Marilyn Monroe (Pharrell Williams song)

"Marilyn Monroe" is a song by American singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams. It features additional spoken vocals from British TV personality Kelly Osbourne. The song was released on March 10, 2014 as the second single from Williams' second studio album Girl (2014). It was written by Williams, while the string intro was written by American violinist Ann Marie Calhoun. The song takes its name from the now deceased Hollywood actress of the same name.

"Marilyn Monroe"
Single by Pharrell Williams
from the album Girl
ReleasedMarch 10, 2014 (2014-03-10)
Recorded2013
GenreFunk[1]
Length5:51
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams singles chronology
"Aerosol Can"
(2014)		 "Marilyn Monroe"
(2014)		 "Come Get It Bae"
(2014)

Composition

The opening track on Williams' second studio album, Girl (2014), "Marilyn Monroe" begins with an orchestral string introduction.[2] The song's production is characterized by Williams' signature "skittering" beat and "bumping" bass line,[3] and its lyrics discuss "helpless romantics and the perfect lady."[3] Its chorus contains references to several female historical figures,[4] including actress Marilyn Monroe, Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and French heroine Joan of Arc.[3] In the song's lyrics, Williams dismisses all three as "[meaning] nothing to [him]" and laments that he "just [wants] a different girl."[3] Kelly Osbourne provides spoken backing vocals on the song.[3]

Release

In an interview with New York radio station Power 105.1, Williams revealed that "Marilyn Monroe" would be released as the second single from G I R L.[5] On March 10, 2014, the single was added to the playlist of British urban contemporary radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra along with the Williams song "Brand New".[6] Prior to its single release, the song had debuted at number 52 on the Dutch Single Top 100 chart.[7] Professional dancer Khadija Nicholas was hired by Pharrell to pose for the single's cover.[8]

Track listing
  • CD single (Germany)[9]
  1. "Marilyn Monroe"
  2. "Marilyn Monroe" (instrumental)

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by Luis Cerveró, was released on April 23, 2014.[10]

Credits and personnel
  • Pharrell Williams – lead vocals, songwriting, keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, bass guitar, programming, percussion, production, executive production
  • Ann Marie Calhoun – songwriting
  • Kelly Osbourne – background vocals[11]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 29
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 11
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 6
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] 38
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[17] 1
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 10
Denmark (Tracklisten)[19] 28
France (SNEP)[20] 27
Germany (Deutsche Black Charts) 2
Germany (Official German Charts)[21] 25
Ireland (IRMA)[22] 35
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 18
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[24] 27
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[25] 58
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[26] 45
Slovenia (SloTop50)[27] 31
South Africa (EMA)[28] 9
South Korea (Gaon International Chart)[29] 6
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[30] 25
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[31] 5
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[32] 9
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[33] 29

Year-end charts
Chart (2014) Rank
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[34] 79
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 16
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 14
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Wallonia)[37] 35
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[38] 50
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[39] 96

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40] Gold 35,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history
Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom[6] March 10, 2014 Urban contemporary radio
Australia[41] April 7, 2014 Contemporary hit radio
Italy[42] April 29, 2014 Sony
United Kingdom[43] May 12, 2014
Germany[9] May 30, 2014 CD single
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References
  1. Batey, Angus (February 21, 2014). "We Heard Pharrell's New Album & This Is What It Sounds Like". NME. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  2. Kelly, Chris (February 27, 2014). "GIRL – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". Fact. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  3. Kaufman, Gil (March 6, 2014). "Pharrell's 'Marilyn Monroe' Is So Not What You Think It's About". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  4. Copsey, Robert; Corner, Lewis (March 3, 2014). "Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear - Coldplay, Pharrell and more". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  5. "LISTEN: Pharrell Williams addresses album cover criticism". iHeartRadio. February 28, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  6. "Radio 1Xtra Playlist". BBC Radio 1Xtra. BBC. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  8. Wilson, Julee (April 24, 2014). "Pharrell's 'Marilyn Monroe' Cover Girl, Khadija Nicholas, Is A Brown Bombshell (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  9. "Marilyn Monroe [Single]" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  10. Gottlieb, Steven (July 23, 2014). "Pharrell Williams 'Marilyn Monroe' (Luis Cerveró, dir.)". Video Static. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  11. Kaufman, Gil (February 25, 2014). "Pharrell Reveals Final G I R L Track List". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  12. "Australian-charts.com – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  15. "Ultratop.be – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in French). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  19. "Danishcharts.com – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  20. "Lescharts.com – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pharrell Williams – Marilyn Monroe". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  22. "Chart Track: Week 23, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  23. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Pharrell Williams" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  25. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201426 into search. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  26. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201426 into search. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  27. "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  28. "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2014-06-24". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  29. "Gaon International Digital Chart". Gaon. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  30. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  31. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  32. "Pharrell Williams Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  33. "Pharrell Williams Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  34. "Jaaroverzichten 2014: Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  35. "Jaaroverzichten 2014: Dance" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  36. "Jaaroverzichten 2014: Urban" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  37. "Rapports Annuel 2014: Dance" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  38. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2014". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  39. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2014". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  40. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  41. Jolly, Nathan (April 7, 2014). "Chart Wrap: Pharrell and INXS break ARIA chart records". The Music Network. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  42. "In radio dal 29 aprile 'MARILYN MONROE', il nuovo singolo di PHARRELL WILLIAMS" (in Italian). Sony Music Italy. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  43. Lane, Daniel (May 11, 2014). "This Week's New Releases 11-05-2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
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