Revisiting Robin Thicke’s Paula (5 Years After Blurred Lines)
(I have a Twitter account now! Go follow it to keep up with all my videos: www.twitter.com/MicTheSnare?s=09)
In this month’s case study, during the five-year anniversary of the chart success of “Blurred Lines,” I take a look at Robin Thicke’s follow-up album. Blatantly inspired by his marital turmoil, and initially pegged as a failure, I wanted to find out: is it really that bad? Does Thicke deserve our sympathy? And have any albums attempted what he tried since? The answers are yes, not really, and surprisingly yes.
Do you agree? Disagree? Do you think maybe I’m going deaf, maybe I’m going blind, or maybe I’m out of my mind? Let me know in the comments!
Songs Used:
– All songs on Robin Thicke’s Paula (2014), except “Whatever I Want”
– “Blurred Lines” and “Ooh La La” from Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines (2013)
– “4:44” and “The Story of OJ” from Jay-Z’s 4:44 (2017)
Stories/Sites Cited or Used for Research:
– http://www.metacritic.com/music/paula/robin-thicke
– https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/10961567/Robin-Thicke-Paula-review-genuinely-embarassing.html
– https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6141010/robin-thicke-reaches-out-for-paula-album-review
– https://www.gq.com/story/robin-thicke-interview-blurred-lines-music-video-collaborating-with-2-chainz-and-kendrick-lamar-mercy
– https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/07/robin-thickes-terrifying-new-album/373794/
– https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/10/robin-thicke-paula-54-copies-australia
– http://descrier.co.uk/culture/music/robin-thickes-paula-charts-200th-just-530-sales/
– https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6150428/trey-songz-scores-second-no-1-album-with-trigga
– https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5638317/robin-thicke-gets-first-no-1-album-on-billboard-200
Videos Used:
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DdCoNbbRvQ
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz_EqawkmTg
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhZnnsTBYA4
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Bd6kT6E1Q
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kxfFj30bjE
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqO6_iPK-vo
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqpot5VNobY
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMScOrRfv_o
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSkA61esq_c
Wikipedia Sources for Certain Images:
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48644515
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46793235
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47520491
@thegiftofgabby5581
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Yikes then. Yikes now.
@LoneWolf343
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Can't believe it has been 11 years since Thicke literally fucked away his whole career.
@haskeymorrison
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
In my opinion, the first half of this album is amazing, while the second half is bad
@cypher515
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
This is by far the worst album that I have a track from in my regular rotation on YT Music. Though if I played "Ice Ice Baby" or related videos a bit more, it'd be "To The Extreme". (The song in question is "Living in New York City", one of the songs that barely feel like they fit on the album.)
@rosihantu1
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
It's his version of Kirk Van Houten's " can I borrow a feeling".
@DodaGarcia
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
First off, that final line was killer 💀
But just a thought I had after seeing the final shot with the question about honesty in the deposition: I wonder if Robin Thicke wanted to create this "bad boy" image with "Blurred Lines", and then Paula was his attempt to (aside from getting her back, as he alleges) soften that image back to that of a sensitive RnB singer after the Marvin Gaye controversy.
@Burkutace27
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Robin Thicke is the kind of guy who will do anything to save his relationship, so long as it doesn't involve addressing the issues which put the relationship in danger
@peonylarkspur645
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
I had not seen the comments Robin made re: blurred lines in the interview, Jesus he really went and said that shit on record
@daelen.cclark
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
I only heard about this album thanks to Todd in the Shadows.
Robin’s New York song is the only one I think has potential on its own (perhaps sampling his songs could make them better.)
@Dondonmixedflip
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Watch his drink champs interview. He admits he was all over the place during this time. I liked about 3 tracks on this album.
@XP9724
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Damn 12:38 was crazy, Robin was way more than just a few decent r&b singles, he had successful albums with multiple hit songs on the r&b charts before Blurred lines, don't diminish his career like that😂 good video tho
@XP9724
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Robin has a great perspective on this album now, in his drink champs interview he said he made the album when he was at his lowest and all over the place mentally and the albums sound/quality reflects that. He doesn't regret it but wishes he never promoted it as a follow up album, rather just a project he threw out to get out how he felt and what he was going thru. Also by the time the album came out he knew it was over and started to move on, that's why too little too late makes sense
@coolguy8270
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Coming back to watch this now after first watching it in 2020, and damn it's so surreal hearing him say blurred lines was 5 years ago aswell as saying 4:44 came out "last year"
@priymusxzavier654
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
My jaw DROPPED when 4:44 started playing
@ISEEKSPACE
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
This was impressive. You should analyze the Lemonade album by Beyonce. That would be epic since you spoke on 4:44 and tipped a bit on Lemonade.
@jeremyusreevu237
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
NGL, Get Her Back has a slick instrumental, that deserves to be on a better song.
@Lormenkal64
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
I only remember that it launched Emily Ratjakowski
@bertfromseasamestreet
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Such a good video
@NightMedicine
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
That albums sounds like if a hydrocodone could sing, but not fun…
@kittykittybangbang9367
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
14:24 * claps * (*゜▽゜ノノ☆
@endlessness
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
I got to the last 3rd and I was like oh is he talking about 444? And then I was like oh he is talking about 444 and then I was like YEAHHHHH 🙂
@theonlycaamz
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
i really enjoy the musicians and background vocalists, and i especially respect their talent on this record…but then there's robin
@Lildeadthing420
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
welp.
@gabe_s_videos
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
This album sounds less like an apology and more like damage control, like when you make a big mistake without realizing it and you try desperately to apologize and make up for it as fast as possible, not so much because you're actually sorry but because you just want everyone to stop being mad at you.
@SmokinAcesProd
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
I saw this pop up and I’m just gonna say this….. Blurred Lines is great!
@kaicanyonellis
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
What I wouldn't give for an episode about 444 😍
Comments are closed.