Entertainment

His New Album Has Some A-List Contributors

by Kenya Foy

For those of us longing to fill the void in our lives left by the news that we will no longer be blessed with photo ops of Pharrell Williams wearing his famous hat, the "Happy" singer has left us with something to soothe our sad, hat-less souls by unveiling the complete track listing to his upcoming release, G I R L ! Monday night, I Am Other posted a video on Instagram of the track list and we're super excited and anxious to hear his latest offering of what is sure to be more of his signature brand of sonic excellence. According to said video, here's the track list:

1. "Marilyn Monroe"2. "Brand New" (featuring Justin Timberlake)3. "Hunter"4. "Gush"5. "Happy"6. "Come Get It Bae" (featuring Miley Cyrus)7. "Gust of Wind"8. "Lost Queen"9. "Know Who You Are" (featuring Alicia Keys)10. "It Girl"

And here's what has us drooling with anticipation for the album's March 3 release:

  1. For one, by Williams' own admission, this album is his effort to set the record straight on how he really views women, in the wake of the backlash he reportedly received for his contribution to the lyrics and video for Robin Thicke and T.I.'s hit song "Blurred Lines." Dropping a few lines to explain his stance on how women routinely get the short end of the stick would've probably sufficed, but an entire album dedicated to us? Swoons.
  2. G I R L displays Williams accenting his musical greatness with features from Daft Punk, Oscar-winning film composer Hans Zimmer, and Justin Timberlake, all artists with whom he has previously made musical magic. Obviously, there's his collaboration with Daft Punk on the groovy Grammy-winning song, "Get Lucky." Also, Williams worked with Zimmer on the soundtrack to the Despicable Me films, and who can forget Skateboard P's classic assist on Timberlake's 2002 "Rock Your Body," where they promised to have us naked by the end of this song? Toss in a couple of fresh collaborations with Miley Cyrus (who provides backing vocals on "Come Get it Bae"), plus the duet "I Know Who You Are," with Alicia Keys, and I'm in perpetual fist-pump mode. <img src="http://lovelace-media.imgix.net/uploads/62/d153e9c0-8087-0131-d923-6239b6071a49.gif?w=320"/>
  3. Who doesn't love a hidden track? The fact that it's not necessarily presented at the forefront like the others almost always increases its element of allure. "Freq" is an interlude of sorts, only it's full-track length, which brings to me to my next point.
  4. Some of the songs are ridiculously long, but to me that's a good thing. Take for example, the tracks "Marilyn Monroe" and "Queen," rounding out at almost six and eight minutes respectively. Call me crazy, but I enjoy long songs and rather look forward to being able to have these tunes as background music during my daily contemplation of the meaning of life, or even as I pump gas or struggle to apply a set of false eyelashes.

I could go on and on with my Pharrell fandom, but I'll stop here for now. Meanwhile, until G I R L is released, we'll have to make do and schedule our next life contemplation/eyelash application session for Sunday night, when Williams performs "Happy" during the Academy Awards.

Image: Giphy