14 DAY TRIAL // We all like a good Pharrell Williams song and you'll catch any of us singing it once it gets in our brain, just about anywhere, in the car, in the shower, or while listening to the radio. However, most of us have failed to notice that Pharrell's songs, or at least an alarmingly high number of them, use the same sounds for an intro.
Discopop Blog made the discovery, and they've even put together a short compilation to showcase how Pharrell seems to be stumped about intros and just sticks to what he thinks it's a winning version. That intro is called the “1234” and has 4 consecutive thumps, similar to a drummer counting out the first beats of a song by tapping his two sticks together.
Among the songs that are listed in the compilation are some pretty big titles, almost all of which have been big radio hits, even if not all of them have been performed by Pharrell. You'll surely recognize SWV's “Right Here, Kelis' “Milkshake,” Snoop Dogg's “Drop It Like It's Hot,” Robin Thicke's “Blurred Lines” and Pharrell's “Happy” as well as his latest collaboration with Daft Punk “Gust of Wind.”
Many fans have defended the producer once the discovery had been made, dismissing it as a signature sound, the way Pitbull says his name in the beginning in every song he features in, while others praised him for his musical talents, despite this shortcoming.
The fact of the matter remains that you won't be able to listen to a Pharrell song from this point on without noticing the four beat intro. So it's safe to say we ruined your musical experience with this piece of news.