Not many artists have had a hit single that kept playing in high rotation for like two years straight, but Robin Thicke is among them with “Blurred Lines”. Within certain circles, Robin Thicke, already had a great reputation, but only sporadically he seemed to hit the mainstream until his collaboration with Pharrell and instant fame followed.
From the outside, it looked like he’d won the lottery, but he let fame get to his head (and mess with it) and lost his long-term relationship with his wife, as well as himself in the mix. And then came the “Blurred Lines” aftermath, where the Marvin Gaye estate sued Robin and Pharrell for copying most of the music. It’s turned into a leading case for the music business, that explores the boundaries of how much ”borrowing” and “sampling” is actually allowed in music, and how songwriters write songs nowadays.
All these things, have completely taken the focus away from Robin Thicke’s music. It even looks like it stands in his way, because he’s not been able to capture the audience again with his songs and seems to catch headlines only when it’s about the copyright claim.
His offense is to collaborate with other popular artists, who can create a bridge. People like Flo Rida and now Nicki Minaj. And that seems to work, because his collaborations are his most successful tracks so far.
“Back Together” is another great radio hit that could very well lead us all the way through the summer. Ok, it’s no “Blurred Lines”, but that was so 2013 anyway. This song has a strong funky disco vibe, sounds upbeat and is so catchy that you want to hear it again and again. In a way it also reminds you of Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body”. Another comparison that always seems to hunt him.
The video was already uploaded to YouTube, late in the summer of last year, but because his Flo Rida collaboration, “I Don’t Like It, I Love It”, was still going strong in many European countries, “Back Together” was just released there last week as the new single.
The story of Robin Thicke shows his life and career remains a struggle, in both the highs and the lows.
