If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it … and then use it over and over and over again. That’s the basic gist of Pharrell’s approach to starting off his songs, it seems. Thanks to a handy mix from Discopop Directory (via Gawker), you can now hear that the star singer and producer relies on a simple, reliable pattern to kick off most of his hits.
“He’s rubbish at writing intros,” says the author of the post. “Take a listen to his new album, Girl, and seven of the 10 tracks start exactly the same way. He takes the first beat of the first bar, loops it four times, then goes straight into the song.”
The mix takes a bunch of examples throughout his career, going all the way back to his first production credit, SWV’s “Right Here.” As the author notes, it’s impossible to unhear it, so be warned before you click play. Find the 13-song audio and track list below.
The “How to Write Song Intros” mix track list:
1. SWV – “Right Here”
2. Jay-Z – “Frontin'”
3. Kelis – “Milkshake”
4. Snoop Dogg – “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
5. Robin Thicke – “Blurred Lines”
6. Shakira – “Why Wait”
7. Frank Ocean – “Sweet Life” (this one is especially lazy)
8. Pharrell Williams – “Brand New”
9. Paloma Faith – “Can’t Rely on You”
10. Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
11. Pharrell Williams – “Hunter”
12. Jay-Z – “I Wish”
13. Pharrell Williams – “Gust of Wind”
