Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a video of Pharrell Williams's performance of his hit song "Happy" at the Grammy Awards 2015 and speculates about what the staging of that performance meant.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/pharrell-williams-happy-song-from.html for the pancocojams post "Pharrell Williams - "Happy", from Despicable Me 2 (video, lyrics, and comments)"
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pharrell Williams - Happy At Grammy Awards 2015
Fly Sh!t 0nly, Published on Feb 8, 2015
-snip-
"Fly" is African American slang for "very hip" (very stylish according to the latest in Black urban street culture)
****
A DESCRIPTION OF PHARRELL'S STAGING OF "HAPPY" AT THE 2015 GRAMMY AWARDS
From http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pharrell-williams-ferguson-tribute-happy-771514
Grammys: Pharrell Williams Slips Ferguson Tribute Into "Happy" Performance (Video) by Hilary Lewis
2/8/2015
"Think you've heard every rendition of Pharrell Williams' ubiquitous "Happy"?
The mega-producer brought something new to the Grammys stage this year, teaming up with piano superstar Lang Lang and composer Hans Zimmer for a dramatic rendition of the hit song, which won best pop solo performance and best music video...
Williams, wearing what looked like a bellhop's costume, began his performance by speaking the opening lines of the song before a dramatic orchestral opening and a return to the familiar beat and lyrics. People in white gospel-singer-like robes then filled the aisles. Williams was backed by dancers wearing black hooded sweatshirts, some holding yellow tambourines, which the robed audience members also carried. Williams, whose outfit featured shorts instead of pants, just like his Grammys arrival suit, also sported yellow shoes.
Williams also included a subtle tribute to Ferguson shooting victim Michael Brown, as he and his dancers made a "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture during the performance."
****
COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT PHARREL'S STAGING OF "HAPPY" AT THE 2015 GRAMMYS MEANT
EDITOR'S COMMENT
Pharrell Williams' staging of his song "Happy" at the 2015 Grammy Awards show elevated that composition from just a lighthearted feel-good "Don't worry. Be happy"* song to one that sends a serious message. In my opinion, one of those messages is that people can't really be happy as long as police violence and other injustices occur.
Williams added a serious element to this performance of "Happy" in the beginning of this performance by changing his song into a spoken word piece. His words were echoed in other languages. The inclusion of those different languages and featuring a Chinese pianist may have been meant to convey the point that this message isn't just about or for Black Americans.
The inclusion of a few chords from Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" song** also raised the level of this song from a puff piece to something much more serious.
The inclusion of the "Hands Up Don't Shoot" gesture and the hoodies that some of the cast wore sent the message that people might smile outwardly, but they won't really be happy until injustices such as police violence are eradicated.
Pharrell's folding his hand in prayer and saying "...as you can see Lord, I'm at your service...." reinforced the serious intent of this rendition of "Happy".
*"Don't Worry. Be Happy" is a referent to Bobby McFerrin's widely known song which was released in 1988. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU for a video of that song.
**Here's an excerpt of the lyrics to Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children":
"I just want to ask a question:
Who really cares, to save a world in despair?
Who really cares?
Flowers won't grow (flowers won't grow, no)
Bells won't be ringing (the bells won't be ringing)
Who really cares? (Who really cares?)
Who's willing to try? (Who is willing to try?)
To save the world, (to save the world)
That's destined to die (that is destined to die)"...
- http://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-save-the-children-lyrics
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/songs-from-marvin-gayes-whats-going-on.html for a pancocojams post about Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" and other songs from his 1971 "What's Going On" album.
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QUOTES FROM AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE
From http://mic.com/articles/110140/the-powerful-statement-almost-everyone-missed-from-pharrell-s-grammy-performance The Powerful Statement Almost Everyone Missed from Pharrell's Grammy Performance by Derrick Clifton February 08, 2015
"Happy" became a movement unto itself last year. But during his Grammy moment, Pharrell Williams aligned the song's message with what's undoubtedly the biggest movement of the moment. While audiences at home fixated on his bellhop costume, many missed the artist's powerful message.
During the middle of his performance, Williams and his backup dancers on stage — many outfitted in black hoodies — paused. Instead of singing, they allowed their hands to speak for themselves in a tribute to the #BlackLivesMatter movement that emerged last year to protest the killings of unarmed black Americans.
The significance of the black hoodies and the "hands up" motion cannot be understated. Both images have been unmistakably synonymous with the broader movement against the killings of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers and vigilantes. The hoodies originally emerged as a form of protest following the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the eventual acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman. The "hands up" came immediately following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, by a police officer.
Williams chose one of the biggest moments of his career, on what's perhaps music's biggest stage, to make a pointed gesture of solidarity with the broader #BlackLivesMatter efforts. Aligning his iconic song "Happy" with a call to value black lives sends a strong signal that the movement's message has been heard — and isn't going away anytime soon."...
