Maps of Music

G I R L (2014)

Where the lyrics of G I R L take you, and where it was really made.

The title is spelled with deliberate spaces, and the cover drew online criticism for showing no Black woman.

Key places

Conway Studios recording credit (2014)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Discogs lists Conway Studios among the places where Girl was recorded. The point is set at the building-level coordinate of the studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Newman Scoring Stage recording credit (2014)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Discogs lists Newman Scoring Stage as a recording location for Girl. The point marks the city centre of Los Angeles, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Chicago Recording Company recording credit (2014)

Recording site Chicago Recording Company — Discogs lists Chicago Recording Company as a recording location for Girl. The point marks the city centre of Chicago, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Circle House Studios recording credit (2014)

Recording site The Hit Factory Criteria — Discogs lists Circle House Studios as a recording location for Girl. The point marks the city centre of Miami, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Jungle City Studios recording credit (2014)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — Discogs lists Jungle City Studios as a recording location for Girl. The point is set at the building-level coordinate of the studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Glenwood Place Studios recording credit (2014)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Discogs lists Glenwood Place Studios as a recording location for Girl. The point marks the city centre of Burbank, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

South Beach Studios recording credit (2014)

Recording site South Beat Studios — Discogs lists South Beach Studios as a recording location for Girl. The point marks the city centre of Miami Beach, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Studio at the Palms recording credit (2014)

Recording site Studio at the Palms — Discogs lists Studio At The Palms as a recording location for Girl. The point marks the city centre of Las Vegas, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Studio Gang recording credit (2014)

Recording site Pathé Marconi studios — Discogs lists Studio Gang as a recording location for Girl. The point marks the city centre of Paris, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Girl (stylized G I R L): second studio album by Pharrell Williams
• Released 3 March 2014 by Williams' label I Am Other and Columbia Records
• First studio album since his 2006 debut In My Mind
• Features Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Daft Punk, JoJo and Alicia Keys
• Lead single Happy, from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, became a worldwide hit
• Peaked at number one in 12 countries and reached the top 10 in 17 more

Background

• Williams sang on Daft Punk's 2013 album Random Access Memories
• After the Paris sessions, label managers praised the results and offered Williams his own album, which he quickly accepted
• 17 December 2013: signing with Columbia Records announced, with a 2014 release planned
• 18 February 2014: trailer for the album unveiled
• Early reviews described the album as a feminist almost-concept album

Recording

• Credited studios span several US cities plus one in Paris
• Conway Studios in Los Angeles, Jungle City Studios in New York City, Circle House Studios in Miami and Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank are listed as recording locations
• South Beach Studios in Miami Beach, Studio at the Palms in Las Vegas, Chicago Recording Company and Studio Gang in Paris are also listed
• Newman Scoring Stage in Los Angeles is listed as well
• Mastering was done at Gateway Mastering in Portland, with Bob Ludwig credited as mastering engineer

Cover

• The cover shows Williams in a bathrobe surrounded by three young women
• Online criticism arose because no Black woman appears on the cover
• Williams answered on Power 105.1 that the album is a poem aimed at women and that critics should have listened to it first

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Met Chad Hugo in a seventh-grade summer band camp; the two later formed the Neptunes in the early 1990s.
• Formed the rock and hip-hop band N.E.R.D. with Chad Hugo and Shay Haley in 1999.

Members

• Core members of the Neptunes: Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.
• N.E.R.D. members: Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Shay Haley.

Career

• As one half of the Neptunes, produced fifteen songs that peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, four of them at number one.
• Debut solo album In My Mind (2006) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.
• Co-produced and performed on "Blurred Lines" (2013), which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
• Guest appearance on Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" (2013) won Record of the Year at the 56th Grammy Awards.
• Second album Girl (2014) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
• Has won 13 Grammy Awards and received two Academy Award nominations.
• Has served as Men's creative director for Louis Vuitton since 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score 67 out of 100, based on generally positive reviews
• Billboard's Reggie Ugwu: four and a half stars out of five, calling it a relentlessly positive and joyful tour de force
• AllMusic's Andy Kellman: four stars out of five, praising its carefree soul throwback
• Spin's Barry Walters: eight out of ten, calling the album unabashedly feminine and neatly spaced-out
• XXL: XL rating, saying it represents a proper expression of his creativity
• Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson: three stars out of five, saying the album could have benefited from a few more introspective trips back to the drawing board
• Digital Spy's Robert Copsey: four stars out of five, categorizing the overall sound as uplifting R&B-funk
• Rolling Stone (cited in the Spanish article): four stars out of five

Records

• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number one on 9 March 2014
• First-week UK sales over 70,000, the fastest-selling album of 2014 in the UK at its release
• As of February 2015, 320,000 copies sold in the UK and platinum certified
• US Billboard 200: debuted at number two, selling 113,000 copies
• As of February 2015, 591,000 copies sold in the US
• 57th Grammy Awards: nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Urban Contemporary Album
• Number one in 12 countries worldwide

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• On 24 November, Williams released the first 24-hour music video for Happy, with guest appearances including Magic Johnson, Steve Carell and Jimmy Kimmel.
• Happy was nominated for Best Original Song at the 86th Academy Awards and performed live at the ceremony on 2 March 2014.
• Interviewed by Zane Lowe backstage at the 2014 Brit Awards, Williams said the title's capitalization and double-spacing were deliberate.
• The album's hidden track Freq follows Lost Queen and features uncredited vocals from JoJo.
• Its first week's sales in the UK overtook Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes by 45%.
• Miley Cyrus contributes uncredited vocals to Come Get It Bae.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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