Pharrell Williamsended up getting very lucky with one of his biggest hits.
In honor of the 10th anniversary andreissueof their acclaimed albumRandom Access Memories, French electronic duoDaft Punkhas been releasing a video series titled"Memory Tapes"about the making of the record. Williams, 50, appeared on anew episodereleased on Wednesday to discuss their collaboration “Get Lucky,” and admitted that he didn’t realize how involved with the song he would actually be.
The hitmaker explained that he was tapped to write something for the Grammy-winning track, but didn’t know the electronic stars intended to keep his vocals on it.
“When they brought me in to write on the album, I thought I was just writing for someone else,” the record producer said. “So, in my mind, I go, ‘Oh, okay, I’m writing this for someone. Okay, I think this is Michael-esque.’ Like, ‘Let me go down this lane. This is what this feels like to me.’ It’s all feeling.”
Daft Punk and Pharrell.Michael Kovac/WireImage
Michael Kovac/WireImage
He continued, “By the time the song was done, I didn’t know who was gon’ end up singing it. I left the studio thinking, ‘Okay, I can’t wait to see who sings it and what it sounds like.’”
The hip-hop star explained that he ended up forgetting what both “Get Lucky” and his other collaboration, “Lose Yourself to Dance,” sounded like because he didn’t hear them for a year, and because was so engrossed in the recording process. “When monumental things happen, sometimes it’s lost on me because I’m just so in it and being so present in the moment,” he shared. “You would think that would give you all the detail in the world, but it doesn’t. It does the opposite for me: I get lost in it.”
Pharrell Williams.Marc Piasecki/WireImage
Marc Piasecki/WireImage
“I’m always overly critical of my own vocals and that felt great to me. Thank you,” Williams said at the time, adding that he was “humbled to be a part of” their process.
The music industry veteran also recalled, “It was weird to write something in this crazy hour and then not have access to it — talk aboutRandom Access Memories.I don’t remember writing anything because it was just in the zone … So when I heard it, I was like, ‘Oh, s—, this is fire.’”
The collaborative group — who the N.E.R.D. member described as being like “a meeting of the spirits” and “seeing music in the same way” — ended up winning record of the year and best pop duo/group performance for the song at the 56thGrammy Awards.Random Access Memories itself took home the prizes for album of the year and best dance/electronica album.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Get Lucky” also spent 29 weeks on theBillboardHot 100chart where it peaked at No. 2 and held the spot for five consecutive weeks.
The “One More Time” duodisbanded after 30 years in February 2021. They shared an eight-minute-long video at the time titled “Epilogue” to announce the news.
source: people.com
