How Pharrell Williams’ life story is told in Piece by pieceIt’s worth taking a look at Williams’ discography to remember, or find out, what the biggest songs of his career were. Williams always strives to think outside the box when it comes to her career, and Piece by piece is no exception. The animated film explores Williams’ life through the LEGO narrative, racking up an impressive number of cameos from other musicians in Piece by piece while doing so – including the likes of Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar.
Of course, the reason these musicians are included in the story is because of the many impressive collaborations Williams was a part of throughout his life. Williams has created many songs, both under his own name and on behalf of others, that have topped the charts repeatedly, becoming the soundtrack to many people’s lives. Here are the 10 biggest songs of Williams’ career so far, ranked both by their chart performance and their cultural impact and overall reception.
10
“Havana” by Camila Cabello feat. Young thug
Release date: August 3, 2017
Although Williams had a minor role in “Havana,” this Camila Cabello song was almost unavoidable from 2017 to 2018. It was one of the two lead singles from Cabello’s debut album, Camilaand helped launch her solo career after years in the girl group Fifth Harmony. Williams served as the track’s writer, as well as providing vocals. throughout the song itself.
“Havana” took some time to climb the charts, but eventually peaked in the U.S. billboard Hot 100 at 4th place. Now, 7 years later, it has been certified Diamond by the RIAA in 8 different countries and has won an impressive array of awards – including Video of the Year at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. This success certainly makes it one of Williams’ biggest songs, but given the smaller size of his role in the song, it still lags far behind the next nine.
9
“Neon Guts” by Lil Uzi Vert Feat. Pharrell Williams
Release date: August 25, 2017
Also released in August 2017 was Lil Uzi Vert’s “Neon Guts”, which featured a full appearance by Williams, in addition to him producing the track. “Neon Guts” did not perform well on the charts, with the song peaking at #79 in the US billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for just 2 weeks total, but its true peak came years after the song’s release. Because of a TikTok trend, “Neon Guts”, especially the following lyrics, became the center of its own cultural moment.
Basically I’m saying I’m cooler (Slatt) / Get Dior discounts from my cougar / In sixth grade I got bad grades / I was in love with my tutor (Yeah)
Given how beloved Lil Uzi Vert is as an artist, this collaboration is big for Williams, even if Williams is considered a legend in his own right. This track is a fun ode to both of them and their successful lives, and the way they manage to balance each other out throughout the track makes it a true bop in every way. Still, Williams helped create even more magic, even if the cultural impact and overall vibe of this track has become extremely memorable over the years.
8
“Money Maker” By Ludacris Feat. Pharrell
Release date: July 17, 2006
Ludacris’ “Money Maker” also features full guest appearances from Williams, as well as writing and production credits (as “The Neptunes” includes Williams and Chad Hugo). The track, which samples the 1961 blues song “Shake Your Moneymaker” by Elmore James, steadily climbed to become a No. 1 hit in the US. billboard Hot 100 for Ludacris and Williams, who scored Williams’ second number one hit on the chart. It persevered to earn the number one spot for two weeks, as it initially debuted at #96 and was held at number one by Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” for 4 weeks.
While commercially this success is obvious, this track’s prominence has declined over the years. Still, that doesn’t take anything away from the magic that Ludacris and Williams created in this song. Its success certainly makes it one of Williams’ greatest songs, although the next few songs became the absolute foundation of Williams’ career.
7
“Beautiful” by Snoop Dogg Feat. Pharrell and Uncle Charlie Wilson
Release date: January 27, 2003
“Beautiful” is just the first collaboration between Snoop Dogg and Williams on this list, as the two truly form a dynamic duo. The track did well commercially, reaching a peak of #6 on the billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for a total of 20 weeks. With Williams credited on the track for his vocals, production and songwriting, this is certainly one of the duo’s most iconic – and biggest – collaborations to date.
The impact of “Beautiful” was enough for Williams to add it to the soundtrack of Piece by pieceproving how important it has been to Williams’ career. This 2003 collaboration between the two would lead to their most popular the following year.which became without a doubt one of the greatest songs of all time. It was “Beautiful” that helped pave the way, which earned it a spot on this list — even if some of Williams’ other songs have gone on to become even bigger.
6
“Sit” by Calvin Harris Feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean
Release date: June 15, 2017
“Feels” features Williams once again offering a vocal, this time on DJ Calvin Harris’ track, alongside two other big names: Katy Perry and Big Sean. This occurred during a time when this type of collaboration was extremely popular, with several major artists collaborating together on a single track. This was Williams’ opportunity to participate in the trend, and it certainly paid off, given its legacy 7 years later.