****
COMMENTS REGARDING PHARRELL WEARING A BELLHOP-LIKE UNIFORM
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6iJHdukUfU
Earth Spirit1, 2015
"He has a bell boy outfit on.a Stereotypical depiction where they want oppress people to remain. Don't feel don't think, don't react continue in the madness and be happy!"
****
From https://www.facebook.com/MicMedia/posts/883326845023440 Pharrell Williams' performance was about much more than being happy.
-MIC.com
Gerri Seay Pharell and HAPPY
"Black Hoodies, Hands up don't Shoot and his bellman servant uniform... Metaphors all. Deep really. Almost Dunbar's "We wear the Mask" deep. We "happy" though!"
**
Gerri Seay
"Exactly.... The jobs our talented fore parents had to take so their children could be "happy." And he's from VA [Virginia], so he Knows"
-snip-
Gerri Seay's comments above refer to the way that Black people had (have) to pretend to be happy and content in order to survive in a racist society. Here's late 19th century, early 20th century African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar's composition "We Wear The Mask"
"We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
Source http://www.potw.org/archive/potw8.html
****
UPDATE 4:30 pm 2/9/2015
A more cynical take on Pharrell's staging of his song "Happy" at the 2015 Grammy Awards was that he was making up for his reference to Michael Brown, Jr. (the Black teen that was killed in Ferguson, Missouri by a White police officer) looking very "bully-ish" in a video of him pushing a storeowner, and then later asking for trouble when he didn't listen to a police officer demanding that he get out of the street. Those comments were part of a November 2014 Ebony Magazine interview:
..."Ebony: Did you see the video allegedly showing Michael Brown stealing from a convenience store minutes before his death? What do you think?
PW: It looked very bully-ish; that in itself I had a problem with. Not with the kid, but with whatever happened in his life for him to arrive at a place where that behavior is OK. Why aren’t we talking about that?...
I believe that Ferguson officer should be punished and serve time. He used excessive force on a human being who was merely a child. He was a baby, man. The boy was walking in the middle of the street when the police supposedly told him to ‘get the f–k on the sidewalk.’ If you don’t listen to that, after just having pushed a storeowner, you’re asking for trouble. But you’re not asking to be killed. Some of these youth feel hunted and preyed upon, and that’s why that officer needs to be punished."
http://www.racialicious.com/2015/02/09/the-grammys-have-an-awkward-brush-with-social-justice/#more-33701 The Grammys Have An Awkward Brush With Social Justice, Arturo, February 9, 2015
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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases a video of Pharrell Williams's performance of his hit song "Happy" at the Grammy Awards 2015 and speculates about what the staging of that performance meant.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/pharrell-williams-happy-song-from.html for the pancocojams post "Pharrell Williams - "Happy", from Despicable Me 2 (video, lyrics, and comments)"
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pharrell Williams - Happy At Grammy Awards 2015
Fly Sh!t 0nly, Published on Feb 8, 2015
-snip-
"Fly" is African American slang for "very hip" (very stylish according to the latest in Black urban street culture)
****
A DESCRIPTION OF PHARRELL'S STAGING OF "HAPPY" AT THE 2015 GRAMMY AWARDS
From http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pharrell-williams-ferguson-tribute-happy-771514
Grammys: Pharrell Williams Slips Ferguson Tribute Into "Happy" Performance (Video) by Hilary Lewis
2/8/2015
"Think you've heard every rendition of Pharrell Williams' ubiquitous "Happy"?
The mega-producer brought something new to the Grammys stage this year, teaming up with piano superstar Lang Lang and composer Hans Zimmer for a dramatic rendition of the hit song, which won best pop solo performance and best music video...
Williams, wearing what looked like a bellhop's costume, began his performance by speaking the opening lines of the song before a dramatic orchestral opening and a return to the familiar beat and lyrics. People in white gospel-singer-like robes then filled the aisles. Williams was backed by dancers wearing black hooded sweatshirts, some holding yellow tambourines, which the robed audience members also carried. Williams, whose outfit featured shorts instead of pants, just like his Grammys arrival suit, also sported yellow shoes.
Williams also included a subtle tribute to Ferguson shooting victim Michael Brown, as he and his dancers made a "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture during the performance."
****
COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT PHARREL'S STAGING OF "HAPPY" AT THE 2015 GRAMMYS MEANT
EDITOR'S COMMENT
Pharrell Williams' staging of his song "Happy" at the 2015 Grammy Awards show elevated that composition from just a lighthearted feel-good "Don't worry. Be happy"* song to one that sends a serious message. In my opinion, one of those messages is that people can't really be happy as long as police violence and other injustices occur.
Williams added a serious element to this performance of "Happy" in the beginning of this performance by changing his song into a spoken word piece. His words were echoed in other languages. The inclusion of those different languages and featuring a Chinese pianist may have been meant to convey the point that this message isn't just about or for Black Americans.
The inclusion of a few chords from Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" song** also raised the level of this song from a puff piece to something much more serious.
