Pharrell Williams has been within the music enterprise for the reason that early Nineteen Nineties, however would rating the most important hit of his profession in 2013 with “Blissful.” The peppy tune was such an astronomical worldwide achievement on High 40 radio that you wouldn’t be chastised for forgetting the track originates from a film known as Despicable Me 2.
Apparentl, nobody is extra shocked by the reception of the track, which earned the second Despicable Me film an Academy Award nomination, than its personal author and performer. That being mentioned, Williams doesn’t simply think about “Blissful” to be a profound second {of professional} success, however a pivotal second of self-discovery, too. How so?
Pharrell Williams Wrote 9 Rejected Songs For Despicable Me 2
Whereas showing on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Present, selling his critically well-received, LEGO-style biopic, Piece by Piece, in October 2024, Pharrell Williams recalled being requested to jot down songs for Despicable Me 2 (out there with a Peacock subscription), having beforehand contributed to the soundtrack for the primary installment. This time, he confronted what proved to be an sudden problem of penning a observe for a montage that sees reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) on high of the world the day after spending a beautiful night with Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig).
By Williams’ depend, he offered 9 completely different concepts, one after one other, for a track to accompany the scene. They had been all rejected every time. The tenth time turned out to be the attraction, however the best way he lastly got here up with the successful tune went in opposition to his typical methodology.
“Blissful” Was Pharrell Williams’ Sarcastic Reply To A Rhetorical Query
Pharrell Williams, flashing his gold Invisalign, admitted to Zane Lowe that what finally led him to jot down “Blissful” was when, after his earlier concepts had been shunned, he hit a inventive wall and was “out of concepts.” Determined for inspiration, he determined to ask himself a rhetorical query. He defined what that query was, and the way the reply proved to be lightning in a bottle:
‘How do you make a track about an individual that’s so comfortable that nothing can carry them down?’ And I sarcastically answered it and put music to it, and that sarcasm grew to become the track.
So it seems that Williams had a extra earnest strategy to the 9 different songs he hoped would make it into the Despicable Me 2 montage. Nonetheless, when he stopped taking the method so critically, that’s when he got here up with a tune that was cash to his employers’ ears and, apparently, audiences the world over. You’d suppose an end result like that might take a toll on an artist. Primarily based on Williams’ response to the expertise, you’d be proper, however not in the best way you may assume.
“Blissful’s” Success Was An Eye-Opening Second For Williams
Pharrell Williams’ story about how “Blissful” got here to be was a solution to Zane Lowe’s query a few profound, life-changing second in his life. He began by discussing how 2013 was one of many largest years of his profession, with the extra success of “Get Fortunate” (a collaboration with Daft Punk, who additionally made memorable contributions to film and TV soundtracks), and “Blurred Traces,” with Robin Thicke and T.I.
Each of these hits had been additionally commissions like “Blissful,” which is why the optimistic response to the “sarcastic” Despicable Me 2 observe is what lastly “broke” him, and right here’s why:
[It] broke me that each one of what I assumed [the song] was imagined to be didn’t try this, and I needed to be taught that the universe… is a part of every little thing we do. It’s so loopy for us to suppose that, as people, every little thing comes from us. Your concepts, every little thing that you just get is coming from a library of existence. Nothing is new below the Solar. In truth, the Solar that you just lookup at daily is one in all trillions upon trillions upon trillions of different stars. Nothing is new. When you understand the insignificance of your self, you then perceive what your precise significance is.
Who knew {that a} novelty track from a enjoyable youngsters film would find yourself having such a profound affect on an individual’s philosophical perspective?
I have to admit that I discover Pharrell Williams’ response to the “journey,” if you’ll, that led to him writing his largest hit fairly inspiring. An esteemed artist resembling himself might have taken offense to the success of “Blissful,” feeling that his ambitions weren’t being taken critically. But he selected to verify his ego on the door and settle for the profession milestone as future. What might carry you down from that type of happiness?