Pharrell Williams On ‘Rapey’ Song Lyrics, ‘It Blew My Mind’

It's only been six years since the hit song "Blurred Lines" was introduced to the world, but so much has changed and Pharrell Williams is not afraid to address those changes.

The song, which was co-written by Robin Thicke and was nominated for two Grammy Awards is no longer looked at as a smash hit to some, largely in part to a major shift in society and the #MeToo movement. The 46-year-old recently sat down with GQ for their New Masculinity issue and discussed how "Blurred Lines" played a part in his awakening to recognizing the society we lived in.

Williams revealed that, at first, he didn't understand why some people had been upset with the song's lyrics, specifically "I know you want it," and even recalled himself thinking, "What's rapey about that?"

"And then I realized that there are men who use that same language when taking advantage of a woman, and it doesn't matter that that's not my behavior. Or the way I think about things. It just matters how it affects women," he said. "And I was like, Got it. I get it. Cool."

"My mind opened up to what was actually being said in the song and how it could make someone feel. Even though it wasn't the majority, it didn't matter. I cared what they were feeling too," he continued. "I realized that we live in a chauvinist culture in our country. Hadn't realized that. Didn't realize that some of my songs catered to that. So that blew my mind."