The inclusion of the "Hands Up Don't Shoot" gesture and the hoodies that some of the cast wore sent the message that people might smile outwardly, but they won't really be happy until injustices such as police violence are eradicated.
Pharrell's folding his hand in prayer and saying "...as you can see Lord, I'm at your service...." reinforced the serious intent of this rendition of "Happy".
*"Don't Worry. Be Happy" is a referent to Bobby McFerrin's widely known song which was released in 1988. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU for a video of that song.
**Here's an excerpt of the lyrics to Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children":
"I just want to ask a question:
Who really cares, to save a world in despair?
Who really cares?
Flowers won't grow (flowers won't grow, no)
Bells won't be ringing (the bells won't be ringing)
Who really cares? (Who really cares?)
Who's willing to try? (Who is willing to try?)
To save the world, (to save the world)
That's destined to die (that is destined to die)"...
- http://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-save-the-children-lyrics
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/songs-from-marvin-gayes-whats-going-on.html for a pancocojams post about Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" and other songs from his 1971 "What's Going On" album.
****
QUOTES FROM AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE
From http://mic.com/articles/110140/the-powerful-statement-almost-everyone-missed-from-pharrell-s-grammy-performance The Powerful Statement Almost Everyone Missed from Pharrell's Grammy Performance by Derrick Clifton February 08, 2015
"Happy" became a movement unto itself last year. But during his Grammy moment, Pharrell Williams aligned the song's message with what's undoubtedly the biggest movement of the moment. While audiences at home fixated on his bellhop costume, many missed the artist's powerful message.
During the middle of his performance, Williams and his backup dancers on stage — many outfitted in black hoodies — paused. Instead of singing, they allowed their hands to speak for themselves in a tribute to the #BlackLivesMatter movement that emerged last year to protest the killings of unarmed black Americans.
The significance of the black hoodies and the "hands up" motion cannot be understated. Both images have been unmistakably synonymous with the broader movement against the killings of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers and vigilantes. The hoodies originally emerged as a form of protest following the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the eventual acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman. The "hands up" came immediately following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, by a police officer.
Williams chose one of the biggest moments of his career, on what's perhaps music's biggest stage, to make a pointed gesture of solidarity with the broader #BlackLivesMatter efforts. Aligning his iconic song "Happy" with a call to value black lives sends a strong signal that the movement's message has been heard — and isn't going away anytime soon."...
****
COMMENTS REGARDING PHARRELL WEARING A BELLHOP-LIKE UNIFORM
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6iJHdukUfU
Earth Spirit1, 2015
"He has a bell boy outfit on.a Stereotypical depiction where they want oppress people to remain. Don't feel don't think, don't react continue in the madness and be happy!"
****
From https://www.facebook.com/MicMedia/posts/883326845023440 Pharrell Williams' performance was about much more than being happy.
-MIC.com
Gerri Seay Pharell and HAPPY
"Black Hoodies, Hands up don't Shoot and his bellman servant uniform... Metaphors all. Deep really. Almost Dunbar's "We wear the Mask" deep. We "happy" though!"
**
Gerri Seay
"Exactly.... The jobs our talented fore parents had to take so their children could be "happy." And he's from VA [Virginia], so he Knows"
-snip-
Gerri Seay's comments above refer to the way that Black people had (have) to pretend to be happy and content in order to survive in a racist society. Here's late 19th century, early 20th century African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar's composition "We Wear The Mask"
"We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
Source http://www.potw.org/archive/potw8.html
****
UPDATE 4:30 pm 2/9/2015
A more cynical take on Pharrell's staging of his song "Happy" at the 2015 Grammy Awards was that he was making up for his reference to Michael Brown, Jr. (the Black teen that was killed in Ferguson, Missouri by a White police officer) looking very "bully-ish" in a video of him pushing a storeowner, and then later asking for trouble when he didn't listen to a police officer demanding that he get out of the street. Those comments were part of a November 2014 Ebony Magazine interview:
..."Ebony: Did you see the video allegedly showing Michael Brown stealing from a convenience store minutes before his death? What do you think?
PW: It looked very bully-ish; that in itself I had a problem with. Not with the kid, but with whatever happened in his life for him to arrive at a place where that behavior is OK. Why aren’t we talking about that?...
I believe that Ferguson officer should be punished and serve time. He used excessive force on a human being who was merely a child. He was a baby, man. The boy was walking in the middle of the street when the police supposedly told him to ‘get the f–k on the sidewalk.’ If you don’t listen to that, after just having pushed a storeowner, you’re asking for trouble. But you’re not asking to be killed. Some of these youth feel hunted and preyed upon, and that’s why that officer needs to be punished."
http://www.racialicious.com/2015/02/09/the-grammys-have-an-awkward-brush-with-social-justice/#more-33701 The Grammys Have An Awkward Brush With Social Justice, Arturo, February 9, 2015
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.