“Feels” was not a huge commercial success, with the song reaching #20 in the US billboard Hot 100, but remained on the chart for 18 weeks and was a huge hit in other countries. In the United Kingdom, “Feels” topped the chart, becoming Williams’ fourth to do so in the country. It has since also become a huge streaming success, with having accumulated over 1 billion streams on Spotify in the 7 years since its launch. This helps “Feels” stay outside the top five of Williams’ greatest songs, which is an impressive feat given Williams’ discography.
5
“Alright” by Kendrick Lamar
Release date: June 30, 2015
“Alright” by Kendrick Lamar is a song that needs no explanation, given how important it has become culturally. Williams served as producer and writer on this track, as well as providing some vocals. Lamar Williams and the rest of the brilliant minds behind this song had no idea initially what would come of this song, but upon its release, quickly became one of the most important songs in the worldand an anthem for voices desperately trying to be heard.
The chorus, simple as it is with its repetitive statement of “We’re going to be fine,” became the chant at some of the earliest protests of the Black Lives Matter movement. As the movement gained more momentum that year, “Alright” quickly became one of its anthems, as its message resonated with those who were fighting to shine a light on injustice. “Alright” has since become one of Williams’ most culturally impactful songs, and therefore one of her biggest, with only her chart performance keeping her from a higher ranking.
4
“Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg Feat. Pharrell
Release date: September 27, 2004
There’s no denying how big “Drop It Like It’s Hot” is, a popularity that has continued over the past two decades. This collaboration is the largest between Snoop Dogg and Williams, set for success by their work together on “Beautiful”. Williams served as vocalist, producer, and writer on the track, which topped the U.S. billboard Hot 100 for three weeks – and stayed on the chart for 30 weeks in total.
It’s impossible to say that phrase nowadays and not perform it in the style it is sung here.
Although the phrase “drop it like it’s hot” was not coined by Snoop Dogg and Williams in this song, not only did its usage skyrocket with the release of this song, but it was also defined by the track. It’s impossible to say that phrase nowadays and not perform it in the style it is sung here. The song became so popular that it has been parodied several times over the years, in addition to its music video, which became a meme in 2011. Only three other tracks managed to become bigger than this one for Williams.
3
“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke Feat. IT and Pharrell
Release date: March 27, 2013
“Blurred Lines” may be one of the biggest songs of Williams’ career, but it’s also one of the most controversial – if not the most controversial. “Blurred Lines” was a huge hit at the time, spending 12 consecutive weeks at number one in the US. billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for a total of 48 weeks. Despite this huge commercial success, however, the legacy of “Blurred Lines” has taken a major hit, amid accusations of serious misogyny and legal issues.
“Blurred Lines” caused Thicke, Williams and T.I. to be taken to court by Marvin Gaye’s estatewhich claimed copyright infringement due to similarities to Gaye’s track “Got to Give It Up”. These legal issues lasted for many years, with Williams defending the track as much as possible, although the court ruled in favor of Gaye’s estate. The song was already controversial for its lyrics, which many insisted had extremely misogynistic connotations, among other disturbing themes. Despite this, “Blurred Lines” is still one of Williams’ greatest songs, with only two others surpassing it.
2
“Get Lucky” by Daft Punk Feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
Release date: April 19, 2013
“Get Lucky” arrived just weeks after “Blurred Lines,” marking an iconic collaboration between Daft Punk and Williams. Williams served as the track’s lead vocalist, as well as having a songwriting credit. The song was a huge commercial success, even though it only peaked at number 2 in the US. billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 29 weeks — and was blocked from the top spot by “Blurred Lines.” The song has also won many awards, including Grammy for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in 2014.
The real magic of “Get Lucky,” however, is its staying power. The song is still widely played to this day and has half a billion streams on Spotify, which is very impressive for a song released when iTunes and other music platforms were still more popular. Only one other song has managed to surpass the staying power of “Get Lucky” for Williams and established a legacy that has since defined much of Williams’ work.
1
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams
Release date: July 2, 2013
“Happy” is without a doubt the biggest song of Williams’ entire career, a track that has had a huge commercial and cultural impact. It was the biggest song of 2014, having received something of a re-release when Williams re-released the single in November 2013, and reached number one in the US billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 10 weeks. It would remain in the charts for 47 weeks while continuing to top the charts around the world. This popularity caused it to become a meme, which helped to further expand its cultural impact.
What’s perhaps most fascinating about “Happy” is that it originally served as the only single from the soundtrack to Despicable Me 2. This gave Williams a legacy rooted in Despicable Me franchise; the artist continues to make music for new films, with “Just A Cloud Away” and “Double Life” being more recent examples that certainly had their viral moments on TikTok. “Happy” truly changed the game for Williams as a solo artist, becoming an integral part of the journey he Piece by piece shows in its history.