After seemingly being written off — after all, he hadn't had a major hit since Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" in 2006 — Pharrell returned with a vengeance in 2013. Skateboard P was part of almost every musical conversation, be it as producer, lead vocalist or singing on the hook. Regardless of genre or art form, the Virginia Beach producer/performer had one hell of a year.
Below are the Top 5 moments that defined Pharrell's year; head to our 2013 in Lists section for more of our Year-End coverage.
Top 5 Moments of Pharrell's 2013:
5. Despicable Him
Not many realized that Pharrell was in fact the co-composer behind the Despicable Me score, and he returned to do it again, creating the theme music to sequel Despicable Me 2. You could also catch him on percussion on the Hans Zimmer score for summer blockbuster Man of Steel.
4. Pop Bangerz
To say that Miley Cyrus had an interesting year would be an understatement and Pharrell played the part of super-producer/enabler by having a hand in a few tracks on Bangerz, including "4x4."
3. Rap Producer
While the marketing and promotional hype surrounding Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail didn't exactly match up with the final product, Pharrell was right in the mix, producing "BBC" and "Oceans." He also lent a hand on Pusha T's acclaimed My Name Is My Name, handling production duties on "Suicide" and production/vocals on " S.N.I.T.C.H."
2. Blurring Lines
Call it ubiquitous or call it misogynist, the kinetic Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was one of this summer's megahits. Alleged similarities to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give it Up" notwithstanding, trying to avoid hearing the Pharrell-featured track was no easy feat. Honourable mention goes to Pharrell's producer work on Mayer Hawthorne's underrated Where Does This Door Go.
1. Getting Lucky
Hooking up with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk spawned instant smash "Get Lucky" off the solid Random Access Memories album, one of the year's very best. The Nile Rodgers-driven "Get Lucky" brought late '70s groove to new audiences with lead vocalist Pharrell firmly at the helm. He also appeared on the album's "Lose Yourself to Dance."
Below are the Top 5 moments that defined Pharrell's year; head to our 2013 in Lists section for more of our Year-End coverage.
Top 5 Moments of Pharrell's 2013:
5. Despicable Him
Not many realized that Pharrell was in fact the co-composer behind the Despicable Me score, and he returned to do it again, creating the theme music to sequel Despicable Me 2. You could also catch him on percussion on the Hans Zimmer score for summer blockbuster Man of Steel.
4. Pop Bangerz
To say that Miley Cyrus had an interesting year would be an understatement and Pharrell played the part of super-producer/enabler by having a hand in a few tracks on Bangerz, including "4x4."
3. Rap Producer
While the marketing and promotional hype surrounding Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail didn't exactly match up with the final product, Pharrell was right in the mix, producing "BBC" and "Oceans." He also lent a hand on Pusha T's acclaimed My Name Is My Name, handling production duties on "Suicide" and production/vocals on " S.N.I.T.C.H."
2. Blurring Lines
Call it ubiquitous or call it misogynist, the kinetic Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was one of this summer's megahits. Alleged similarities to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give it Up" notwithstanding, trying to avoid hearing the Pharrell-featured track was no easy feat. Honourable mention goes to Pharrell's producer work on Mayer Hawthorne's underrated Where Does This Door Go.
1. Getting Lucky
Hooking up with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk spawned instant smash "Get Lucky" off the solid Random Access Memories album, one of the year's very best. The Nile Rodgers-driven "Get Lucky" brought late '70s groove to new audiences with lead vocalist Pharrell firmly at the helm. He also appeared on the album's "Lose Yourself to Dance."