Musical Mastermind Pharrell said the “Blurred Lines” backlash opened his eyes

“I think ‘Blurred Lines’ opened me up,” he told GQ. “I didn’t get it at first. Because there were older white women who, when that song came on, they would behave in some of the most surprising ways ever. And I would be like, wow. They would have me blushing. So when there started to be an issue with it, lyrically, I was, like, What are you talking about? There are women who really like the song and connect to the energy that just gets you up.”

“And ‘I know you want it’—women sing those kinds of lyrics all the time. So it’s like, What’s ‘rapey’ about that?” he said. “And then I realized that there are men who use that same language when taking advantage of a woman, and it doesn’t matter that that’s not my behavior. Or the way I think about things. It just matters how it affects women.”

He added, “My mind opened up to what was actually being said in the song and how it could make someone feel.