| Marilyn Monroe | |
| Cover: | Pharrell Williams - Marilyn_Monroe.png |
| Border: | yes |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Pharrell Williams |
| Album: | Girl |
| Recorded: | 2013 |
| Genre: | Funk[1] |
| Producer: | Pharrell Williams |
| Prev Title: | Aerosol Can |
| Prev Year: | 2014 |
| Next Title: | Come Get It Bae |
| Next Year: | 2014 |
"Marilyn Monroe" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer-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). The song's intro was written by American violinist Ann Marie Calhoun, and it takes its name from the deceased Hollywood actress of the same name.
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]
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. Professional dancer Khadija Nicholas was hired by Pharrell to pose for the single's cover.[7]
The music video for the song, directed by Luis Cerveró, was released on April 23, 2014.[8] It features Williams admiring and performing with different women on numerous sets.
The video begins with Williams admiring a woman on a dreamy set; when he goes to embrace her, she disappears into air. This is revealed to be a dream as Williams wakes up and bikes to a female dance class. After mingling with his bandmates and the dancers, he performs the song's chorus with them. During sections in the chorus where Williams repeats the word "Girl", multiple brief scenes of different women are shown. Next, Williams walks to a set divided into three colors (red, blue, and white), with groups of female dancers assigned to each of them. During an instrumental interlude, girls in casual outfits are also shown performing choreography on a rooftop, on which Williams and Osbourne emerge, an arrow in the former's heart. Williams is next shown back on the dream set, where the first woman reappears, this time playing a bass inside an artificial moon. During the final chorus, Pharrell and a large group of girls perform together, with him singing right near a woman dressed in the multi-color set's all three colors.[9] [10]
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (Deutsche Black Charts) | 2 |
| Slovenia (SloTop50)[12] | 31 |
| South Korea (Gaon International Chart)[13] | 6 |
| Chart (2014) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] | 79 | |
| Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 16 | |
| Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[16] | 14 | |
| Belgium Dance (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] | 35 | |
| France (SNEP)[18] | 108 | |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] | 50 | |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] | 96 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | March 10, 2014 | Urban contemporary radio | |
| Australia[21] | April 7, 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | |
| Italy[22] | April 29, 2014 | Sony | |
| United Kingdom[23] | May 12, 2014 | ||
| Germany[24] | May 30, 2014 | CD single |