Jamila Young – Arts & Entertainment Editor
1. ‘Marilyn Monroe’ – In this song Pharrell sings about a girl he’s attracted to that is even better than Marilyn Monroe and Joan of Arc. He speaks to everyone by saying that you can’t help who you’re attracted to, and you shouldn’t hide your love based on fear.
2. ‘Brand New’ ft. Justin Timberlake – This song is about being alone, and feeling down, but then a woman comes into your life and makes you feel “brand new,” and like you want to enjoy life again.
3. ‘Hunter’ – The first thing that hit me about this song was the beat. It’s real heavy with the guitar. In this song, Pharrell sings about having one girl on his mind who he’s not afraid to “hunt” down and make his own.
4. ‘Gush’ – This song is more explicit than the others. It’s about a guy that has always been classified as the nice guy, but now this one girl that he’s met makes him want to be the bad boy type of guy.
5. ‘Happy’ – I love this song! This is the song that brought Pharrell to #1 on the music charts, and I’m not annoyed with hearing it yet. Basically this is about feeling happy and how nothing can take that away from you because you’re on such a high. Maybe you were going through a struggle and finally something went your way that is making you happy.
6. ‘Come Get It Bae’ – This song is about a guy who’s telling a girls he’s interested in her, and he wants to get with her. He’s telling her that he’s the one for her because other guys can’t satisfy her like he can. The beat is also heavy on guitar, and the song as a whole is really fast-paced. This is one of my favorite songs on the album.
7. ‘Gust of Wind’ ft. Daft Punk – This song has the same type of beat as ‘Marilyn Monroe,’ but it’s softer. Lyric wise, it’s kind of like the track ‘Brand New.’ It’s saying that the woman that the guy is with makes the man able to go on when he feels like he can’t anymore. She’s the ‘gust of wind’ that pushes him forward in life.
8. ‘Lost Queen’ – This song has an African type of beat. I felt like I was in the jungle when I heard it; it’s very mellow. In this song Pharrell is singing about a girl he has just met, and wants to be with. He’s telling her that he can take care of her if she lets him.
Hidden Track: ‘Freq’ ft. JoJo – This song is a bonus track that’s on the album. It’s another one that’s kind of explicit. Based on the title of the song alone, that should tell you something. It’s all about being intimate with a girl, and her being a freaky girl because she’s being an individual. I love it though; it’s another one of my favorite’s from the album because of Pharrell’s falsetto and the smooth beat, and the fact that JoJo sings on it. If you’re not familiar with JoJo, she sang that song ‘Leave (Get Out)’ back in 2004. She’s had trouble with her record label, so she hasn’t had any songs the radio, but she has put out some new stuff online. Now she’s been signed to a new label, and I can’t wait until she puts out an album.
9. ‘Know Who You Are’ ft. Alicia Keys – This song is about the hardworking woman who needs to take a break from the stress in her life. The guy who she’s in a relationship with is telling the woman that he understands how hard she works, and he want to help take the stress away from her. Once I heard the song play I felt like the lyrics were too long for the beat, and like Pharrell and Alicia was rushing their voices to have the lyrics synch with the beat. They made it work though.
10. ‘It Girl’ – The title of this song is self explanatory. Pharrell is singing about the perfect woman he’s found. He likes being with her, and can’t stand to be without her. The beat is like an old-skool hip-hop beat. Although, I would’ve liked to hear Pharrell rap.
The whole album is about Pharrell’s appreciation for women. Each song is about a woman in some way. Although there are some explicit lyrics, none of the songs talk about women in a negative way, but some of the songs seemed repetitive to me.
4 out 5 owls!
