Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Robin Thicke claims British people don't 'get' Blurred Lines following advert ban

The singer said the song, which has been banned by a number of British institutions, has been misunderstood

Daisy Wyatt
Thursday 10 October 2013 13:57 BST
Comments
Robin Thicke's advert was deemed too raunchy for daytime TV
Robin Thicke's advert was deemed too raunchy for daytime TV (RadioShack)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Robin Thicke believes “Blurred Lines” has been banned in the UK by “people who don’t understand the song”.

He said: “I don’t think people got it out here [in the UK] in those positions of power.”

The singer’s comments come a day after an advert featuring the single was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The 36-year-old told the BBC: “I think the kids get it….I just have to deal with that.”

The advert for Dr Dre’s Beats Pill speakers, which features a version of Thicke’s original video featuring scantily-clad girls, was banned from being aired until after 7.30pm after 97 complaints were made about its sexually suggestive scenes.

In its ruling, the ASA said some viewers could find elements of the advert distasteful, “particularly the shots of the women’s bodies with their heads obscured and the shot of the woman on all fours”.

Beats Electronics International defended its advert, claiming the women were strong individuals who were “not subservient to the male character”.

The song’s lyrics have previously been criticised by rape charities for appearing to refer to non-consensual sex.

Thicke, who is married to American actress Paula Patton, previously defended the lyrics and video in a GQ blog. He said the song was acceptable “because all three [artists in the video] are happily married with children”.

He said: “We were like, ‘We’re the perfect guys to make fun of this. People say, ‘Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?’ I’m like, ‘Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before. I’ve always respected women.’

“So we just wanted to turn it over on its head and make people go, women and their bodies are beautiful. Men are gonna want to follow them around.”

Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign up
Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign up

He said today he wrote the song about his wife. “She’s my good girl. And I know she wants it because we’ve been together for 20 years,” he said.

Blurred Lines” has also been banned from being played at any of the student union buildings at the University of Edinburgh and University of Leeds.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in