention on their lyrics stuff that has infuriated feminists, accusing them of being "misogynists" and "disrespectful towards women". The lines? "I know you want it" (Robin) and "I know you like it" (Justin).
7. Both song are really great.
So, who's to blame for all of this? Have they realized about this whirlwind that they created? Are they comfortable with this situation? And ultimately, who cares? There's plenty of room for every other artist, and if they decided to improve musical scenery by making excellent pop music, so let them. Maybe they will provide inspiration for many other male acts and that will be great, since it has been rough times for a male pop act to really stand out on the pop scene in a while.
But on the meantime, you have to decide which one is the best for you. For me? I guess I can easily spend some quality time with both of them and enjoy making music together. Oops... I guess that didn't come out as expected. (Again, pun totally intended).
So shut up and enjoy their music. With the lights off, please.
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