CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Awards Shows

      Pharrell’s New Video is Pretty But Empty

      Viral

      “Freedom” lets the visuals get lyrical, but not the lyrics.

      The Daily Beast Video

      Updated Apr. 14, 2017 10:18AM ET / Published Jul. 23, 2015 1:00PM ET 

      YouTube/PharrellWilliamsVEVO

      Bless Pharrell Williams’s heart; it’s in the right place. The pop star/producer extraordinaire’s new video and single, “Freedom,” has just been released and it looks gorgeous, but the lyrics are far from his best work.

      Pharrell is the man who gave us “Happy,” the most joyous, unhateable song since Outkast’s “Hey Ya!,” so it's a major disappointment when he gives us vapid lyrics like “Your first name is Free/last name is Dom” and tired "everything is connected" observations that would even make Bono blush.

      However, the video picks up the lyrics’ slack. Legendary video director Paul Hunter gives us gorgeously rendered re-creations of enslaved miners, sweatshop workers and Stepford-esque models juxtaposed with poetic one-off images (including a few lifted from Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life). But perhaps Pharrell—a co-conspirator of Robin Thicke’s infamous “Blurred Lines”—should have opted to leave out a brief but gratuitous nude shot of two women’s rear ends.

      As usual, Pharrell’s musical production is on point. “Freedom” should have been the anthem he wanted it to be. Sadly, his ambition got out of his pen’s reach.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC