Alan Thicke married actress Gloria Loring, known for starring in programs such as 'Days of Our Lives', in 1970, and he had the two sons Brennan Thicke and Robin Thicke. Half-brother Carter Thicke would become another member of the clan years later after Alan Thicke divorced and remarried. Brother Robin grew up in a household filled with music, with his dad being a singer (of tracks such as "Thicke of the Night") as well as a co-composer for several TV show theme songs and a seminal actor on both the big and small screens (examples being the shows 'Growing Pains' and 'How I Met Your Mother').
The young Robin Thicke taught himself to play piano at the age of twelve. Even at the age of fourteen, he found that he could play just about anything that he heard on the radio, feeling a drive to keep going further. Before his days as a singer-songwriter performing his own material,Robin Thicke wrote songs for the soul and pop groups 3T (with 1995's "Sexual Attention" bringing Thicke alongside Damon Thomas), Brownstone (with 1997's "Around You"), and Color Me Badd (an example being 1996's "Sexual Capacity"). He also collaborated with the acclaimed production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on several songs for Jordan Knight's 1999 self-titled album. Thicke seemed to receive a great omen when Knight's album was certified Gold and gained huge fan acclaim.
In 2000, Thicke went to work on material for his debut album, which ended up being titled 'A Beautiful World'. The album focused more on blue-eyed soul than his pop-centered offerings for other artists, and he mixed in influences from eclectic funk (in the vein of the British group Jamiroquai) and and modern neo-soul music (in the vain of Canadian crooner Remy Shand). Thicke hoped that he was primed for huge things by late 2002 when the album became ready for release.
Thicke's lead single, called "When I Get You Alone", had a distinctive music video made for it. The disco and slick rnb fueled track sounded rather unlike the commercial pop ethos of the time, having a distinctive sampling of Walter Murphy's 70s dance music hit "A Fifth of Beethoven" (which itself had been inspired by Beethoven's Fifth Symphony). The video featured an unshaven Thicke, with long, grungy hair, as a courier racing through the streets of Manhattan on a bicycle. It received some rotation on MTV 2 and BET's "Rated Next", the song being spun moderately on urban radio. On the Hot 100, it reached #29 quite quickly, yet it fell out the chart just as fast. Globally, however, the song was quite popular. With his single peaking at #17 in Australia, #15 in Belgium, #15 in Italy, #8 in New Zealand, and #5 in the Netherlands, Thicke felt that he wanted another shot at the 'big time' in the U.S.
Devising the re-release of this album, which it then gaining its final title of 'A Beautiful World', Thicke added a few extra songs that he seemed confident of. Yet the album received very little corporate promotion, irritating Thicke despite the release of a second single, a Prince-like groove mixing funk with rock called "Brand New Jones". The album debuted at #152 in the Billboard 200 and didn't do much from there, selling a mere 59,000 copies. Still, his work ended up being received well by many critics and musical peers, with Trevor Nelson and Lil' Wayne (Weezy's 2005 release 'Tha Carter, Vol. 2' would even include some of Thicke's work) lauding Thicke's music, as well as many fans.
In 2004, artist Pharrell Williams asked Jimmy Iovine, CEO of Interscope, “What are you doing with Robin Thicke?” A few months later, Robin was recording a new single, titled “Wanna Love You Girl” with Pharrell in Miami, as a newly signed artist on Pharrell’s label, Star Trak Records. With the two musicians sharing the same love for genre-hopping, deliberately 'retro' music, the single immediately attracted the attention of radio and club DJs across the world after its August 2005 release. The song often given revamped names such as "Wanna Love U Girl", "Wanna Love You Girl (Feat. Pharrell)", and the like, it ended up doing very well in the U.K. in particular, hitting #5 on Trevor Nelson's BBC Radio 1 "Soul Nation" chart.
Now appealing more to the mainstream, Thicke cut off his trademark long hair in an attempt to further recreate himself. By October 2006, when his second album, titled 'The Evolution of Robin Thicke', came out in its entirely, he had built up a ton of momentum, and his work paid off. Thicke earned the #1 slot on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and additional singles such as "Got 2 Be Down" and "Lost Without U" saw huge fan responses. As the months went by, his album even earned platinum certification by the RIAA.
Having 'made it' in the truest sense commercially as well as critically, Thick remarked, "My greatest desire with this album was to write songs that were completely honest and sing them with the emotion I was feeling when I wrote them, so that whoever listens to my music is brought as close to my experiences and life as possible."
With this intention, Robin created songs such as, “Lost without You” (the second single). An instant classic, this song is about Robin’s insecurities and his need to be desired and loved. With sweeping vocals over rhythmic Spanish guitar, this song takes you away and makes you sing along.
On the psychedelic, “High School Man” is where Robin infuses rock and hip-hop and poetically admits “I’m a hater” as he hates on those with more success than him realizing, ironically, he just wants what they have.
Finishing off The Evolution of Robin Thicke is the hopeful and encouraging “Thank You.” On this gospel inspired, piano ballad Robin sings, “maybe I’m the one who never gets up ‘till he falls,” making the discovery that he has to be thankful for everything that comes into his life…the tears, the joy, the failures and the successes.
Always carrying a heavy heart, Robin taught himself to play piano at the age of twelve so he could have an outlet to express himself. By the age of fourteen, he could play anything he heard on the radio. At sixteen, with no formal training, Robin began professionally writing and producing music for recording artists like Brandy and Brian McKnight. Over the years he has amassed dozens of gold and platinum records with artists including Usher, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson and Christina Aguilera.
Reflective, redemptive, passionate and etched with a soulfulness that is undeniable, The Evolution of Robin Thicke is an imaginative and heart-felt album that you cannot help but be moved by, bob your head to and smile throughout.
The album was released on October 3rd, 2006 and includes songs with Lil Wayne and Faith Evans, as well as Pharrell. The song "Got 2 Be Down" featuring Faith Evans was recently leaked (June '06). There will be two to three more videos released before the album comes out. Lately, there was a Busta Rhymes remix video shot for "Wanna Love You Girl," a Lil’ Wayne feat Robin Thicke "Shooter" video, and Robin has released the video for "Lost Without You," making that song the official 2nd single of the album.
A Beautiful World
Robin Thicke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do do do do do do
Everyone skinny and overweight
Do do do do do do yeah
And I don't know
If livin' is the worth the fight
So sometimes I just don't
Time stands still for each one of us
Ooh maybe I'm no hero
But I can't help myself
I need a reason to smile today
Do do do do do do
People are pregnant and underpaid
Do do do do do do yeah
I don't know
If livin' is worth the time
So sometimes I just don't
It's such a beautiful world
Just stand still for a minute more
Ooh maybe I'm no hero but
I can't help myself
And baby I don't know
If giving is worth the loss
It's such a beautiful world
Time stands still for each one of us
Ooh maybe I'm no hero
But I can't help myself
All the birds, all the babies
All the trees in the spring
All the joy that it brings
All the top ten centerfolds
All the joy, all the babies
All the leaves in the spring
All the love that it brings
I can't help myself
The lyrics of Robin Thicke's "A Beautiful World" present us with a mix of seemingly unrelated and rather unexpected images that suggest the composer is contemplating the value of living. With the lines "many a measles and hand grenades" and "everyone skinny and overweight," Thicke alludes to the unpredictability of life, the possibility of danger and unexpected events that can lead to drastic outcomes, forming a counterpoint to the idea that, despite its flaws and problems, the world is still something worth enjoying. The refrains "It's such a beautiful world" and "Time stands still for each one of us" convey a sense of appreciation for the fleeting moments of beauty and the importance of savouring them.
Throughout the song, Thicke seems to be struggling with the purpose of his existence and questioning whether it's all worth it. In line with this, the pre-chorus talks about his uncertainties: "And I don't know if livin' is worth the fight/So sometimes I just don't," and later, "I don't know if livin' is worth the time/So sometimes I just don't." Nevertheless, he finds reasons to go on, admitting "I need a reason to smile today." In the end, despite his doubts, the song seems to suggest that the world is worth living, and that we should not overlook the joys of life that are all around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Many a measles and hand grenades
Despite the chaos and danger in the world, life still goes on.
Everyone skinny and overweight
People come in different shapes and sizes, and that's okay.
And I don't know
If livin' is the worth the fight
So sometimes I just don't
Sometimes life feels like an uphill battle, and it's okay to take a break.
It's such a beautiful world
Time stands still for each one of us
Ooh maybe I'm no hero
But I can't help myself
Despite the struggles, the world is still beautiful and worth appreciating.
I need a reason to smile today
Sometimes we need a little reminder to find happiness in life.
People are pregnant and underpaid
Life isn't always fair, and some people have to work hard just to get by.
I don't know
If livin' is worth the time
So sometimes I just don't
Life can feel like it's fleeting, and it's important to make the most of the time we have.
Just stand still for a minute more
Sometimes we need to take a moment to pause and appreciate the beauty around us.
And baby I don't know
If giving is worth the loss
There are sacrifices and risks involved in life, and sometimes it's hard to know if it's worth it.
All the birds, all the babies
All the trees in the spring
All the joy that it brings
The world is full of simple pleasures that bring us happiness and joy.
All the top ten centerfolds
All the joy, all the babies
All the leaves in the spring
All the love that it brings
There's beauty and love all around us, if we take the time to notice it.
I can't help myself
Despite the struggles and uncertainty in life, the beauty and love around us is irresistible.
Lyrics © Regard Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Robin A. Thicke, Sean E. Hurley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
headsprunggg
most of his songs, probably like 85%, are genuine masterpieces
Lewis Rintoul
Back when he made good music
Rich Vason
I love the smooth cool feeling of this song. Danced to this song in our wedding.
Nicholas Gordon
This takes me back. Such beauty in this song.
Pompé
i love everyone who loves this song. music is dying but at least it's going down swinging.
The Harsh Reality Truth
this song is the perfect work of music beautiful ,meaningful, soulful soothing and catchy great song by a great artist. wonder if he wrote the lyrics
Jaye M.
I wonder why no one ever commented on this song. It's one of my favorite songs in the whole wide world
Akasha Wildy
Man Robin Thicke is the man, he is one of the true artist is the new age of 2000's. People wanna hear a bunch of cursing and nonsense but I love him and respect his craft.
Arlene Friberg
It's so good to hear music again! Is that a real instrument I hear? :-)
FreePHIRE
Hearing this song makes me fall in love over again.