In the Spotlight: Pharrell’s Songs

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Apr 072020
 

In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!

Pharrell

We got to hear new takes on songs that Pharrell Williams contributed background vocals to, featured in, or starred in yesterday, but now it is time to go behind the scenes.

The power producer duo of The Neptunes have tallied many awards from Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards for Best Producer of the Year in 2004 to Best Producer of the Decade in 2009 and twenty-four top 10 hits between the late ’90s and the ’00s. They have also been nominated for the upcoming 2020 spot in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

As consumers of their hits, we often don’t know who is behind the sound. I’m the first to admit that I had no idea any of these songs involved Pharrell Williams before I started looking into Williams’ production credits, and for every song featured on this list, there are many more equally popular hits that we don’t touch on. How many songs that conjure up a memory for you would not be the same without the talented Neptunes?

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They Say It’s Your Birthday: Pharrell Williams

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Apr 062020
 

They Say It’s Your Birthday celebrates an artist’s special day with covers of his or her songs. Let someone else do the work for a while. Happy birthday!

Pharrell

Yesterday, as he was serenaded with a “Happy Birthday” song, Pharrell Williams turned 47 and clapped along, feeling like a room without a roof (or so I imagine).

Williams wears many hats (both literally and figuratively); he’s a songwriter, a record producer, a singer, a rapper, and even a fashion designer. His longest-running collaboration is with Chad Hugo, whom he met in middle school. The two were even childhood friends with Timbaland. (That will become relevant in other posts coming to Cover Me later this week.) Hugo and Williams formed the production team The Neptunes in 1994 and are still working together today. The duo were signed after a high-school talent show: the American dream! Continue reading »

Bubblerap Takes on Pharrell’s “Happy” with Help from Flying Lotus

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Oct 012014
 

Demae Wodu is one third of jazzy, conscious hip-hop crew Hawk House from London. In between her work with the upcoming group she records rough demos and covers as her alter ego Bubblerap and uploads certain selections to her Soundcloud.

Just over a week ago her fans were in for a treat when she put up her own extremely chilled-out cover of Pharrell’s ‘Happy’. She has laid her sweet-as-honey vocals over a very smooth beat which comes courtesy of a Flying Lotus outtake called ‘Lately’.

In my opinion, FlyLo should definitely be getting in touch with Demae if she can turn an unused instrumental into something as beautiful as this cover. Check it out below.

John Butler Trio Funks Up Pharrell’s “Happy”

 Posted by at 10:00 am  No Responses »
Apr 242014
 

Pharrell William’s “Happy” is one of those instantly catchy, ultimately forgettable pop songs that somehow find their into your head and get stuck there, even if you don’t listen to Top 40. The song is well written and produced, it has hooks and, as much as you might try and resist, it kind of makes you feel…happy. Continue reading »

Five Good Covers: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Eric Idle / Monty Python)

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Mar 282014
 

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

In honor of Eric Idle’s 71st birthday tomorrow, let’s pay tribute to his most famous song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Idle, of course, is best known as a comic actor and writer and a member of the Python troupe and not as a songwriter. However, this surprisingly happy tune, with deceptively dark lyrics, sung by Idle and a group of fellow crucifixion victims at the end of the film, has become remarkably popular. It was a parody of the peppy songs often featured in Disney movies, but over time its ironic underpinnings have been ignored in favor of its upbeat chorus and jaunty whistling (suggested by Neil Innes, who wrote most of the music associated with the Pythons).
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San Cisco and Miracles of Modern Science Both “Get Lucky”

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Jul 152013
 

Have you heard? Daft Punk put out a new album this summer! It’s even got a pretty catchy single; maybe you’ve heard it? “Get Lucky”? Featuring Pharrell?

Ok, yeah, you’ve probably heard it a million times at this point, and a ton of covers along with it. Well, get ready, because we’ve got two more great versions to add to our previous five best. Continue reading »

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