I created my found poem from the lyrics of the hit song “Blurred Lines” by Robert Thicke and Pharrell Williams. Both of these artists have won several awards for this song including the 2014 Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Song, Top Digital Song, Top Radio Song and Top Hit 100 Song. These lyrics have become widely known and are sang to heavily to this day, but I don’t believe all fans of the song are truly listening to what is being said by these men. In the song, Robert Thicke repeats the phrase “I know you want it” 18 times. In rape culture, this is a heavily used line and sometimes actual belief by a man when a woman is being assaulted. This is only one line of many in the song that support these disgusting acts.
In my poem, I rearranged phrases that were said in Blurred Lines to attempt to create a setting and dialogue of an assault. Although I was aware that the lyrics angered me prior to making the poem, I grew to an extreme level of uncomfort when I broke down each phrase separately. It felt like every line in the song was disrespecting and objectifying women. Phrases such as “it’s in your nature,” “must wanna get nasty,” and “you’re an animal” create implied consent from men. These lyrics will continue to be played and sang every day regardless of gender, and the support of ideas of rape culture will continue to spread as well.
Hi Lauren! That’s a really impactful poem, I’d scrolled through the found poems page and I actually didn’t realize what song it was from until reading your artist’s statement. It’s just chilling how easily these words can be put into the context of an assault. It’s very uncomfortable to read in the best way, because you’re realizing how these were part of a song but fit into a coherent narrative so well it’s scary.